Clove Lakes Park

The Daily Plant : Tuesday, March 12, 2002

OMP TAKES LARGE STEPS ON THE INTRANET

At Parks there is one division that sits separate from the rest of the agency. Operations, Management and Planning (OMP) is Parks’ non-biased performance measurement division and they annually conduct approximately 4900 inspections of Parks property. These inspections are designed to hold field supervisors responsible for their property’s wellbeing and to safeguard against future neglect. The Parks Inspection Program (PIP) has played a central role in the dramatic improvement in park conditions since the early 1990s and has served as a model for park inspection programs nationwide.

Recently, OMP has brought many of the statistics from the PIP to the Intranet for all Parkies to utilize. Multiple new features will allow supervisors to keep track of their property ratings over the last 6 inspections periods. In cooperation with Parklands, and through the use of a modified parkland search, Parkies can access OMP’s inspections records, including overall cleanliness ratings and a list of unacceptable features.

In addition to keeping a report card of inspections over the past few years, OMP has also provided Parks with a three year photo archive of their inspection sites. These photographs are taken onsite by the inspectors to highlight the positive features, and in some cases, the negative features, giving clear examples of what needs to be improved.

In the course of the next year, OMP (with the help of Kevin Terhune at MIS) hopes to provide links from inspection reports to the photographs taken at that inspection site. There are also plans to augment the search engine with a record of recent capital spending at each property. By utilizing the advancing technology, Parks and OMP will be able to keep up the great improvements that have occurred over the last decade, and make even larger strides forward in the future. With all of these great changes, OMP’s section of the Parks Intranet is certainly worth some exploration.

On Friday, March 8, Commissioner Benepe joined the Board of Education and Take the Field, a not-for-profit organization that creates ball fields, to announce the transformation of P.S. 161's asphalt field into a $2 million state-of-the-art athletic complex, complete with a lush artificial turf field and running track. This new field, located at 134th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan, will give the children of P.S. 161 and members of the community a new opportunity to sharpen their soccer, track & field, baseball, and softball skills, without scrapping elbows or knees. Congressman Rangel contributed $500,000 and Borough President Fields allocated $450,000 for the project. The revitalization of this field is part of Parks' "Green Acres" program, an initiative to install artificial turf across the city. Artificial turf is a great grass alternative because it is more durable and it does not need to be watered.

(Tuesday, March 21, 1989)

At 10:28 A.M. on Monday, March 20, the sun crossed the celestial equator from south to north; eggs stood on end; and dozens of Staten Island preschoolers paraded behind the "Sun King" in a celebration of the vernal equinox, better known as the coming of spring.

Draped in a flowing green robe and carrying a "Louis XIV" sun staff. Commissioner Stern led a parade led a parade of spring in front of the Staten Island Parks headquarters in Clove Lakes Park (newly renamed Stonehenge), followed by children, community residents, and the Susan Wagner High School marching band, which played Vivaldi’s "Spring" from The Four Seasons.

"I hope it is true that a man can die
and yet not only live in others but give them life,
and not only life but that great consciousness of life."

(March 12, 1922-1969)