Letters To The Editor

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Time to stop Parks Dept. cuts Dear Editor:

Last week, Mayor Bloomberg released the Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2010. Unfortunately, funding for the Parks Department has reached a five-year low point, with the agency receiving only $256 million.

This year's and last year's budget cuts to Parks total nine percent. Consecutive cuts like this haven't been seen since 1991-1992.

Here are the numbers:

• The Parks Department budget is down $13 million since last year and $24 million since 2008.

• The Seasonal staffing program, which provides extra maintenance staff during the busy summer months has been cut by $10 million and will be further reduced by $5.6 million. Hopefully lifeguard positions won't be affected by the budget cuts.

• Tree pruning has been reduced by a total of $3.5 million ($1 million beyond the Preliminary budget)— while New Yorkers and the city have planted more than 200,000 new trees in the last two years.

• One hundred and nine staff positions will not be filled.

And, unfortunately, the projections for next year are looking even worse.

I call on the Mayor to restore the cuts that he has made to the Parks Department in the Preliminary Budget for FY 2010.

Frank Gulluscio

Howard Beach

Editor's note: The writer is a candidate for City Council in the 32nd Council District.