Yellowstone Park

The Daily Plant : Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Yellowstone Municipal Park Gets A New Faithful Comfort Station

photo by Daniel Avila

On July 17, Parks & Recreation brought out the gold scissors to cut something a little different than the usual green ribbon—toilet paper!

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe joined Vicky Morales, Chief of Staff to Council Member Melinda Katz; District Manager of Community Board 6 Frank Gulluscio; Queens Borough Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski; Assistant Commissioner for Community Relations Ed Lewis; and many neighborhood children to ceremoniously cut the toilet paper at Yellowstone Municipal Park’s newly renovated comfort station. After the "ribbon" cutting, everyone crowded into one of the new bathroom stalls for a "first flush." It’s a good thing they are now wider for wheelchair accessibility.

The face-lift to Yellowstone Municipal Park’s comfort station was funded by a $400,000 allocation from City Council Member Melinda Katz. The renovated comfort station features new American Disability Act-compliant bathrooms, a new brick façade, a new stainless steel roof and doors, new window and window guards, and new classroom/office and maintenance/equipment rooms.

"The Department of Parks & Recreation is the only City or State agency that provides hundreds of free, public toilets in neighborhoods across the City," said Commissioner Benepe. "This humble amenity helps hundreds of thousands of daily visitors find relief and allows them to extend their visits. We are dedicated to adding comfort stations and making sure that they are clean and equipped. Our partnership with Council Member Katz will ensure that old, faithful Yellowstone Municipal Park is up-to-date for its many visitors."

The Park also boasts new plantings and landscaping making it even greener and more beautiful. In the 1960s, Yellowstone was planned to be a cement park but local residents voiced their wishes to have it filled with trees and grass, a choice that today’s residents continue to enjoy.

Last week, as temperatures neared 100 degrees, Forest Hills residents flocked to the shady Park. Kids and kids-at-heart, including Commissioner Benepe, cooled off in the playground’s spray shower. Ten years ago, Yellowstone Municipal Park received a major renovation with new play equipment, basketball courts, game tables, picnic tables, benches, new lawns and trees. Thanks to the newly renovated comfort station, residents can now enjoy everything the Park has to offer without ever having to leave for a bathroom break.