In the last few weeks, the Norwood News has been peppered with calls and personal accounts of the conditions at the neighborhoods nearby parks, namely Mosholu Parkway and Williamsbridge Oval Park. The parks are routinely utilized by nearly every member of the community. From mothers sitting on benches watching their children running through sprinklers, to residents staying fit as they do laps around the track. It’s all there.

Yet, despite this precious amenity that’s enriched the lives of many, a troubling aspect is rising two-fold. The first is the apparent neglect of Williamsbridge Oval Park the paper has seen in recent years. Overgrown weeds can be found on the northern end to the point where they’re overwhelming the concrete tiling. Then there are broken concrete slabs.

Then there is the garbage. Mounds of it. Even before the July 4th holiday, which Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver conceded was a challenging day for the Parks Department given the heavy cleanup, Oval Park had already noticed elements of neglect. Household trash was piled high to the point where plastic shopping bags full of trash were left on the side of an overflowing drum.

Where is the Parks Department on this? The paper hasn’t tracked the comings and goings of the Parks Department’s personnel, but it appears they’re not coming around Oval Park as much. And when they are, according to residents we spoke to, half measures appear to be adopted.

As for Mosholu Parkway, it’s tempting to barbecue in open fields running parallel to a freeway under the auspices of the federal government, but consider the larger quality of life implication of the discarded trash left behind by partygoers during the summer weekends. There’s also the lack of porta restrooms on the parkway. Where they going to relieve themselves? It’s easy to look the other way when visiting the neighborhood or unaware of the long-ranging effects.

Parties happen on the parkway to the detriment of some residents who have pleaded with the Police Department to enforce the “No Barbecue” rule. The local 52nd Precinct has publicly stated it has taken a more relaxed approach to its enforcement as a way of de-escalating any confrontations, part of a broader effort by the NYPD.

But what about ticketing? Is that a form of escalation? Could police officers enforce these matters without it going awry? Or has the practice of de-escalation resulted in a reduced quality of life around Mosholu Parkway? Reading a situation is one thing. Knowingly allowing revelers to skirt the rules is another. It’s a hot potato, sure, one exacerbated by the shared responsibility between the Police Department and Parks.

The New York City Council and Mayor’s Office recently announced a boost in the budget for the New York City Parks Department. With all this clamor for a beautiful park, it would behoove the agency to consider beefing up its maintenance crews. It seems the roving cleanup crews it employs are just not enough.

Or could the solution be creating one section of Mosholu Parkway devoted to legal barbecuing? It’s a possible fix, though the rancor will come from opponents believing the city caved. The problem could fix the legality issue. Parks will just have to do its part in enforcing cleanup while the Police will have to do its part in enforcing the noise ordinances.

The lack of enforcement has caused one community activist, Anthony Rivieccio, to scale back his activism for improved quality of life, believing that despite months of pleas from Community Board 7’s Parks Committee toward enforcement, the Police Department and Parks Department do little to enforce it.

This is a test for Community Board 7’s new leadership of Emmanuel Martinez. Will he call on enforcing the rules, or look the other way?