NYC Parks Department cuts ribbon on new sports,
children’s play areas at Woodside public space
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | APRIL 30-MAY 6, 2021 9
BY BILL PARRY
The city officially opened General
Hart Playground in Woodside after
completing a $3.5 million reconstruction
project, the first upgrades for the
nearly one-acre public open space in a
quarter of a century.
The project reconstructed the children’s
play area with brand-new equipment,
swings and a spray shower.
The revitalized community space
now has pathways and benches, and
the sports area includes new full and
half-sized basketball courts, a volleyball
court, a drinking fountain and enhanced
landscaping.
“General Hart Playground is a vitally
important community resource
for the residents of Woodside, so I’m
very pleased that it now offers the use
of these high-quality and exciting play
and sports areas,” Queens Borough
President Donovan Richards said.
“Queens residents deserve access to
first-class recreational space, and this
reconstruction of the play and sports
area at General Hart Playground has
succeeded in bringing such space to
Woodside. It was a great privilege to be
a part of making this project a reality.”
The project was funded with $1.82
million from Councilman Jimmy Van
Bramer and $1.38 million from former
Borough President Melinda Katz.
“I’ve funded major renovations in
nearly every single park in my district.
Hart Playground has not been
renovated in decades and was much in
need of a top-to-bottom renovations,”
Van Bramer said. “I’m proud to have
allocated nearly $2 million for this
$3.5 million project. Every park user
deserves to have amenities they can
be excited to use. The beautiful renovations
were made with the input of
community members, and I’m pleased
to see those suggestions manifested in
the final project.”
The playground is named for
Brigadier General Joseph T. Hart of
Elmhurst who commanded the 165th
Infantry in the Battle of Okinawa in
the South Pacific during World War II.
After the war, he returned to a job in
the Queens borough president’s office
where he had worked two decades earlier.
Both Van Bramer and Richards
are currently running for borough
president in the primary election on
June 22.
General Hart Playground was
opened in the mid-50s by Robert Moses
as part of the Brooklyn-Queens
Expressway construction project. It
is the only public space for residents
of mid-size apartment houses in that
section of Woodside.
“With these new upgrades, General
Hart Playground is now better
equipped to meet Woodside’s recreational
needs,” NYC Parks Queens
Borough Commissioner Michael
Dockett 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.”
Woodside community leaders take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at General
Hart Playground after a $3.5 million reconstruction project.
Courtesy of NYC Parks/Daniel Avila
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