Hell’s Kitchen residents are concerned with criminal activity at Mathews-Palmer Playground — an issue they said has become more prevalent due to scaffolding on an adjacent building.
The scaffolding, which covers fitness equipment and a seating area, is the latest hurdle in a multi-year saga impacting community use of the playground.
“It’s an unholy mess in the park right now,” said Martha Gelnaw, who lives across the street from Mathews-Palmer and helps maintain a composting bin inside the park.
Some residents have reported witnessing people hiding under the scaffolding, sleeping inside playground equipment, selling drugs, and performing sex acts in the public bathrooms, which have numerous complaints of being dirty.
“We’re there like every day, and I’ve had to leave the playground twice just this week because I felt unsafe,” said Courtney Blanchard, a parent who lives in the neighborhood. She added that she has witnessed people fighting and smoking cannabis at the park.
While residents said issues with crime in the playground are not new, the scaffolding has attracted more unlawful behavior as it creates a dark and covered area. But construction on the adjacent residential building has not begun, leading residents to be frustrated with city officials.
The building, located at 435 W. 45th St., is home to over six families and a business. It was announced at a community board meeting in April that its facade needed repair.
According to the Department of Buildings’ public records, permits for the installation of a heavy-duty sidewalk shed and medium duty scaffold on the apartment building were issued in June and set to expire next April. The building also secured the necessary permit with the Parks Department, said Max Goodstein, the Parks Department deputy chief of staff for Manhattan, at a community board meeting earlier this month.
Scaffolding went up in the playground in July, but no work has followed.
“If the community didn’t bring these issues up, nothing would have been happening here and that is absolutely unacceptable,” said David Stuart, the president of HK45/46 Block Association. “Parks Department needs to take accountability and ownership.”
The growing frustration concerning construction projects at Mathews-Palmer Playground is years in the making. From April 2017 to April 2018, the playground underwent a $2 million reconstruction. The same year the project was completed, scaffolding went up on the basketball court and remained for the next six years, preventing use of the court and almost completely fading a 50-year-old mural.
“The scaffolding is like a force multiplier to criminal activity,” said Stuart. “It’s like a safe house for criminals.”
The delay in construction was due to an issue with the building’s insurance, according to Goodstein, who also said that the construction would take three to four weeks once commenced.
But the building has yet to obtain a work permit that’s required for construction to begin, according to David Maggiotto, the deputy press secretary of the Department of Buildings. Maggiotto said that the building has submitted a pre-filing to the Department of Buildings, which contained basic information about the project. The apartment building owner did not respond to requests for comment.
“I’m not hopeful that it’s gonna’ be quick,” Blanchard said of the construction timeline.
And several residents agree.
But despite their complaints about the scaffolding, only four 311 reports have been made about the playground, according to public records. Three reported that the playground was unlocked during closed hours and one reported broken glass on the grounds.
“I think, like a lot of other New Yorkers, I don’t have faith in law enforcement,” said Nicolas Terezakis, a resident who organizes weekly community cleanups in the playground.
He said he has found glass and razor blades in the park, but has not reported these incidents through 911 or 311.
“Why are we gonna’ waste our time and go on 311, when they’re not responsive?” he said.
Last year, city council member Keith Powers, New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, published an article claiming that scaffolding draws increased criminal activity.
Goodstein said at the community board meeting that the New York City Parks Enforcement Patrol, or PEP, has been briefed on the increase in incidents “not suitable for a playground.” Gregg McQueen, a spokesperson for the Parks Department, said PEP officers will be working with the New York City Police Department to address any illegal activity in the park.
For Stuart, an adequate solution requires better communication with city officials.
“I would love to see Parks Department be far more proactive in engaging and partnering with communities, especially active communities like ours,” he said. “We take care of Mathews-Palmer Playground, and most of the time, we experience from the park managers it is almost like an adversarial relationship.”
Other residents expressed the desire for more patrols, an earlier closing time and for the scaffolding to be taken down if work does not begin soon.
“No effort is made to make this a nicer environment,” said Linda Novenski, a volunteer who helps maintain a food scraps bin in the playground. “If we really cared about our parks, they could put a few bucks into making it more community-friendly.”