New York City Department of Parks and Recreation

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The City of New York Department of Parks & Recreation is the department of government of the City of New York responsible for maintaining the city's parks system, preserving and maintaining the ecological diversity of the city's natural areas, and furnishing recreational opportunities for city's residents.

The total area of the properties maintained by the department is over 28,000 acres (113 km²).

The department maintains more than 1,700 parks, playgrounds and recreation facilities across the five boroughs. It is responsible for over 950 playgrounds, 700 playing fields, 550 tennis courts, 35 major recreation centers, 30 outdoor pools, 14 miles of beaches, and 13 golf courses, as well as seven nature centers, six ice skating rinks, four zoos, four botanical gardens, and four major stadia. Parks also cares for park flora and fauna, community gardens, historic houses, statues and monuments, and more than 2.5 million trees.

The City of New York Department of Parks & Recreation produces many special events, including concerts and movie premieres. In the summer, the busiest season, the agency organizes free carnivals and concerts, and sends mobile recreation vans to travel throughout the five boroughs providing free rental equipment for skating, baseball, and miniature golf.

The largest single component of parkland maintained by the department is the "forever wild" Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx, with an area of 2,765 acres (11 km²). The department is also responsible for such "flagship" parks facilities as Central Park, Prospect Park, Van Cortlandt Park, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and the Staten Island Greenbelt.

1 Agency
2 Park Law Enforcement
3 Concessions
4 Urban Park Rangers
5 External links

The department is a mayoral agency. The current Parks Commissioner is Adrian Benepe, who was appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg on January 25, 2002.

The department is allocated an expense budget and a capital budget. The expense budget covers the total expenses incurred by the agency, including salaries. The capital budget is dedicated solely for new construction projects, as well as major repairs in parks that have a useful life of more than five years and cost at least $35,000.

The department maintains an Enforcement Division, called the Parks Enforcement Patrol (PEP),responsible for maintaining safety and security within the parks system. Parks Enforcement Patrol Officers have Peace Officer Status under NYS Penal Law and are empowered through this status to make arrests and issue tickets. PEP Officers patrol Land, waterways and buildings under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks and Recreation on foot, bicycle, horseback, boat and marked patrol trucks.

Over 500 concessions are currently in operation within NYC Parks. Generally, these fall into the categories of either food services or recreational services. The food service concessions range from pushcarts selling hot dogs and pretzels to restaurants such as Tavern on the Green, Caffe on the Green, and the Loeb Boathouse. Some of the recreational concessions include ice rinks, indoor tennis bubbles, horse stables, marinas, etc.

The Urban Park Rangersprovide many free programs year-round, such as nature walks and activities. They also operate programs such as The Natural Classroom for class trips and the general public alike. "Explorer" programs are available for activities such as canoeing in the city's flagship parks in all five boroughs. Although NYC Park Rangers do possess City Special Patrolman Status, their primary mission is education and conservation of resources, unlike the Parks Enforcement Patrol Officers whose primary mission is law enforcement within the parks.