214 Stratford Road

Brooklyn, NY 11218

December 1, 2010

Alex Doulis, Deputy Director

Division of School Facilities

New York City Department of Education (DOE)

44-36 Vernon Blvd.

Long Island City, NY 11101

Re: Schoolyard to Playground initiative at the Argyle Road Schoolyard of PS 139K

Dear Mr. Doulis:

We write on behalf of Beverley Square West Neighborhood Association (BSWNA), a group that
represents homeowners who share the neighborhood with PS 139K. Just this month a member of the PS
139K Parents’ Association informed our membership that DOE had decided to add the Argyle Road schoolyard
of PS 139K (“Argyle Road schoolyard”) to the Schoolyard to Playground (“SY to PG”) initiative. This DOE
decision -- of which we were given no notice -- will have an adverse impact on the lives of a significant number
of our members who live and own homes adjacent to or close by the Argyle Road schoolyard.

As currently planned, the SY to PG initiative will mean that the Argyle Road schoolyard will be kept
open every day of the week, from 8 a.m. to dusk, 365 days a year. Unlike most schoolyards in this City, the
Argyle Road schoolyard is in the middle of a zoned residential neighborhood, on a one-way street in an
otherwise very quiet area. It is bordered on three sides by the four-story high walls of the school, with the
fourth side opening out onto the residential street, directly facing several homes, many occupied by the elderly.
There is a very high level of noise generated by this schoolyard when occupied by younger children and teens,
noise amplified by the amphitheater-like effect of its setting. The addition of basketball backboards in the
schoolyard has severely exacerbated this problem. Our members living near the Argyle schoolyard clearly
hear its noise from the rear rooms of their houses, even with the windows closed. Quite simply, their ability to
have any quiet enjoyment of their homes has been ruined by the initiative.

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 You should be aware that there has been a long history of our organization seeking cooperation from
DOE and the former NYC Board of Education (the “Board”) regarding keeping the Argyle Road schoolyard
closed at night and on weekends. Help was needed because the schoolyard -- hidden from open view by the
school’s high walls -- has long been a scene of noise, disorderly behavior and crime. In responses to letters to
the Chancellor and/or the Division of School Facilities written by our organization as long ago as 1998 and as
recently as last year (copies attached), the Board and then the DOE assured our members that the schoolyard
generally would be kept closed after 6 p.m. during the week and would be closed on weekends unless there
were special programs in the school.

There has long been a problem at PS 139 with the custodial staff actually following the directives of the
DOE and locking the gates as agreed; that coupled with new lighting in the schoolyard which keeps the area
bright enough to facilitate all-night use of the basketball hoops, has once again created a bedlam-like situation
for many of our members.

Recently, BSWNA voted to request DOE to modify the SY to PG program as it pertains to the Argyle
Road schoolyard. We respectfully request that you direct that the schoolyard be closed on Sunday to allow
just one day of quiet for those residents nearby; people who experience the brunt of a large school’s activity six
days a week.

We also request that you firmly direct custodial staff at the school to lock gates on the other six days
promptly at dusk and that the outdoor lights of the school be dimmed to a lower level that will still allow for
security.

Thank you for your consideration and please call us at 347-578-4146 if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Robert Pandolfo and Jack Rubman

Co-Presidents

Cc: Dennis M. Walcott

John Shea

Assemblyman James Brennan

Mary McDonald

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