Spray it ain\u2019t so!<\/p>\n
The beloved spray showers used by tiny tots to cool off during the hot summer months in city parks have been reportedly out of service in record numbers at dozens of green spaces this summer \u2013 and parents are fuming.<\/p>\n
Parks officials recently lamented that the city is grappling with \u201cdozens of sprinkler outages\u201d and the department has \u201cvery few staff resources for repairs,\u201d according to emails from the agency obtained by The Post.<\/p>\n
Beloved splash pads in city parks have been reportedly out of service at dozens of parks. Paul Martinka<\/p>\n
A whopping 668 calls have been made to the city Parks department about defective service at more than 250 locations since Memorial Day \u2013 the agency\u2019s \u201ctarget\u201d date for when all of its spray showers should be up and running \u2013 marking a 40% increase in complaints compared to the same period last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a spray shower has an issue, we make every effort to repair it as soon as possible,\u201d a Parks spokesperson told The Post, adding that the \u201cvast majority\u201d of the water features are in operation. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe severe cold and snow we experienced this winter had an impact on the plumbing fixtures at certain sites.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parks touting roughly a dozen or more outages since Memorial Day include Washington Square Park in Manhattan; Astoria Park and Dutch Kills Playground in Queens.<\/p>\n
At Mother Cabrini Park in Brooklyn, where winter weather damaged an underground water line and halted all spray functions, the Parks department has marked complaints as resolved \u2014 but parents say the water feature still hasn\u2019t been repaired.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor families that aren\u2019t putting their children in camps, they expect [splash pads] to be able to work for babysitters or stay-at-home parents,\u201d Brooklyn mom Mikaela told The Post. <\/p>\n
Children cool off in a sprinkler at Madison Square Park on a hot summer day. Helayne Seidman for the NY Post<\/p>\n
\u201cAt its most basic level, we\u2019re talking about public health.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a failure to meet basic needs,\u201d argued fellow parent Jessica Setton. \u201cTo assume that everyone can just go to a beach or go to another park is unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cService requests for water fountain or sprinkler outages are closed after our staff inspects the condition and a work order is created to accomplish repairs,\u201d a Parks spokesperson told one parent. <\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes repairs take an extensive period of time to accomplish depending on the severity of the condition.\u201d <\/p>\n
A rep for the agency told The Post that the outage at Mother Cabrini Park \u201cwill require\u00a0excavation,\u201d though a timeline for fixes was not provided.<\/p>\n
The Elephant Sprinkler at the 76th Street playground in Riverside Park. FREELANCE<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s water features operate on days when the thermometer hits 80 degrees or higher, according to the NYC Parks website. <\/p>\n