Montbellier Park

The Daily Plant : Monday, November 19, 2007

Montbellier Park To ‘Sport’ Three New Playing Fields

Photo by Daniel Avila

On November 9, Commissioner Benepe dug in on $2.6 million in renovations to Albert Montbellier Park in Southeast Queens.

Council Member James Sanders Jr., Community Board 12 District Manager Yvonne Reddick and members from local teams that use the park's playing fields including Kicker Juniors Soccer Club, the Haitian American Football Club and the New York West Indies United joined in the groundbreaking. The 4.4-acre park will be home to three synthetic turf playing fields, including two baseball diamonds and one soccer field.

Queens will now be home to 21 synthetic turf fields. “The new sports fields mean more playing time to get kids outside, become active and fit and helps the City meet the growing demands for recreation fields,” said Commissioner Benepe. “Montbellier Park has seen a lot of change in the past decade and the improvement of parks to address community needs is among Parks & Recreation’s top priorities.”

In addition to the fields, the facelift includes concrete pavement, two drinking fountains, new chain link fencing, additional trees and a fresh coat of paint on the baseball backstop frameworks. The project was generously funded by Mayor Bloomberg and Council Member James Sanders Jr. and will be completed by next fall.

Montbellier Park honors Albert Montbellier, a dedicated civic leader who devoted 35 years to Queens. Montbellier worked to acquire and develop the land that eventually developed into the park. The park was named after Montbellier after his death in 1964.

Parks is in the midst of a major initiative to convert previously underused asphalt sites into active recreation space, while upgrading out-of-date properties into community assets. Synthetic fields, which are made of recycled rubber, are more environmentally friendly than "natural" grass fields, which require the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and greenhouse gas-producing machines for maintenance.

GROW AT PARKS

More opportunities to Grow at Parks are now posted on the Parks' Intranet....

• POP Coordinator (Principal Administrative Associate)/Queens – 11826
• Disciplinary Counsel (Agency Attorney)/Arsenal North – 11827
• Investigator (Investigator)/Arsenal North – 11828
• Adventure Course Supervisor (Community Associate)/Queens – 11829

You can apply via email to grow@parks.nyc.gov…...and take another look at the following posting:

• Project Manager (Community Associate)/Arsenal – 11666
• Inspector (City Park Worker)/Arsenal – 11736
• Project Manager for Not-for-Profit Partnerships (Community Associate)/Arsenal – 11792
• Resident Engineer (Assistant Civil Engineer)/5-Boro – 11799

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“The future is here. It’s just not widely distributed yet.”

William Gibson
(1948 - )