Kolbert Playground

PARKS BREAKS GROUND ON COMPLETE RENOVATION TO KOLBERT PLAYGROUND

NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, today joined Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Diana Reyna, City Council Member David Greenfield and community members to break ground on a complete renovation to Brooklyn’s Kolbert Playground. The project was funded with a total of $4 million, with $500,000 from Borough President Eric L. Adams and $3.5M from Council Member Greenfield. A public input meeting was held in September 2014 to hear the community’s idea for the project’s design.

“It is always an honor to gather with communities and hear their ideas on how they would like us to improve their local parks, and we are pleased to begin the process of bringing this community’s input to life at Kolbert Playground,” said Commissioner Silver. “When it is complete, there will be features for residents of all ages, including fitness equipment for adults and new play equipment for kids. We look forward to transforming this treasured shared space into a playground the whole neighborhood can be proud of.”

“Playgrounds are critical to maintaining the health and wellbeing of our youngest Brooklynites, and we should ensure they are enhanced and protected,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams. “I am proud that my administration has helped fund the complete renovation of Kolbert Playground in Midwood. Spaces like this are the great equalizers where children from all backgrounds can come together, the kinds of places where memories are made for a lifetime.”

“I am thrilled to have secured the funding to renovate this playground,” said Council Member Greenfield. “There will be more play space for children, more fitness equipment for adults, and new sports fields, including two full-sized basketball courts, for anyone with a taste for competition. Everyone in the community is excited to take advantage of these new improvements.”

The improved Kolbert Playground will include an expansion of the existing playground with a new spray shower, adult fitness equipment, synthetic turf field and walking track; and a complete reconstruction of the multi-purpose play area, and handball and basketball courts. Construction is expected to be completed by spring 2018.

Bounded by Avenue L, East 17th and East 18th Streets, this playground honors the memory of Paul W. Kolbert (1925-1945), a fallen World War II soldier and hero. Born and raised in Midwood, Kolbert lived at nearby 1325 East 18th Street with his father Joseph, his mother Rose, and his brother Melvin. He attended P.S. 97, Seth Low Junior High School, Madison High School, Brooklyn College, and St. John's University. Throughout his childhood, Kolbert was a member of Boy Scout Troop 285 and a delivery boy for The Brooklyn Eagle.