Dry times at Dyker Beach Park

June 7, 2012 Denise Romano
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Dyker Beach Park has been left high and dry.

Since February 26, the Cropsey Avenue park has had no running water. That means there are no usable bathroom facilities, water fountains or sprinklers at the Bay Eighth Street playground and tennis courts, and at the Ben Vitale Ballfields.

According to Meghan Lalor, a Parks Department spokesperson, the lack of water is due to a broken pipe located under the street adjacent to the park. “This week, we are meeting with a contractor on site to assess the damage and estimate the cost of repair,” she said.

But for park workers and park-goers, this week is not soon enough.

“It’s crazy nuts,” said a Parks Department worker who wished to remain anonymous. “Today, we had over a thousand kids here from camps and they all had to use the portable toilets. Now, where are they going to wash their hands when they have to eat lunch? That’s just nasty.”

What makes the situation more harrying, is that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) will have to time the repairs strategically and get most of the work done overnight, since the broken pipe lies underneath Bay Eighth Street, which serves as an on-and-off ramp to the Belt Parkway.

A spokesperson for the DEP told this paper that all calls on the issue should be directed to the Parks Department.

But as summer approaches and school ends, hundreds of children will flood the popular spot – if there is running water or not. Parents said that it is important that the pipe gets fixed as soon as possible.

Joel Vargas was at the park on a sunny morning with his two daughters. He said that three months having no running water was too long.

“They asked me if they could go in the sprinklers, so I just told them it wasn’t turned on yet,” he said. “It is a problem. We are happy to use them [the portable toilets] but it’s pretty nasty instead of the bathroom.”

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