Northern Playground

NYC PARKS CELEBRATES NEW SYNTHETIC JACKSON HEIGHTS TURF FIELD IN NORTHERN PLAYGROUND

Tuesday, November 30, 2021 -- NYC Parks Commissioner Gabrielle Fialkoff joined Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Council Member Daniel Dromm, Community Board 3 District Manager Giovanna Reid, and Anna Moyano from the P.S. 149 School Leadership Team, to cut the ribbon on a new synthetic turf field at Northern Playground, a Jointly Operated Playground (JOP) site which serves P.S. 149 The Christa McAuliffe School, as well as the surrounding Jackson Heights community.

“In Jackson Heights -- one of the communities that was hardest hit by COVID, and an area where parkland is scarce -- projects like the one at Northern Playground are especially critical,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Gabrielle Fialkoff. “We are proud to celebrate this beautiful new synthetic turf field, built for a variety of sports and games for the kids of P.S. 149 and the entire community. I want to thank Council Member Dromm for recognizing the importance of this space and fully funding this project.”

“At the end of the day, there is nothing more important than health and well-being of our kids,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “Giving them a safe, engaging place to play and build those vital social bonds with one another is an investment that will never go to waste. That’s why this at Northern Playground is so important, and I look forward to even more of these ribbon cuttings in the future.”

“The turf is always greener in Jackson Heights especially now that we renovated Northern Playground,” said Council Member Daniel Dromm. “During my 12 years in office, I made sure that every park in my district was renovated. I want to thank the PS 149 PTA for working with us to get this project completed five months ahead of schedule. Northern Playground is now a space that children and community members can fully enjoy”

Thanks to $1.75 million in funding from Council Member Dromm, Parks has reconstructed the existing synthetic turf field, including a new underdrain system. Work also included chain link fencing, new drinking fountains, benches and a new rubberized surface basketball court area with new backboards. The project opened five months ahead of schedule in September 2021.

Northern Playground is named after adjoining Northern Boulevard. First opened in 1960, this is a Jointly Operated Playground (JOP) serving P.S. 149 Christa McAuliffe and the local community. Today the space features handball courts, a spray shower, basketball courts, a multi-purpose field, and a comfort station.