By West Side Rag
Last week, State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal announced a $250,000 grant to help fund a renovation at an Upper West Side NYCHA development.
The grant, part of the New York State Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology program, will help fund the renovation of the playground outside the Amsterdam Early Childhood Education Center in the Amsterdam Houses at 206 West 64th Street.
Specifically, the funding will go toward repaving cracks on the surface area within the playground, installing a new fence, purchasing new playground equipment, and beautifying the space with greenery.
“As any resident of Amsterdam Houses can tell you, this playground has been an empty parking lot for decades,” Holylman-Sigal said in a news release. “All children in New York City deserve a safe place to play and this CREST funding will help make that a reality for the children living in NYCHA’s Amsterdam Houses and the surrounding neighborhood.”
The childhood education center is operated by Hudson Guild, a nonprofit that runs programs related to children, older adults, mental health services, and more.
The playground and yard will also be open to members of the NYCHA Amsterdam Houses, when the Early Childhood Education Center is closed.
Hoylman-Sigal mentioned the efforts of Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, and Councilmember Gale Brewer in helping to secure the funding.
“This is great!” Yvette Powell, the president of the Amsterdam Houses Tenant Association said in a news release. “Thanks to Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal for this long-awaited beautification project. We at Amsterdam Houses are all about uplifting our community for all people to show beauty and hope in all we do.”
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They should renovate all the playgrounds in these buildings on UWS and Morningside Heights
Great! But I wish the requirement is to adopt the soft design approach for parks and playgrounds by planting low native shrubs and establishing water drainage swales between fence and sidewalk. Iow’s extending the spaces to become more inviting, public facing, resilient infrastructure. The playgrounds in particular tend to look like prison yards with plastic accessories.
One of the best and now best utilized playground Renovations I’ve seen is the PS 111 playground on the east side of 10th (Amsterdam) between 52nd and 53rd. From bare asphalt to a small track, basketball and other courts, trees and shaded areas, benches – it is just wonderful to walk by and see kids and others enjoying the space. To see city kids get to play under trees with shade in summer and colored leaves in Fall, when it was so barren, is just great. Hope the little Amsterdam Early Childhood kids get the same level of attention and success.
Dino Park on 97th and Riverside is the most derelict park on the UWS. Prove me wrong.
Well at least this renovation is not banning local residents like Wise Plqyground