Leaning fence at Bath Beach Park has residents concerned

The leaning gate of Bath Beach?

Residents of the neighborhood are voicing their concern over what they believe to be a dangerous condition at Bath Beach Park as a gate near the oasis’s handball court is leaning precariously and appears ready to fall.

“This situation has been an issue for over a year,” said Phyllis Shapiro, who has lived in the area for more than 40 years. “I talked to people that work here from the Parks Department and they promise fix to it, but nothing has been done about it.. This very tall fence is leaning dangerous. A portion up top is no longer attached properly.”

The gate is located between the basketball and handball courts, where adults, teens and even children play, and some fear that it could harm them if it gives way.

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“I saw six kids playing the other day and I told them to move to the other court,” Shapiro added. “I’ve been living here 44 years and I’ve never seen anything like this. The leaning is huge.”

Longtime handball players at the park are also dismayed and question why the problem has yet to be fixed.

“I play here often and I’ve seen it this way for a couple of years now,” said Ilya S. “It’s leaning over. They had caution tape but I don’t know who took it down. I don’t know if it’s always been as shaky, but sometimes kids see it leaning and I’ve seen then hang on to it and actually bring it down.

“I don’t feel too unsafe. It doesn’t look nice though. But of course I would like it to be straightened out at the very least,” he added.

“It’s been here so long, I’ve become used to it,” added fellow player Michael Herrera.

Shapiro mentioned that neighbors and park employees that she’s spoken with have also been worried about the situation. “I spoke to an employee that cleans the park and he said it was dangerous and put up signs to warn people, but they’ve been taken down,” she said. “Another Parks person told me if there’s a big storm, that fence could fall. I think it’s leaning more than it has in the past. Why are they waiting for someone to get hurt or killed?”

A spokesperson for the New York City Parks Department told this paper that it has determined that the fence is safe; however, it will be repaired. “We can confirm that the fence is stable and in no danger of falling, despite its leaning,” said Parks spokesperson Maeri Ferguson in a statement to this paper. “We expect to repair it within the next year.”

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