Winthrop Playground

The Daily Plant : Monday, September 12, 2011

Ground Is Broken On $3 Million In Renovations To Parkside Playground

Photo by Malcolm Pinckney

On September 1, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe joined City Council Member Mathieu Eugene, State Senator Eric Adams, Jannie Johnson of the Parkside Avenue Block Association, and members of the Flatbush community to break ground on Parkside Playground in Brooklyn.

The nearly $3 million project includes the installation of new basketball courts and brand new play equipment. The project has been made possible by a generous allocation of $2.45 million from Council Member Mathieu Eugene and $517,000 from Mayor Bloomberg.

“In the aftermath of tropical storm Irene, Parks is thrilled to celebrate the start of a new day at Parkside Playground,” said Commissioner Benepe. “When complete, the renovated park will challenge and engage youngsters with brand new play equipment designed to encourage climbing and exploration, as well as three full basketball courts. Adults will be able to take in the view of new colorful and varied plantings in a nearby seating area. I am grateful to generous allocations from Mayor Bloomberg and Council Member Eugene.”

“I am proud to provide funding to renovate and refurbish the Parkside Playground,” said Council Member Eugene. “The community desperately needs new green space for children and families to enjoy and I am glad to support this goal. It is important that children have a safe and beautiful place to play in, where youth of all ages can come to practice sports and stay active. As a city, I believe we must improve the quality of local parks in an effort to protect the health and wellbeing of the community.”

When complete, the renovated playground will feature all new play equipment, swings, and safety surfacing. The colorful, new play equipment will encourage climbing, exploration, and safety. Also included is a new spray shower featuring a custom-designed spray sculpture and a seating area for parents and seniors. New bench seating will be added throughout the playground and colorful planting beds will feature hardy, flowering shrubs including Azalea, Butterfly Bush, Euonymus, Hydrangea, Lilac, Mountain Laurel, Rose, Spirea, and Viburnum.

The existing asphalt area will be replaced with three full-sized basketball courts, an adult fitness area, painted games, and a new outdoor classroom featuring decorative concrete pavers. New game tables with benches will be added. The existing perimeter fence will be replaced with new chain link and steel panel fencing. Lastly, the schoolyard will be made greener, as rainwater runoff will flow into planting beds and tree pits.

The project was designed by Ned Shalanski and the contractors are La Poma Sitework and Structure (playground) and William Gross (basketball court).

Parkside Playground and the nearby avenue take their names from the 1902 dedication of Fort Hamilton Parkway, between New York and Coney Island Avenues, as Parkside Avenue. This renaming honored the avenue’s new “park side” location, the park being near Prospect Park.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“Advice to writers: Sometimes you just have to stop writing. Even before you begin.”

Stanislaw J. Lec
(1909 - 1966)