Envisioning MacKay Park, Again

FEES: SERVICES

We pay high taxes. If we use the services, we also pay high fees.

This is called Regressive Taxation. That is when one group of people use a service that

others do not. We pay twice because we are the ones using the services. We pay top dollar and not a nominal fee. If coaches work for free, where does the money go?

FACILITIES:

Neglected for years. Go check out the bathroom facilities and changing areas for yourselves. When is the last time you have seen a working water fountain in MacKay Park?

IN THE REAL WORLD:

You may want to go on Google Maps, type in MacKay Park, click satellite view and then click the plus sign on the lower right hand corner until you are able to see your MacKay Park from above.  It looks like about 2012. Check out where things are before going to the Vision Map below.

Before making any decisions, remember that our park and basically the downtown

area were and basically still are a river bed.  Man has just been building on top of it for years. Try reading Dr. John Latimer's book that begins with "the big bang" and ends in Englewood, NJ. You will see photos of Palisade Avenue underwater, like MacKay Park in the photos below. We must make sure that this group of City Planners do not cover anymore of Mother Nature's sponge. There is a drainage problem in MacKay Park. There is a drainage problem in the 4th Ward period.

Notice that the Sherman White Basketball Court is
underwater. The blacktop path is underwater for almost
the entire length of the park.

Focal Point of the Park - Where is it? What thematic feature ties all of the elements of MacKay Park together?

The Gatehouse - The main entrance of MacKay will now become a walk through arch. It will be for pedestrian traffic only. The parking

The entrance beneath the Gatehouse arch will be
used exclusively for pedestrian traffic in and out of  the Park.

spaces traditionally provided at the Gatehouse will now be eliminated. Additional spaces will be created east of the Arena, making that a much larger lot. We have asked for years that the last remaining Gatehouse, part of the Phelps estate should be preserved. It should be turned into a museum as a place to archive and teach Englewood's rich history. If we are truly
considering the Museum idea, why are we eliminating all of the parking spaces. When the question was asked, they said that the persons building the exhibit could park on the street. Interesting. That is not a very deep commitment to the history of Englewood.

Moving the Entrance to the Parking lot - The present entrance to the parking lot on the East side of

The new entrance for auto traffic will be straight ahead
between the 2 red brick columns.

the Arena near the brook will be moved over to where the old entrance used to be before the John T. Wright Arena was constructed. Notice that the red brick columns on each side of the entrance are in the line with the Gatehouse style. The Metal stake in the middle was installed to divert cars away from this area. It will now be reopened and cars will be able to travel down Armory Street and enter here. We will probably lose about 6 adult trees in this scenario. This will be the only entrance to the park via automobile except for the William Street parking areas. Will this change increase the traffic down Armory St., which is already well traveled, pass the Bergen Family Center?

Armory Street - Looking north on Armory Street.to before midday during the week. About 10 minutes from the moment this photo was taken, the doors of Bergen Family Center opened and a group of about 20  children exited onto the side walk and crossed Englewood Avenue into the Park. They will probably have to change that routine and walk down the north side of Englewood Avenue instead. The side walk on the north side of the street is in terrible disrepair. There is empty lot there that creates an attractive nuisance. What do you think? Will more traffic use Armory Street to enter MacKay Park after this is made the main entrance?

Soccer Fields - The 2 Soccer fields have been moved adjacent to each other. I was told that we have

had an explosion of participation in Soccer. The number I was given was 450 participants. Why then,
are there no Soccer activities noted on the Recreation Calendar of events for the spring of 2015? Why is there no built in Soccer Activity in the Recreation Schedule? Soccer activity should be built into the schedule like everything else. Is there profit in not including it? Check for yourself. Check the fees for all activities while you are on the site.

