Boardwalk Empire: Who Should Control Coney Island’s Boardwalk?

Nearly two weeks ago the Coney Island social media community broke into a frenzy when it was learned that their beloved boardwalk was going to be “privatized.” A word that is commonly held with such odious disdain on popular NYC blogs such as EV Grieve and Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York. A word very much associated  with Bloomberg/Post Bloomberg and currently Taylor Swift’s NYC. Privatization would mean turning the Coney Island (Riegelmann) Boardwalk and beach into Seagate. Or would it?

The word “privatization” has certainly been thrown around recently, but who has been using it? Our local officials made it clear that as a result of the recent influx of visitors that the Parks Department could sure use assistance maintaining the boardwalk. But the word “privatization” was never used. Instead we heard the word “partnership.” Let’s use the Prospect Park Alliance as a fair example. Prospect Park, Brooklyn’s second largest park, and arguably it’s most extravagant, has completely reinvented itself from the days when my grandparents would take me there for a stroll in the late 70’s. Thanks to the Prospect Park Alliance, it’s now a joy to visit Brooklyn’s one and only lake that has been cleaned up while at the same time retaining it’s character. What if only the same type of care and assistance was given to our beach and boardwalk?

Since it fully opened in 1923, Coney Island’s Riegelmann Boardwalk has been a public treasure to people of all ages, creeds, and nationalities. All of these people should continue to have fair and equal access to the boardwalk along with it’s activities and events. Let’s make sure it continues to be. We want to know your thoughts.

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