Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine is requesting $11 million for the restoration of Randall's Island, which suffered extensive damage from a migrant shelter housing 3,000 beds. Levine's proposal includes $5.8 million for restoring synthetic fields and $5.2 million for new lighting to enhance recreational opportunities for local youth. The shelter was established in response to an influx of asylum seekers but was fraught with problems, including violence and unsightly conditions. The clean-up is ongoing as the city aims to recover public spaces for community use.
These fields, located at the base of the 103rd Street Footbridge, are critical for the recreational needs of New Yorkers citywide, but and in particular East Harlem and South Bronx residents.
While we understand and fully appreciate the necessity of the temporary measures taken, we must also address the impact they have had on the park's infrastructure and the community's access to quality recreational facilities.
The Randall's Island shelter was officially shut down last month, and city workers have been working for several weeks to clean up the mess left behind.
We came in with the garbage trucks and the police. There were a couple of arrests. One of the migrants threw a rock at my supervisor.
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