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To the Editor:
Photo from Queens Crap
Re “A Wilderness, Lost in the City,” by William C. Thompson Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Op-Ed, May 29):
One of the key goals of PlaNYC, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s far-reaching plan to fight global warming and create a more livable city, is to ensure that every New Yorker lives within a 10-minute walk of a park or open space.
Highland Park in Queens is one of eight large underdeveloped parks where we are expanding access to help achieve this goal.
As with all of these projects, the city holds listening sessions with community residents to incorporate their input into the design. Many options have been discussed, including one with athletic fields in a small area of the 50-acre Ridgewood Reservoir, an area that is composed primarily of invasive trees and vines that threaten the park’s ecological balance.
As we begin the design process, we look forward to continued collaboration with the community and with all interested New Yorkers in order to build the best possible park.
Adrian Benepe
Commissioner, Department of Parks and Recreation
New York, May 29, 2008
