West Playground

The Daily Plant : Thursday, October 23, 2008

Parks Celebrates New Features At West Street Playground

Photo by Daniel Avila

On October 20, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe cut the ribbon on the newly refurbished West Street Playground with Council Member Domenic Recchia, Jr., District Manager of Community Board 13 Chuck Reichenthal and children and teachers from P.S. 216.

“This is a great time to be a kid as more playgrounds and parks are being built in New York City than at any time since the 1930s,” said Commissioner Benepe. “Thanks to Mayor Bloomberg and Council Member Recchia, West Playground has even more ways to have fun from new game tables to play equipment and even new basketball courts.”

Thanks to $650,000 from Mayor Bloomberg and Council Member Recchia, West Street Playground now features new play equipment, safety surface, basketball courts, fitness equipment, an elephant spray shower, gardens, fencing, benches, game tables, a drinking fountain and a seating area.

West Street Playground opened in 1941 and most of the existing facilities were built in 1986. In addition, 40 Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana) and Sephora trees, and more than 550 shrubs, including forsythia and “Virginal” mock orange (philadelphus) were planted. Ten years later, the handball courts were reconstructed.

The ribbon-cutting represents more than $211 million invested in Brooklyn since 2002. Parks is also proud to announce an additional $100 million currently in design or planning in Brooklyn.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something.”

Wilson Mizner
(1876-1933)