The Hunters Point Parks Conservancy’s mission is to enhance and advocate for the greenspaces and waterfront of Long Island City, Queens, and to ensure the Parks remain an indispensable asset to the community.
Hunters Point Parks Conservancy has been concerned for some time about the illegal and disruptive activities that have been occurring in our waterfront parks at night. During this time, we have been in constant contact with many stakeholders in the community including park officials, elected officials, neighbors, local business owners and the 108th Precinct.
The Conservancy is extremely upset when we see the parks littered with empty liquor bottles, fireworks residue, and the results of fires that have damaged park infrastructure. Additionally, we, like many people living in the Hunters Point South neighborhood, have been woken up repeatedly throughout the night by loud music, fireworks, and drag racing on Center Blvd. The Conservancy has frequently witnessed unauthorized motorized vehicles in the park creating safety hazards for park users. The Conservancy is dismayed by reports of unauthorized late-night raves that ignore social distancing laws during a global pandemic that has had such a negative effective on our local community’s health.
The Hunters Point Parks Conservancy agrees more needs to be done to address these issues. We believe more effective enforcement of park polices are required, especially during the night and on weekends to stem these disruptive problems. During these unprecedented times, we also believe it is more important than ever to work with the proper authorities to meet the needs of our parks and all of our Queens community.
The Hunters Point Parks Conservancy has 20+ years of experience working together with the New York State and New York City Parks Departments to meet our collective challenges. When trash plagued the park earlier this summer, HPPC worked with park officials and invested in Bigbelly Trash Cans that have increased capacity and alleviated the problem. When budget cuts hampered park staffing, we continued to provide and organize needed volunteer services and partnered with the hard-working park employees. This summer we’ve weeded, mulched, and helped clean the park to keep our parks clean, safe, and welcoming for all.
Long Island City and Queens are better when we all work together. At the core of our mission is fostering a sense of community and inclusivity for all who enjoy our parks. The Conservancy is committed to working with all concerned stakeholders to solve the problems we collectively face. We will continue to partner and offer support to initiatives that support our mission through the proper channels.