Nothing like a public shaming to get your TP in order! After the Post yesterday scared the bejesus out of Coney Island-bound frolickers when it reported the Parks Department was rationing out its toilet paper, the cash-strapped city agency jumped to attention. Long story short: There was no rationing of single-ply on the Coney Island Boardwalk yesterday.
"The economic conditions are challenging, but not that challenging. If you go there today, you'll find toilet paper in every stall," Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said. "It's our business to help New Yorkers do theirs." As such, the Parks Department made sure that for the holiday rush there was more than enough toilet paper to go around. But for how long?
Under pressure from one of the city's top tabloids on a holiday weekend it isn't surprising that the Parks Department would jump to action—but what happens as the summer marches forward and the tabloids look away? It isn't like the city is pouring cash into Parks, which runs 14 percent of the city's land. In the latest slashing, the city cut the Parks Department budget down to $232 million. Which is to say, don't be surprised if rationing returns before Labor Day.
