Councilmember Ritchie Torres is calling on the mayor's office to invest $100 million in New York City Parks.

Torres says the Parks Department needs the help because it is tasked with maintaining 1,700 parks, playground and recreational centers with less than one percent of the city's budget. Overall, the parks are "grossly underfunded," he says.

While Torres says the parks are specifically lacking staff, the $100 million would also be spent in such areas as natural forest care, improvements for green-thumb gardens and more seasonal after-school programs.

News 12 reached out to the mayor's office for a response, but has not yet heard back.