Grassmere Playground

NYC PARKS COMPLETES $3.3 MILLION RENOVATION OF GRASSMERE PLAYGROUND

Grassmere Playground opened as part of Commissioner Silver’s Ribbon Cutting Relay – five Community Parks Initiative sites opened in a single day
$24 million in total renovations opened across city
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, yesterday joined NYC Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Vincent Sapienza, Council Member Donovan Richards, and students from Wave Prep Elementary School to open Grassmere Playground in Far Rockaway. The park, part of NYC Park’s $318-million Community Parks Initiative, was opened as part of Commissioner Silver’s Ribbon-Cutting Relay, in which he opened five renovated CPI sites across the city in a single day.
“In 2014 we launched the Community Parks Initiative with a commitment to bring world-class neighborhood parks to all New Yorkers. Today, we’re seeing the results of that promise,” said Mayor de Blasio. “The five completely rebuilt parks we opened today illustrate the breadth and impact of CPI, which has already impacted more than one million children through physical park improvements, expanded programming, and enhanced community partnerships.”
“The Community Parks Initiative is about creating a fairer and more accessible park system for ALL New Yorkers – and there’s no better expression of that than opening fully renovated parks across the city in a single day,” said Commissioner Silver. “The community of Far Rockaway now has an updated high-quality play space to enjoy, complete with a new track, soccer field and even an outdoor classroom.”
“DEP is proud to be a partner in NYC Parks’ Community Parks Initiative, which is transforming neighborhood parks across the city,” said DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza. “By installing green infrastructure in these rebuilt playgrounds we are helping to reduce stormwater runoff and improve the health of local waterways including Jamaica Bay, Newtown Creek and the Bronx River.”
“There is no better justification for the Community Parks Initiative than the opening of Grassmere Playground in Far Rockaway,” said Council Member Donovan Richards. “This beachfront community has been severely underserved by green space for decades, forcing seniors and children to travel dozens of blocks to find a beautiful and safe open space. This brand new park will surely bring many educational and entertainment opportunities for families and schools throughout the peninsula. I’d like to thank Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Silver for their commitment to providing green space to underserved communities that have deserved better for far too long.”
The $3.3 million renovation to Grassmere Playground included two new play areas (for kids aged 2 to 5, and 5 to 12), a 100-meter track and junior soccer field, an educational wooded trail, an outdoor classroom, a junior basketball court, adult fitness equipment, a children’s water play area, and improved planting, seating and lighting. New Green Infrastructure elements at the site, which will aid in capturing storm water, were developed and funded with $427,000 by the Department of Environmental Protection. The reconstruction also included Parks Without Borders design elements to enhance edges and entrances
On Ribbon-Cutting Relay Day, NYC Parks cut the ribbon on a CPI park in every borough. Starting at Arrochar Playground in Staten Island, Commissioner Silver made his way to Grassmere Playground in Far Rockaway, Queens; then to Hilltop Playground (formerly Saratoga Ballfields) in Brooklyn; up to Lyons Square Playground in the South Bronx; and finally to Martin Luther King, Jr. Playground.
CPI was initially launched in 2014, and is funded through 2019 with $318 million in capital dollars funding renovations of more than 60 community parks that have not undergone significant improvements in decades. All of the parks and playgrounds that will receive improvements are in dense, fast-growing neighborhoods with an above-average percentage of residents living below the poverty level.