Football - It is hoped that the soccer fields will double as football fields since there is nothing labeled football on the map.
Full Rate: $84.00 + $10 proc fee
Multi Child: $72.00 + $10 proc fee
Free Lunch: $51.00 + $10 proc fee

Tennis Courts -  In the proposed plan, the tennis courts have been moved back to the eastern side of the brook to where they were years ago. Why incur such an expense? Did anyone ask why they were moved into the Park back then? This eliminates the playground used by the little kids at The Vincent K. Tibbs Early Childhood Learning Center. Why on earth is anyone thinking of ripping out that great looking tennis court?
Tennis Courts must be installed well outside the drip line of existing trees. On William Street where the Tennis  Courts are Scheduled to be moved trees must be removed. These Tennis Courts will also be placed further and further away from running water for bathrooms and drinking. When drinking facilities are located so far away from the activities, participants must bring in bottled water. This creates a larger problem in terms of collecting disposed garbage. The very fact that this Tennis Court still looks great is that company knew what they were doing. So we are set to destroy that?

William Street Playground - The playground will be moved across the Linden St. bridge into the Park. The consensus

Linden St. Bridge - Playground upper right

seems to be that the little children/babies could walk across the bridge into the park. Look at the map. Check out the distance from the Linden Street Bridge where the children will be forced to cross to the new and improved playground. Now is there anyone out there who wants to walk a group of 2 - 4 year olds across that bridge and north to the playground that is not near a water fountain or a bathroom? This playground move is just plain insensitive.

Included in the process conducted by the Consultant Firm were several brain storm sessions in which we prioritized our wishes for the Park.  Go to google Maps and look at what MacKay Park really looks like right now. There are only minor differences in the way it is since the Satellite photo is circa 2012. Point is, you will see where things are that they wish moved. Find the pergola that crosses the roadway and leads to the pavilion. Notice how far the pergola is from the Linden St. Bridge. Did the consultants and folks who made these decisions consider the age of the children who use the playground. Did they consider the elderly who sit there and watch the children play? This new playground is nearly a block away for them and there is no bathroom or water fountain. Every recess becomes a hike and a field trip. Why, so we can put the tennis courts back where they were back in the day?

Band Shell - No problem with this, except maybe placement. Might we  have a handball court on the  other side of this concrete wall?  The handball court is missed. It was a great way for one to  practice one's backhand when there was no one with whom to play tennis.

Picnic Area - Is located near the Park View and Elmore Ave. entrances

to the Park. These padlocked gates are at the end of Elmore Ave.
This wrought iron fence is located not more than 10 -15 ft away from homes on either side of the street. Real people live in these homes who have lived here all of their lives. They have roots in Englewood. These are historic homes. (to us anyway) The disturbed earth that can be seen through the gate is from City vehicles. This is where
the City used to dump wood chips. They were piled to the left of the gate and very close to the fence. The plan is to put the picnic area in this lush area that was historically used for picnicking.
Nature Park & Outdoor Classroom - The plan is to encourage native plantings and to include an Outdoor Classroom adjacent to the picnic area. The concept of an Outdoor Classroom should be explored more fully and planned more towards educating the young. Appropriate age groups should be kept in mind. Because of the location it should be a Wilderness Learning Center. Real programs that encourage participation in the great outdoors should take place there. A drainage ditch does run right through it that holds various types of wildlife. There are also several permanent historical stone objects that may become topics of historical interest. As you can see, the deer do frequent the area and are most acclimated to us. I made a video of this beauty before she sauntered off into the brush. They literally walk the brook. It seems there is greenery here that they like to eat.

Playgrounds - The Englewood Avenue Playgrounds will all be eliminated.  They are not in great condition. My grandchildren have always declined to play there. They prefer the type of equipment that is available in Depot Square. I suspect  it has something to do with being able to climb high and survey the area, since they are smaller people. 4 new playground areas will be constructed alongside the drainage canal in back of the Gatehouse. Hopefully, the people in the area will have some say on what playground equipment will be installed.

A really hot place to sit in summer.

