Resident Rallies to Take Back Tot Lot

A Ditmas Park resident and mother has taken it upon herself to organize the community to restore safety and security to a local playground that she said is no longer the ideal environment for young children to play in.

Problems began in the Lt. Federico Narvaez Tot Lot on the corner of Argyle and Cortelyou Roads when a volunteer responsible for locking the park at the end of the day was ousted earlier this year, according to Christina, who asked to only be referred to by her first name.  

"I had noticed earlier this year that there was an effort to remove the previous longtime volunteer," Christina said. "He was an older gentleman volunteering to do that job on his own for over 20 years. He was doing it as a matter of practicality." 

After the tot lot's volunteer was relieved of his duties, Christina said, the lock that closed the park at night went with him. 

"All of a sudden one day, the tot lot wasn't locked up," she said. "I had assumed that some solutions would have been put in place but in fact, it never seemed to have happened. Maybe it wasn't an easy thing to replace? It's been in the back of my mind for months."

A spokesman for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation noted that there were many complaints against the tot lot's volunteer.

"In the case of this tot lot, there was a nearby resident who volunteered to lock the playground but we received many complaints about this individual," he said. "Due to the volume of complaints, we removed the lock and advised him that he could no longer perform this task." 

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While an unlocked park is not uncommon, what followed gave Christina reason for worry. 

"I started noticing there was consistently a group of younger guys huddled in back of the tot lot late at night," she said. "It's not a big deal, it's a city, and I'm not sure of details of park closing. But it really became a concern when my husband found a couple of dime bags at the exact same bench we see these guys hanging out every night."

The baggy was empty, but could not be confused for a bag used for food, she said. That's when Christina decided the problem needed to be addressed. 

"I put up a notification to see if we could get some volunteers to address this," she said. "I sent an email to [neighborhood list-serv, the Flatbush Family Network] FFN and about 10 people responded. I'm going to see if we can organize something."

Melanie Hirsch, chief of staff in Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacob's district office, is aware of the problem and said she and her staff have begun to work on finding a resolution. 

"We are attempting to find a reputable volunteer to lock and unlock the park," Hirsch said.

"Parks are generally locked by community volunteers," the Parks department spokesman said. "If any responsible members of the community are interested in volunteering to lock the playground at night, we welcome their assistance and encourage them to contact the Parks Department."