Expect most of Brooklyn’s biggest green space to remain white until the brutally cold weather warms up.
Responding to reports that Prospect Park has done a poor job of clearings its pathways of snow compared to Manhattan’s Central Park, outgoing Prospect Park Administrator Tupper says its part of long-time policy to create a more natural, pastoral setting there.
“It’s a park; it’s winter; it looks beautiful. The less asphalt the better,” Thomas told the watchdog blog A Walk in The Park.
Pathways around the park’s 60-acre lake haven’t been cleared since last month’s blizzard, creating icy conditions, the blog reports.
Three barricades were placed along the lakeside presumably to warn the public to stay off the frozen water. But that didn’t stop a dog from drowning there last month.
Thomas said the park’s main arteries were cleared, including roads and main entrances. She also said paths leading to attractions were also cleared. She voiced her opposition to using salt and chemicals especially around the lake.
Thomas, who is retiring after 30 years on the job at the end of the month, said she believe there’s no safety issue – even though the blog reports that some park patrons and dogs have fell this past month along pathways covered with ice.
“People in Brooklyn know where the lake is,” she said. “An asphalt path doesn’t not make the lake more obvious. It’s not supposed to be a place to take long walks in high heels. We’re not Central Park.”
Related story:
Snow removal disparity: Prospect Park vs. Central Park (A Walk in the Park)