Cunningham Park

21st CENTURY PARK SYSTEM: NYC PARKS UNVEILS $2 MILLION TRANSFORMATION OF REDWOOD PLAYGROUND IN FRESH MEADOWS

Redwood Playground one of more than 800 capital projects completed during Silver tenure--building a more equitable park system for all New Yorkers

NYC Parks Queens Borough Commissioner Michael Dockett today joined Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, New York City Council Member Barry Grodenchik, Community Board 8 District Manager Marie Adam-Ovide and community members to cut the ribbon on new upgrades to Redwood Playground in Cunningham Park. The project is one of more than 800 completed under Commissioner Silver’s leadership, advancing the City’s mission to build a more equitable 21st century park system.

“Redwood Playground is one of the hidden gems of Cunningham Park and thanks to these new upgrades completed under Commissioner Silver’s leadership, it has been renewed for generations to come,” said Commissioner Dockett. “With fun new features including better play equipment and spray showers, this playground will get a lot of love this summer. We’re grateful to all of our partners for their investment and dedication to improving greenspaces for Queens’ families and residents.”

“Redwood Playground is a vitally important part of Cunningham Park and a treasured community resource for the residents of Fresh Meadows, so I’m very pleased that these exciting upgrades have been completed,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr. “The children of Queens deserve first-class play space, and this transformation of Redwood Playground has succeeded in bringing such a space to the kids of Fresh Meadows. It was a great privilege to be a part of making this important project a reality.”

"During the pandemic, we have learned that accessible outdoor space is a critical component of our recovery. New Yorkers of every age need space to play outside, and our city parks serve that function all year long," said Council Member Barry Grodenchik. "The newly renovated Redwood Playground provides a beautiful, safe place for children in Cunningham Park, and I know that many youngsters will enjoy the playground this summer and for years to come."

This project reconstructed the lower children’s play area and replaced the playground’s existing spray showers with new spray features for all age groups. The space now features brand new play equipment, swings and new plantings to improve the greenery at this site. In addition, the project also constructed new paths for easier access to the nearby comfort station and Cunningham Park.

The $2 million project was funded with $355,000 from Mayor Bill de Blasio, $500,000 from Council Member Grodenchik and $1.2 million from former Borough President Melinda Katz with continued support from Borough President Donovan Richards.

800+ COMPLETED CAPITAL PROJECTS
Under the leadership of Commissioner Silver, since 2014 NYC Parks has completed more than 800 capital projects across the five boroughs, advancing the City’s mission to build a more equitable park system for present and future generations. Under this administration, the agency has brought our park system into the 21st century, with guidelines focused on resiliency and access and leading with a data-driven approach to increasing park equity. Parks has also improved its capital process in order to take on more projects and complete them faster. Through these strategies, the agency has reimagined how we invest in parks across the city, including those in communities with the greatest need for open-space improvements that had not seen investment in decades. Parks’ 10-year capital budget is $5.2 billion—the completed projects over the past seven years represents a $1.96 billion investment.