You are reading

Dutch Kills Playground To Get A Major Redesign

IMG_4629

April 12, 2016 By Michael Florio

A local playground that hasn’t been renovated in two decades is about to get a $4.5 million makeover.

Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer announced on Tuesday that he secured $4.5 million in funding from Mayor Bill de Blasio for the renovation of Dutch Kills Playground, located on 36th Avenue and Crescent Street next to P.S. 112 and near the Baccalaureate School for Global Education.

The playground has not had any major renovations in the past 20 years, according to Van Bramer. The funding will include a full renovation of the park’s bathroom.

“It is a beautiful park, but it is in need of some tender loving care,” Van Bramer said.

The Parks Department will host what’s known as a scoping meeting on April 18 at P.S. 112 at 6 p.m. At this meeting, community members will be able to voice their opinions on what upgrades they would like to see implemented at Dutch Kills Playground.

“We give residents and their children a chance to voice their opinions before going through with the design process,” Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski said. “Come help us redesign your neighborhood park.”Dutch Kills Playground

Both Lewandowski and Van Bramer said that the $4.5 million will allow for an overhaul of the playground design.

“I want what is best for the children, seniors and students of this community,” Van Bramer said. “I am confident that through this process, we will have something that makes everyone happy.”

The renovation process is expected to take up to three years, according to Lewandowski.

Monday’s scoping meeting is the first step, after which the Parks Department will move forward with the design process. Then the project will go up for bid to contractors, which could take one year, and then construction will begin.

The playground will have to close during construction, which could also take up to one year, according to Lewandowski.

Part of the dialogue at Monday’s meeting will involve alternative outdoor space for the students of P.S. 112 and the Baccalaureate School during the construction period.

“There are neighboring playgrounds nearby that we will consider, but we would have to figure out transportation methods,” she said. “We have things to work out and will start that conversation on Monday.”

P.S. 112 Principal Rafael Campos already has ideas for the renovation.

“This is a great space for our children to play,” he said. “But if we can bring in a new playground with a padded ground, new trees and benches, it would be great not just for our school but the entire community.”

email the author: [email protected]

2 Comments

Click for Comments 
Astoria_Sucks_Now

Waste of money. The funds should have went to building more Gay Bars and Artisan shops for the new residents.

1
1
Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Manhattan bouncer charged in New Year’s Day fatal stabbing in Elmhurst: NYPD

A Manhattan man was arrested on Saturday and charged in the fatal stabbing of an East Elmhurst man during the early morning hours of New Year’s Day in what notably became the city’s first homicide of 2024.

Torrence Holmes, 35, of St. Nicholas Place in Hamilton Heights, was taken into custody at his home and transported back to Queens, where he was booked at the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst on manslaughter and other charges on Saturday afternoon.

After surge of traffic violence, Queens leaders demand safer streets especially for children

Following a tragic week on Queens streets where three pedestrians — 43-year-old Natalia Garcia-Valencia, 58-year-old Elisa Bellere and 8-year-old Bayrron Palomino Arroyo — were fatally struck by unsafe drivers, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced that he has allocated $1.5 million in capital funding for street safety improvements on three of the borough’s most dangerous roadways.

Richards made the announcement at 82nd Street and Astoria Boulevard in East Elmhurst on Monday morning, about a mile from where the 8-year-old boy was struck and killed by an impatient pickup truck driver from Flushing on Mar. 13 as he walked in the crosswalk at 31st Avenue and 101st Street with him mother and brother, who was injured.