Bensonhurst Park Playground. Image Credit: NYC Parks/ Daniel Avila
The project cost $7.86 million. On January 7, 2020, the Parks Department announced the completion of the reconstruction of Bensonhurst Park Playground in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Bensonhurst Park is one of 26 parks crossed by the Belt Parkway, which divides the park into two sections. The playground portion of the park is located near the intersection of Bay Parkway and Cropsey Avenue.
The reconstruction project upgraded the park’s community amenities, added new play equipment like swings, water play equipment, and an adjacent path system and sitting areas at the north end of the park. The project cost $7.86 million and was funded by Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Member Justin Brannan.
Council Member Brannan stated, “Bensonhurst Park is back! Colossal thanks to the NYC Parks Department for their diligent work, completing this project in the middle of a pandemic! Because of their commitment, parents now have a brand-new playground to take their kids to plus new benches and safe paths. This is a park that really needed some serious love. It hadn’t seen any since the 1980s and that was not acceptable to me or to anyone. By the time we’re done, we will completely overhaul this entire park so it can be the world-class recreational area that hardworking people deserve.”
NYC Parks Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Martin Maher stated, “Bensonhurst Park and the surrounding community is rich with history and deserving of public greenspaces that can be honored and celebrated. Thanks to the advocacy of community members and the funding support of Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Member Justin Brannan, we are able to deliver the people of Bensonhurst world-class park amenities, play equipment, new pathways, and the comfort of knowing that their families have a safe space to enjoy.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)