St. Gregory’s Playground as it looks today.
By Jessica Brockington
St. Gregory’s Playground located on 90th Street between Amsterdam Avenue and Columbus will soon get a major redesign under a plan approved by the local community board this week.
The playground is located between West Side Community Garden and St. Gregory the Great School but not affiliated with either. It’s well-used but somewhat worse for wear. The Parks & Environment Committee of CB7 applauded the incorporation of wheelchair-accessible play equipment, a new safety surface and an upgraded basketball court.
There will also be a traditional water spray feature where small children can play.
The plans also include new benches, plantings, and an entrance that’s in line with the Parks Without Borders concept, an initiative of the NYC Parks Dept. that focuses on making playgrounds more inviting, having them blend in better with the surrounding neighborhood. Think fewer high fences and more attractive plants.
Funding for the $1 million project comes from the mayor’s office, Council member Helen Rosenthal, and the Parks Without Borders fund.
This park is a favorite – it is great for kids who are about 3 or 4. Are they taking it out of commission while they make these changes? It has periodically had a bee problem from the neighboring garden – not sure if there is much they could do about this…
I always assumed that playground was part of the church school. Am amazed it isn’t, and also amazed that for that tiny plot $1 million is going to be spent, especially when across the street is a huge open park space for the public housing. Why not increase the west side community garden in there and incorporate that tiny park into the larger one across the street? Head scratching on that one.
The West Side Community Garden is privately owned by a non-profit – it is not part of NYC Parks and Recreation.
Kenneth – Wendy is not talking about the garden, she is talking about the NYCHA playground directly across from St. Gregory’s
Gail,
I don’t know any other way to interpret the statement:
“…Why not increase the west side community garden in there…”
The WSCG cannot be expanded into a City park.