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May 02, 2005
The sights and sounds of Washington Square Park could soon change. This summer the
Parks Department is set to start a $$16 million dollar renovation project.
At a rally Sunday aimed at trying to get the city to stop the renovations,
almost everyone agreed the park needs some upgrades, but not a massive
makeover.
“If they want to pave it over, fine,” said community activist John Bradin. “They can make minor repairs, but they don't need
to do this major, major thing. They are going to close the park down for like
two years, and you won't be able to use it. And then it’s going to be this
sort of homogenized, very sterile-looking thing.”
The new plan calls for more small spaces and gardens; moving the sunken
center to ground level; removing some, if not all, of the famed chess tables;
and, perhaps the most controversial part of the plan, erecting a
four-and-a-half-foot fence that would be locked at night.
“The officials behind this back-door privatization scheme say they need a
fence to protect their investment,” said Jonathan Greenberg, a community
activist.
Another group upset about the park renovations is dog owners. They say they
are being moved to an unsafe place in the park.
Currently, the dog run is in the middle of the park. The protesters said the
new plan would put it just a few feet from the street. Owners worry that
their dogs could be hit by a car if they get out.
Another concern for pet owners is the weather. The current space is in the
sun, but the move would put it in the shade. Owners say that would make the
winter months unbearable.
“Basically [it would] make it very uncomfortable for the dog owners, so we
spend less time in the dog run – that my thinking,” said dog owner Pat McKee.
Organizers of the rally said they will soon give the city a petition calling
for a halt to the renovations. If that doesn't work, part of the park could
be closed off as early as next month, when construction is expected to begin.
- Cindi Avila
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