Each year my staff works hard turning Bloomingdale Park
into “BOO!mingdale” Park for a day, so young Staten Islanders and their parents
might celebrate Halloween in a safe and fun environment. It has become a
wonderful tradition, and the community always turns out in large numbers. I’m
happy to report that this year’s event was another resounding success.
But I’m not writing today to discuss Halloween
festivities; I mentioned it only because the operative word in the first
sentence is “safe.” While we provide a safe environment inside the park
for families, the situation along the service road is anything but. With
its notorious lack of sidewalks it is downright dangerous - and it shouldn’t be
that way.
Former NFL coach Bill Parcells once said, “You are what
you record says you are.” That is nowhere more true than it is in
government, where agencies can be – and should be - judged by a simple
criterion: are they doing what is right for the taxpayers. In the case of
Bloomingdale Park sidewalks, the New York State Department of Transportation
(NYSDOT) announced in late September that it would be installing the sidewalks
on the service road between Bloomingdale Road and Lenevar Avenue.
Finally! And let me be clear: NYSDOT is not usually
in the sidewalk building business; their usual focus is on highways, like the
Staten Island Expressway and the West Shore Expressway.
So NYSDOT has a winning record when it comes to sidewalks
at Bloomingdale Park. City agencies? Not so much.
The fact is that after many years of frustration due to
the inaction and lack of any sense of urgency by city government, earlier this
year I turned to the NYSDOT for help. To their credit, Governor Cuomo and
NYSDOT Commissioner stepped up to the plate and responded in a big way.
The new sidewalks will vastly improve safety for those who use Bloomingdale
Park.
Isn’t it amazing that city government built a park, a
park that was a huge hit in the community, but a park that was, due to a lack
of sidewalks, downright dangerous for those coming from the direction of the
service road? How can the job have ever been considered finished while
this unsafe condition continued unabated and unaddressed?
I can’t help but wonder, as well, why NYSDOT had to be
the agency to swoop in to help, when city agencies have been aware of this
problem for so many years and basically ignored numerous pleas from local
elected officials.
Here is the scorecard on this issue:
New York State DOT: Got the job done!
City agencies: Would not. Could not. Did not.
Thank you, NYSDOT, for hearing our pleas. When
completed, your work will make this park safer for all those Staten Islander
who utilize it each and every day.