Frustrated residents are demanding that a fountain in Brower Park, a popular water play area for Crown Heights children, be fixed before the next heat wave.
Even as the weather gets cooler, Crown Heights residents are continuing their months-long fight to get a fountain at Brower Park back into operation after a scorching summer without it.
Frustrated residents, who formed a Fix the Fountain Committee, are demanding the city Department of Parks and Recreation fix the fountain, a popular water play area for children, and provide transparency around the process.
“There were inquiries, 311 complaints and neighbors talking and you would go check and it was still off,” said Shelly Fank, a parent of a four year-old who frequents the park and the fountain too cool off during the summer. “We were just getting no responses in any direction.”
By mid-July, the group delivered a petition to Community Board 8, which covers Brower Park. Later, CB8 District Manager Michelle George said she was informed by the Parks Department that in order to determine whether the pipe can be repaired for next summer, “substantial exploratory digging” would need to be done during the off season to determine a leak in the underground supply line.
To placate frustrated residents, the Parks Department then installed a hose and sprinkler by the fountain, which was then vandalized. The community group claimed the substitute water mechanism was only available five times for the whole summer.
The temporary hose and sprinkler fix. Photo: Supplied/NYC Department of Parks and Recreation.
“You tried and you failed,” said DeWind, regarding the hose, which he said often did not have a sprinkler attached.
“We were glad they did something temporarily, but we had hoped that they would investigate why it’s [the fountain] not working during the summer and try to fix it,” said Fix the Fountain member Valerie Nero-Reid.
Some members of the committee said that while they would appreciate a quick excavation to solve the problem, direct communication from the Parks Department was warranted.
“That’s [excavation] not even the bare minimum — the bare minimum is signage and acknowledging that there’s an issue,” said committee member OK Ukah.
The Parks Department declined to publicly comment on the issue.
The group would like the fountain fixed quickly, especially because other nearby cooling centers, including Brower Park Library and the St. John’s Recreation Center Pool were both closed for parts of the summer due to maintenance.
“It was listed all summer and is still listed as a cooling zone in a neighborhood that you know is underserved for that,” Fank said, referring to the categorization of the fountain on the city’s Cool Options webpage.
The group is now trying to get the Council Member Chi Ossé to get involved, so he can push for more resources for the Parks Department, which is chronically underfunded every year.
“I would say to Chi, put a bill in the City Council, get them [Parks Department] some money for it,” said DeWind.
BK Reader reached out to a spokesperson for Ossé on Oct. 14 regarding the fountain issue, but did not hear back. Two days later, DeWind said Arlean Gillin, Ossé’s Chief of Staff, responded to his September email and said that the council member office would get connected with the Parks Department to address concerns and get “concrete” answers.
“We would very much like to have a meeting and we’d be disappointed if we didn’t have one,” said DeWind.