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Read the press release here.

Community Board Wants School Playgrounds Open During Summer

Community Board 7 is looking into getting schools to open playgrounds after hours, on weekends and during the summer for public use.
Community Board 7 is looking into getting schools to open playgrounds after hours, on weekends and during the summer for public use.
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DNAinfo/Leslie Albrecht

UPPER WEST SIDE — Despite being wedged between two major parks, the Upper West Side has a lack outdoor play space.

But community leaders have a plan to change that.

Community Board 7 wants schools to open playgrounds to the public after school hours, on weekends and over the summer.

"There's a demand for recreational space on the Upper West Side," said board chairman Mel Wymore. "School yards are a natural place to look. They're a resource in the community that's not being fully utilized, and we’d like to take advantage of that."

Wymore says opening school playgrounds could benefit adults and seniors as well as children. The spaces could be used for teams or clubs that need a place to practice, and for health and wellness programs for adults.

Community Board 7 is looking into getting schools to open playgrounds after hours, on weekends and during the summer for public use.
Community Board 7 is looking into getting schools to open playgrounds after hours, on weekends and during the summer for public use.
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DNAinfo/Leslie Albrecht

Community Board 7 recently commissioned an inventory of public, outdoor recreation spaces on the Upper West Side. The study found that even with Central Park and Riverside Park nearby, some areas in the center of the neighborhood — such as along Amsterdam Avenue in the 80s — are a long walk from outdoor recreational space.

"That's an area where an open school yard would benefit a lot of residents," Wymore said.

The list of potential sites includes P.S. 9 and the Brandeis Educational Complex on West 84th Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues, and P.S. 87 on West 79th Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues.

Some school playgrounds — including P.S. 199's on West 70 Street, and others elsewhere in the city — are already open to the public outside of school hours.

But it's not as easy as leaving the school yard gates open after classes let out for the afternoon. It takes money and labor to keep school spaces open, because the after-hours use means more maintenance and cleaning, Wymore said.

It costs roughly between $50,000 and $100,000 a year to keep a school play area open beyond school hours, Wymore said.

Community Board 7 is exploring funding options. One way is to split the costs between the Department of Education and the Parks Department, keeping the playgrounds open under a joint operating agreement.

The next step is for Community Board 7 to open an official dialogue with DOE and Parks, Wymore said. The board's eventual goal is to make recreational space available within a five-minute walk for everyone in the neighborhood.

"We see it as a health issue," Wymore said.