The Existing Pergola -  Nothing seems to be in the works for this structure. I do not know who made the decision to place this great open structure with no wisteria or like running vine, over a hot black top walk. That person has never sat there in summer. My grandchildren and I have tried. It is probably the hottest place in the park to sit. Are we even intended to sit there? It should be moved to a grassy area or at least to a place covered with cobblestone with trees. The trees along the walkway do not give adequate shade to reduce the heat that accumulates there. I have not seen anyone relaxing there in the heat of the day.

The Front Porch - The area in front of the Arena  has been dubbed the front porch and all playground equipment will be removed. Grass will be planted to create a mini great lawn.

Englewood Avenue Playground

As you can see, it is not the most inviting playground. What has been called a water feature may go there. I assume that this will be a fountain of some sort and not a spray fountain where kids will play. This is interesting since they can't seem to maintain a water fountain for drinking purposes. I made a videotape of a water fountain that fell over and wasted water for over a week before it was turned off. Hopefully, this new direction will create a group of people who will make sure that this does not happen in future. I hope that the mature trees shown here will not be cut down in order to facilitate a clear view of the porch or to make way for a parking lot.

The Sherman White Basketball 
Court

Basketball Courts - 4 courts will be eliminated, since there are 8 at present. Check out the fees on the 2015 Recreation Calendar.  Coaches are not paid. A lot of sweat and energy went into getting Sherman White's name on this basketball court. Will it remain once this one is ripped out? How much will it cost to move this court?
All Basketball courts are at the farthest end of the park away from Englewood Avenue.
3rd grade to 8th grade April - June
Full Rate: $70.00 + $10 proc fee
Multi Child: $60.00 + $10 proc fee
Free Lunch: $42.00 + $10 proc fee*
*Must provide award letter to be eligible for free/ reduced lunch discount.

Additional Parking Lot - More green grass (Open Space) has been taken away for a parking lot to

Existing parking lot west of Arena

be located on the corner of First Street and William St. Moving the Basketball and Tennis Courts created a need for more parking in this area? The lot pictured to the right is to be enlarged in order to make up for the fact that the Gatehouse parking lot has been eliminated altogether. The Proposal here is to continue Armory Street directly into the Park. Right now there is a walkway that used to be a drive in. Some of us are not so hot on this idea since that would most assuredly create  more traffic moving down Armory Street and into the Park. This brings more traffic to a place where there are small children and elderly sometimes physically challenged persons. The argument is that this will not happen.

The Little League Field

Little League Field - How much will it cost to move this field? Will there be artificial turf? Will the field be fenced in? Keep in mind that Little League is a Private Organization. Moving on.

Baseball Field - How much will it cost to move this field? Will there be artificial turf? Will the field be fenced

Melvin Wilkins Baseball Field

in? A friend of mine borrowed a lawn mower from a neighbor and cut the grass on this field himself so his kids and the neighborhood children could play their scheduled game. Seems the neglect should be tackled first. Perhaps the job titles of persons we pay should be refined. Perhaps the people who are responsible to cut this field must be reminded that residents should not be forced to do what this father did in order for the children to play baseball. It is one of the services included with our taxes. Another thing, will the name of the field remain the same? We fought  long and hard to honor and give recognition to those who have earned it over the years.

Removal of the Bathrooms that accommodate Swimmers - The reasoning behind this is that we

The entire section that we see in the
foreground is to be removed.

wanted to be able to see through the park? That ship has sailed. All of what you see, the entire structure all the way back to the front door of the Arena is to be removed. Okay, so in the vision map, why are there trees planted across the area in front of the pergola that replaces the pavilion?  One will not be able to see through the park without x-ray vision. Don't get me wrong, I do not believe that someone on the street should be able to see everything going on in the swim area. Are the bathrooms being removed, because they don't want to repair, renovate, upgrade or clean them? The pool must be fenced in by law.  So maybe we should rephrase and say that we want the park to look inviting to people entering from Englewood Ave.

Arena bathroom area. They have 
only 3 stalls.

John T. Wright Arena - It is said that the swimmers will now move into the Arena to dress and use the bathroom. I served on the Task Force for the John T. Wright Arena.

