UPPER EAST SIDE — Locals will soon gain a bit more open space — in the form of a small park owned by Hunter College.
The school agreed to open Poses Park to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with possibility of expanding those hours following discussions with Community Board 8 and State Assemblyman Dan Quart,
The park has been open to everyone at different points in the past, but Hunter closed the space to the public in 2009, in part for security reasons. Currently, only members of the Hunter Community can access the park by swiping their school IDs at the entry gate.
CB 8’s parks committee approached Hunter earlier this year about the possibility of reopening the park as part of its Open Space Initiative, a program aimed at creating more spaces for public use in the neighborhood.
The green space, located on East 68th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues, offers seating areas, landscaped terraces and bike racks.
The park will open to the public at the end of May, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in June, according to CB 8. Hunter will monitor the park’s usage for three months to determine how the change impacts the Hunter community. Based upon usage, Hunter may consider opening the park to the public on additional days.
