A local politician said that New York City should ban the annual concert in Central Park because last year’s festival caused more than $620,000 in losses to the greenspace.
City Council member Gail Brewer isn’t feeling the vibe of the Global Citizen Festival, asking Mayor Eric Adams to tell organizers of the one-day event that they are no longer on the park’s Great Lawn due to damage and closure of the annual event. Not welcome.
Brewer wrote in a letter to Adams on Thursday that the incident “always disrupts the flow of foot traffic, creates noise pollution” — and cuts off a large section of the park for several days.
The Great Lawn was closed on September 22 in preparation for this year’s event, a full week before the star-studded free concert, which this year was attended by 60,000 people despite rainy weather.
It was scheduled to reopen Tuesday, but it remained closed Friday as they assessed damage caused by the incident, according to the Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that manages the park.
“The closure of the Great Lawn from September 22 to today has prevented New Yorkers and visitors from enjoying the space,” Brewer wrote Of free celebration. “Once again, this is approximately a two-week closure to accommodate the installation of heavy machinery, barricades and large platforms for just a one-day event.”
Saturday’s rain-soaked concert – featuring performances from rappers Post Malone and Jelly Roll, pop star Doja Cat, reggaeton artist Rau Alejandro, South Korean girl group BLACKPINK and more – comes exactly one year after the 2023 festival’s muddy pit The park suffered $622,000 in damage.
The festival’s board of directors stepped in to pay the itemized bill, much of which paid for sod removal and replacement, according to a patch report,
But the outlet said a third-party turf grass expert concluded that only 15,000 square feet of turf grass needed to be replaced, not the 300,000 square feet that the Central Park Conservancy had protested.
Records show that since 2018, bills over “failure to meet its restitution obligations” have ranged from $4,300 to $70,901.
After last year’s issues, conservatism Said he would work with the NYC Parks Department Planning to minimize losses when large events take place during inclement weather.
This included “how and when the city may cancel any event”, but this year’s festival was canceled after Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigel and others pressured organizers to cancel the festival due to rainy conditions. Proceeded on Saturday.
A spokesperson for the festival told The Post that this year’s damage “will be minimal, and is expected to be nothing like last year”, adding that the festival always compensates for damage caused to the park.
A park representative told The Post that the rainfall was “minimal compared to last year.”
“We took many additional precautions this year to protect the lawn, including additional flooring, pre-seeding and conditioning, fencing off vulnerable areas, and developing an updated weather management plan in coordination with our partners at the Central Park Conservancy,” the spokesperson said. “Involves doing.”
As a result of damage from last year’s flood, the lawn closed for seven months after the festival, Brewer said — although the grounds are typically closed from November to April for routine maintenance.
“I have never been a fan of the Global Citizen Festival because very few, if any, grants are allocated to nonprofits in New York City,” Brewer wrote to the mayor on Thursday. “I urge you to hold the Global Citizen Festival in a venue other than Central Park, such as a field or stadium.”
A request for comment from the mayor’s office regarding Brewer’s call to move the festival was not immediately returned.
It’s unlikely the festival will find a new home any time soon, as Adams dismissed the possibility of a move during a 2023 news conference.
Adams said at the time, “We don’t want to damage the Great Lawn, but I don’t want to damage the lawn in Prospect Park, I don’t want to damage the lawn anywhere.” “The parks belong to the people and we should all share the use of the parks, and no park is better than others.”
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