The Play Fair Campaign Adapts
to the COVID-19 Pandemic

We hope this email finds you safe and healthy during these challenging times.

This crisis has made two things clear: New Yorkers need parks for refuge and solace, and we are more committed than ever to fighting for the funding they need.

As we adapt to life during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impending reductions in the City Budget, we have also adapted the Play Fair Year Two campaign. In response to the pandemic, the campaign’s key priorities are protecting and creating jobs, and ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to safe, healthy, and beautiful parks, gardens, and natural areas.

The Play Fair Coalition is now calling on the city to invest $47 million in the fiscal year 2021 NYC Parks budget. While this is a significant reduction from our original $200 million FY 2021 campaign ask, we have tailored it to address the things that our parks will need the most to weather this crisis.

Sign the updated Play Fair petition here! >>

The revised Play Fair platform breaks down like this:

• $10M to baseline the 100 City Park Worker and 50 Gardener staff lines added in the FY20 budget.
• $9M to baseline and preserve the 50 new Urban Park Ranger and 80 new Parks Enforcement Patrol positions created in the FY20 budget.
• $7.4 M to baseline 15 Green Thumb and 47 Natural Resources Group staff added in the FY20 budget added in the FY20 budget.
• $5.5M to create a pathway to full-time employment for 100 City Seasonal Aide positions for Parks Opportunity Program participants citywide.
• $7.85M to invest in recreation and programming, creating five new positions with Partnerships for Parks, new positions in a Natural Turf Management citywide crew, and additional staff to host structured sports and afterschool programs.
• $3M to create an in-house comfort station improvement team to target a comfort station in every borough, with 18 full-time staff, and 20 seasonal positions.
• $950K to more than double the NYC Parks staff conducting the critically needed citywide needs assessment.
• $520K to hire four full-time crews to conduct lake and pond maintenance.
• $2.5M to bring much-needed maintenance equipment to all 51 Council Districts.

We remain committed to our goal of improving the quality of New York City Parks, addressing climate change, and creating green jobs. As a multiyear campaign, Play Fair will continue to call for transformative investment in parks in the years ahead.

Right now, we focus on what our parks and city need the most: jobs and maintenance.