I was just about the only visitor at Lexington Park this sunny afternoon last month.
Time for another snapshot of an Albany park. This one is Lexington in the southeast part of town. The bike and I ended up there for a few minutes on the afternoon of Nov. 17.
Here’s the impression I gathered at the time:
As you could see, this is a park with a lot of grass.
When I walked around a bit after leaning the bike against a lamp post, I tried to guess the size of the place, and my guess was way off.
I have since looked it up. The park measures 9.56 acres. It is bounded by 21st and 23rd avenues, and by Waterford and Lexington streets.
The city of Albany bought the property from the school district in 1996, just a few years before most of the houses in the neighborhood were built. The city paid $201,000 for the land.
Albany has a parks system master plan. Look it up some time on the city website. It makes for interesting reading if you care about parks, as you should.
For Lexington, the plan envisions an improvement or two. One is to provide a shade shelter. Another is to keep part of the lawn as a turf field but to “renaturalize” other parts of the park.
I’m not sure what the plan means by “renaturalize.” Maybe it means letting nature take over.
If and when that is ever attempted, let’s hope we have solved the homeless or vagrancy problem by then. Otherwise, natural vegetation will make great cover for unauthorized camps. (hh)
HH Please do not advocate for homeless camps unless it is in YOUR neighborhood . This is the most foolish article I have ever read from you. Please be wiser.
“Advocate”? There must be a definition of the word of which I’m unaware.
You need to calm down
You should re-read the article. No one is advocating anything.
Unauthorized homeless camps do not need natural vegetation for cover. The APD knows full well there are people living on the Periwinkle Bike Path. And have been for about a year now. They cut down a lot of brush and some smaller trees that were supposed to block noise from the park, but people still just camp right on the path.
I’ve called the police numerous times on people screaming their heads off and beating each other up. I’ve heard muggings and drug use and the police refuse to even contact people who are inside a tent.
You want to pretend as if the homeless problem here is being worked on? I say it’s not even being addressed.
There’s a pile of garbage that’s been festering next to the path for weeks now. Every night I see a homeless guy lay down on it. In full view of anyone who walks by, including the police officers that bother to actually respond. (And then leave as if they’ve done their job.)
If you edit this, do not misrepresent my comments. Censorship isn’t cool, Hasso.