Where’s the Money?
Liu: Parks Short Millions In Upgrades

By Jessica Ablamsky

The Alley Pond Driving Range would have had miniature golf and video analysis equipment. Cunningham Tennis Center could have had 10 renovated courts. New birthday rooms at the Flushing Meadows Ice Rink never materialized.

The World’s Fair Marina Restaurant is among several locations that missed out on promised capital improvement projects due to lackluster oversight by the Parks Dept., according to Comptroller John Liu. Tribune Photo by Ira Cohen

But a lack of adequate oversight of concessionaires operating in City parks by the Parks Dept. cost Queens more than $3.2 million in capital improvements, according to a new report by City Comptroller John Liu.

The Parks Dept. oversees various concessions in the City’s golf courses, ice skating rinks and other facilities. Of the 403 concessionaires in the City, 95 were required to make capital improvements as part of their lease agreement.

The report reviewed 54 concessionaires, 14 of which are located in Queens, that were required to make improvements of at least $100,000 by 2010.

Although Parks has taken steps to improve its management of concessionaires since a 2004 audit that found similar issues, “problems continue to beset the Department’s management system,” according to the report.

Parks officials “strongly disagree” with the audit’s findings of a lack of oversight of concessionaire’s capital work, according to a statement from the department.

“Parks has successfully managed more than $100 million in privately funded capital improvements by current concessionaires at more than 120 facilities, including Wollman Rink, Dyker Beach Golf and the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park,” the agency stated in a response to the audit. “That said, we continue to improve our already robust project management system for monitoring capital improvements by our concessionaires to ensure that City residents and visitors enjoy high quality facilities at each of our concessions.”

Liu’s findings included 12 recommendations to the Parks Dept., among them: timely inspections of concessions; assessment of damages for concessionaires that fail to live up to their license agreements and “ensure that concessionaires submit complete documentation needed to determine whether claimed capital improvement work was actually performed,” the report stated.

Reach Reporter Jessica Ablamsky at jablamsky@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 124.