There’s a lot of sliding going on in the city’s parks — and not just in the playgrounds. “Management has neglected the infrastructure at too many facilities,” said Russell Johnson, safety coordinator for DC 37’s Safety and Health Dept. “By failing to put money into maintenance and repairs, the Parks Department has created hazardous conditions for our members.”

This summer’s copious rains have exacerbated the problems. At the Litchfield Mansion and Annex in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, mold has invaded male and female restrooms. Water has damaged ceilings and walls in the Special Events office, and bad odors permeate the place.

The 79th St. Boat Basin in Manhattan’s Riverside Park is another site where offices, maintenance shops and storage rooms experience water run-off and other unsafe, unpleasant conditions. “Conditions in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx are deplorable,” said Mr. Johnson. A public restroom toilet often backs up; urine and fecal matter cascade down the walls and ceiling into the employees’ locker room.

“The facilities in the parks were beautiful,” said Michael Hood, president of Attendants, Park Service Workers, City Park Workers and Debris Removers Local 1505. “Now they’re run down. We press for better maintenance at monthly health and safety meetings. But it falls on deaf ears. Our only remedy is to file official complaints with the State Labor Department.”

After DC 37’s Safety and Health Dept. filed a complaint against the Parks Dept. for not providing a comprehensive training program for workers who handle toxic substances, it took four years to achieve a settlement. The state Right-to-Know Law entitles workers to specific training on such hazardous substances. An August settlement with the state attorney general provides for over 4,700 Parks workers to receive the training. The Attorney General’s Office, the city, and the union cooperated in creating the training program.