By David Spett
Community Board 2 unanimously passed a resolution on July 20 encouraging the opening of the main yard at P.S. 41, also called the Greenwich Village School, on 11th St. between Sixth and Seventh Aves.
Two Charles St. residents, Jeffrey Raven and Jonathan Greenberg, sent the school’s principal a letter and attended C.B. 2 meetings to support the resolution.
Kelly Shannon, the school’s principal, said the yard is open to the public from 3:15 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, except during the summer.
Greenberg, who has a 2-year-old child, said that is not enough time.
“There are many more children, and space is not being created to play,” he said. “Making it [the yard] open to the community would be a wonderful way, at a relatively low cost, to add much-needed playground space to a community that needs it.”
The board’s resolution states that Greenwich Village is ranked 47th out of 51 community districts in New York for “open space to population ratio.”
“Greenwich Village has a mere 0.26 park acres per 1,000 persons, compared to the citywide average of 3.05 park acres,” the resolution states.
Shannon said she does not know which hours the community board wants the yard open, but she would be willing to meet with Raven and Greenberg to discuss the matter.
Still, she indicated in a telephone interview that the yard is already open as often as feasible.
“The closure time has always been 6 p.m. It’s dusk, and that’s always been considered the appropriate [closing time],” Shannon said. “Ultimately, it’s still my responsibility when there’s an issue with students who may not be from our school who come and use our yard.”
Raven, who disagreed that dusk is at 6 p.m. in fall and spring, has been distributing fliers in the neighborhood supporting having the yard open more hours and said he would next appeal for the support of the local Community Education Council.
