Offi cials cut ribbon at Astoria’s Chappetto Square
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | APRIL 16-APRIL 22, 2021 7
BY BILL PARRY
Chappetto Square at the
base of the Triborough Bridge
in Astoria has undergone a
$4.5 million extreme makeover
under the city’s first-ever
parks equity initiative. The
NYC Parks program began in
2014 to invest in smaller parks
in densely populated and growing
neighborhoods.
In one of his final acts as a
city councilman before stepping
down to take a job in the
private sector, Costa Constantinides
hailed the program for
improving a public space in
Astoria, an issue he made a
priority since taking office in
2013.
“Chappetto Square has
long been a popular but underfunded
space, but now we
have a park worthy of the diverse
community that uses
it,” Constantinides said. “As
the weather warms and people
seek safe activities and recreation,
beautiful spaces like
reimagined Chappetto Square
are vital.”
The timing of the ribboncutting
ceremony at Chappetto
Square coincides with springtime
as residents emerge from
a tough COVID winter.
“The reconstruction of
Chappetto Square has transformed
this space into a firstclass
neighborhood park that
will serve the entire Astoria
community,” Queens Borough
President Donovan Richards
said. “With the COVID-19
pandemic hopefully in our
rearview mirror, folks are
beginning to rediscover their
communities, and there is no
better place for Astoria residents
to start their rediscovery
than by visiting this wonderful
gem of a park. Peter Chappetto,
the fallen World War
II service member for whom
Chappetto Square is named,
would be proud to know that
his old neighborhood has such
a fine park.”
When Robert Moses took
control of the Triborough
Bridge Authority in 1934, he
had envisioned a series of
parks with play facilities and
landscaping surrounding the
bridge approaches and Chappetto
Square is just one of
seven that constituted the Triborough
Bridge Playgrounds.
The remaining six parks
and playgrounds on Hoyt Avenue
North and Hoyt Avenue
South, between 21st and 26th
streets, continue to be known
as the Triborough Bridge Playgrounds.
The reconstruction of Chappetto
Square features four new
seal-coated ecua-volley courts,
drinking fountains, asphalt
pathways and enhanced landscaping.
The new and improved
public space supports both passive
and active recreation with
the installation of new shaded
seating areas, game tables and
pedestrian lighting.
“With these new upgrades,
Chappetto Square is now better
equipped to meet Astoria’s
recreational needs,” NYC
Parks Commissioner Mitchell
J. Silver said. “I’m thrilled to
unveil these new amenities
that will serve the children,
families and residents of the
surrounding communities for
years to come.”
The officials also unveiled
the design for a $4.6 million
renovation of Gorman Playground
in East Elmhurst with
the goal to reconstruct the children’s
play area with swings, a
spray shower, game tables and
benches. New asphalt pathways
and plantings will be
installed to enhance the playground’s
landscape.
“Poor planning in the past
limited Jackson Heights and
East Elmhurst park space,
so caring for the parks and
playgrounds we have there is
critical,” Constantinides said.
“That’s why I’m so excited that
we’ve been able to provide the
community with this design
for a beautiful new playground
that was crafted in partnership
with the neighborhood.”
Constantinides allocated
the $4.6 million in funding for
the project which is anticipated
to begin in the fall. Before
his death in 1963, civic leader
Denis Gorman devoted his time
to providing recreational facilities
for the youth of Queens as
chairman of the Youth Activities
Committee which built 20
Little League baseball fields in
just five months.
Officials cut the ribbon at Astoria’s Chappetto Park following a
$4.5 million reconstruction project. Courtesy NYC Parks/Daniel Avila
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