Friends of the John T. Wright Arena. It now has a non-profit organization that raises money, although we have no idea how this arrangement works. We recently learned that the City is hiring a person to run the Arena for $65,000.00 per year. During meetings of the Task Force, officials insisted that the City could not afford to run the Arena. What changed? Keep in mind that this is a seasonal facility/Job. Are the Friends of the JTWA going to pay this employees salary or are we, the taxpayers, going to pick up the tab on that also?

The Arena Task Force went through a similar process with more adept Consultants. We did a lot of talking and many promises were made. I just reviewed my notes from those meetings. The John T. Wright Arena is just the same as it was. All of the promises are gone with the wind. As always, it is just for Ice Hockey. There are only 3 stalls in this Arena bathroom. Are we sending children into the container units that serve as dressing rooms for the Hockey Players? These units are disgusting and should be removed. Hockey Players deserve better also.

The Pool - During our Arena Task Force meeting, we were told that it costs $200,000.00 a season to

run the pools.  Stop! You are not allowed to bust a gut laughing. We went to surrounding towns and they burst some guts in laughter also. After checking the bills list provided in the City Council Agenda, we found that it cost less than $5,000.00 per season to open and close the pools. Why does it cost so much to run the pool? Do we pay pool attendants that much? Two neighboring towns came in less than $80,000 salaries included. Is it because there is a need to convince one group of people that a great deal of money is being spent on services for them so they won't ask too many questions? Well, the astronomical amount just created more questions. The pool deck is in extreme disrepair from neglect. The bathrooms have not been maintained since they were installed back in the late 70's.

The Bridges - There is a small note that the 3rd Street Bridge will be replaced. It may seem a minor

This was once the 3rd st. bridge.

problem to people who do not live in the area, but some of us do not agree. There is only 1 public entrance to MacKay Park facing the West. Park View is Private Property and the Public should not be encouraged to use that as a thoroughfare. Anyone who has ever walked that route knows what I mean. Respect should also be accorded people who live in multiple dwellings. I strolled my daughter down Genesee and 3rd st. across this bridge into the park. The 3rd Street Community Garden is on the other side of this area.

This is where the former Jay Street Bridge used to be from the
east of the Brook. You can see where the sidewalk ends at the wall. It lets out right into the parking lot adjacent to the Arena. I can imagine the whispers that got this one shut down first. We know that it is unlikely that this will ever be replaced. It should be noted that in Donald MacKay's design, there was a bridge here.





Concession, Restrooms - It is hoped that these facilities will get the required attention and will be

Concession and Restrooms

upgraded with bathroom facilities and water fountains that actually work.
                     








The Pavilion - Seems in good condition. There is no proposal to make any changes.

Pavilion

Why are we moving sports fields?
Important Issues Participating persons - Issues listed first got more little multicolored dots to demonstrate importance.

There is no water.

• Involve Residents
• Balance Diverse interests
• Bring more people together
• Support the 4th Ward
• Promote History
• Collaboration
• Respect Concerns of everyone

These are the 2015 Priorities that I recorded in my notes

• Park Rangers - for more coverage and to increase feeling of safety in Park
• Maintenance - garbage removal, cleaning and maintenance of restrooms & fountains
• Repair of existing and installation of more water fountains
• Lighting for safety - Consensus was that lighting should be changed
• Signage - Clarification and replacement of signs as way finding system and usage schedule
• Gatehouse Restoration - Possible use suggested to also use as a security office
• Events - More varying types
  
• Wifi - in the park
• Plaque
• Murals
• Landscaping
• Upgrade the Pavilion
• Upgrade the Sports Fields

• Repair and Upgrade the Fitness Circuit

Friends of MacKay Park is another non-profit that is in the process of being formed right now. They will be a group of people who advocate for MacKay Park and raise money. Englewood has a great love for nonprofits. It seems that no opportunity will be allowed to pass when a profit could be made and a dollar collected.