Mar. 24, 2023 By Bill Parry
With temperatures rising and days growing longer, the NYC Parks Department has launched a new maintenance initiative that will deploy 240 newly hired full-time staff to address cleanliness in city parks during peak days and hours.
The so-called “Second Shift” will collect trash and litter and mitigate graffiti at 100 hot spots in 62 parks across the five boroughs. The additional shift will operate from Thursday to Sunday in the evening hours to create cleaner parks while also fighting the scourge of rats — a frequent target of Mayor Eric Adams, who announced the new program in November as part of his “Get Stuff Done” initiative.
“Since taking office, one of my biggest priorities has been ‘Getting Stuff Clean’ for New Yorkers and today is a great step for NYC Parks as they roll out their new dedicated Second Shift maintenance staff,” Adams said. “Our parks are some of our best places to relax and connect in the city, and these new staff will help make our open spaces cleaner and greener than ever.”