[Photo by Katherine Gleason]
In breaking-ish news today, workers are taking down the construction fences around the recently renovated Avenue B playground in Tompkins Square Park. Word is the playground will be open for use this afternoon.
The work started Oct. 1, 2018, on the southeast portion of the Park, which saw the closure of the entrances on Seventh Street at Avenue B and Eighth Street at Avenue B. The space was expected to reopen some time last month.
The upgrades have included the reconstruction of two playgrounds with new safety surfacing, spray showers, seating and fencing. A schematic from the Parks website offers more detail...
The Parks Department is supplementing the project's funding with its Parks Without Borders initiative that will lower the fences from its present height of 7 feet to 4 feet, a move that stirred plenty of concern in early 2017.
Parks officials believe the shorter fences make the play areas safer — "lowering barriers that block sight lines discourages negative behavior while at the same time making the green space more open and aesthetically pleasing," as DNAinfo reported at the time.
Meanwhile, various residents and EVG commenters have noted that if it took one year for the city to upgrade a small section of Tompkins Square Park, then how long will it realistically take to stormproof the 45-acre East River Park?
Updated 1:45
Another reader photo via Tullah on 7th...
Updated 4 p.m.
The entrances and playgrounds are now open ... Dave on 7th checks in...
... and there are new benches ...
Praise the Lawd! Now to address all the street crime that's been happening around that whole area.
ReplyDeleteOoh....Ooh....NEW benches!
ReplyDeleteJust in time for winter.
ReplyDeleteI heard rumors that when these opened, the large playground on A would be closed for renovations. That playground equipment isn't that old, but there is definitely a flooding situation there with the sprinklers and sandbox in close proximity.
ReplyDeleteAny truth to this rumor? I hope it's not true - the big playground gets insanely crowded, and these two newly opened ones will alleviate some of that but will be a disaster if the large one closes...
Finally. I walked through the park this evening. It was surreal to see no fencing and to be able to access each exit. What took so long? Imagine how long it will take to gut and rebuild east river park????
ReplyDeleteNaturally, they waited until the dog days of summer to plant the bushes behind the new bushes etc., did not go out of the way to make sure they were watered,and of course most of them are already dead. What a shame!
ReplyDeleteThe negativity of the comments never lets me down!
ReplyDeleteAs local parents who have been there each day since it opened, we can report that there are pieces of the new playground equipment that are already broken. NYC could have done it in three months, but it took a year. We don’t expect it all to hold up very well. So it goes.
ReplyDelete