Parents demand urgent playground repairs at Fort Independence Park amid safety concerns

This has been going on for years, and it’s just been getting worse and worse.”

Joel Ramirez

Parents of children attending Rose Hill Pre-K Center are growing increasingly frustrated with the unsafe condition of their local playground at Fort Independence Park, Cracked and damaged rubber play mats continue to pose injury risks.

Despite repeated complaints and reports to the parks department, no significant action has been taken to fix the issue.

Joel Ramirez, a six-year resident of the Riverdale area and father of a Rose Hill 3-K student, recalled first learning about the playground’s deteriorating condition last year. Teachers informed parents the rubber safety mats, meant to cushion falls, had instead become a hazard. 

“The mats are cracked, bent, and pulling apart,” Ramirez said, “and children, including my daughter, were getting hurt.”

To minimize the risk, the school decided to restrict access to the playground, opting for nearby grassy areas for playtime. 

Despite the school’s awareness, the issue has persisted into the new school year, leaving parents concerned for their children’s safety.

Cynthia Rodriguez, whose two children also use the playground, reported a similar experience.

“Back in May, my eldest fell and hurt his arm.” she said.

Rodriguez filed a 311 complaint with accompanying images but, two weeks later, the case was closed without resolution.

“The report said the problem was fixed, but nothing changed,” she said.

Parents are now coming together to demand action. Ramirez and others have launched a petition on change.org urging the parks department and Councilman Eric Dinowitz to take immediate steps to repair the playground, as it may violate standards required under the Americans with Disabilities Act, further endangering children and adults with mobility challenges. 

Luisanna Gomez Almonte, whose son also attends Rose Hill, shared her concern about the safety risks.

“The number of times my son has ripped or torn his clothing on those mats is worrying,,” she said.

Ramirez said she reached out to Dinowitz’ office. A rep there told her a $4.7 million renovation is currently in the planning stages, and the councilman recently visited the park, saw the conditions firsthand and is advocating for the parks department to expedite the project. 

In the meantime, parents are pushing for greater transparency about the project and a clear timeline for repairs. 

Ramirez said a public forum of some kind would be beneficial for the community to offer input on the plan. 

“The communication with the community and the transparency is very key,” she said,” because this has been going on for years, and it’s just been getting worse and worse.”

There are other issues, related to, but not limited to, the playground Ramirez believes the community would like to address.

For one, Ramirez said, the frequent breaking of speed limits on the streets surrounding the school/daycare and park. There have been many instances in which accidents have occurred.

Perhaps within the $4.7 million renovation plan, Ramirez suggested, there could be speed-control cameras to enhance the overall safety of the environment for children. 

“We’re just trying to get everyone together — parents, community members — to continue voicing their concerns.” Ramirez said. 

Dinowitz confirmed to The Press an upgrade to Fort Independence Park is in fact in the planning stages, but is not funded within this year’s budget, so it lacks a timeline. However,, the councilman said, his office recently requested a capital estimate for a future total renovation of the playground. He said he also asked the parks depertment to fix the playmats. 

“Children should not be playing in dangerous conditions,” Dinowitz said, adding his office has worked on upgrading the dog area of the park and worked with parks department to fix the playmats when they posed safety hazards years ago.

“Parks are really, really important to this community,” Dinowitz said, “and that’s why I fight so hard for capital funding for our parks, as well as our parks workers.”