Essay 6
Dear Park Board:
Last night as I was watching the news, I learned that our city has received a grant to benefit the people in the city by improving its appearance. Both of these proposals are exciting for the city and both would contribute a great deal to achieving the goal. However, I think the people who live in New York will derive the greatest benefit from using the money to enhance the city's public parks.

I cannot be argued that the city's streets and intersections are already attractive and that improving their appearance is not needed. Would that it were so. However, my fear is that if the city were to use the grant to place trees and flowerbeds around the city, the city would not be able to properly care for them. While improving the city's parks will require funding for maintenance, as well, at least there are fewer locations that the Parks Board must maintain than if new trees and flowerbeds were scattered around the city. I am also concerned about how the city's residents might treat the new trees and flowering plants if they were located all over the city. People are very likely to throw garbage into flowerbeds or to pick flowers to decorate their own dining room tables. It is true that people can similarly abuse trees and flowerbeds in the parks, but at least there is some supervision in most parks, and more people watching what others do, and this would reduce the degree to which people could mistreat the city's improvements.

Even though enhancing the city's streets and intersections would improve the appearance of the city, I think improving the city's parks will have a more positive effect on people's lives. Urban residents have a great need of green spaces and visit them for many purposes. For example, many people like to exercise in the city's parks, so improving the recreational facilities in the parks would be beneficial. Many people can't afford to belong to expensive health clubs, or they just prefer to exercise in the fresh air. The sight of people walking, jogging, biking or playing games such as basketball or football in our parks is a familiar one, especially if one visits a park early in the morning or in the evening. If parks do not have suitable facilities for these activities, then people may resort to using the city's busy streets and risking injury. The city would therefore greatly benefit its residents by enhancing facilities in the parks for these activities.

The parks in a large city like New York also provide some relief from the noise and motion that surrounds us. Everyone needs to escape sometimes from the stress of living in the city, and going to a park is refreshing and relaxing. While many people exercise in the parks, others seek the tranquility of a park to enjoy a quiet walk, to read, to picnic with family members, or just to sit on a bench and feed the birds or gaze into space. These more contemplative people would enjoy wandering through a beautiful park with colorful and fragrant flowerbeds that the city could plant with grantfunding.

In conclusion, I believe that investing in the city's parks is an investment in the well-being of our citizens, whatever use they may make of the city's parks. Either of these options will provide a benefit to the people who live in New York, but I hope the Parks Board will decide that the greater good is to improve the parks.

Sincerely,