Pols net $11.1 million for Marine Park
BY JESSICA PARKS
Marine Park is finally
getting a facelift.
State and city leaders are
teaming up to pour $11.1
million into renovations for
Marine Park — years after
the community was promised
funds that never materialized.
Play equipment at the
park is in need of a fresh
coat of paint. Photo by Jessica
Parks
“Every single inch of this
playground will be redone,
starting from scratch starting
right now,” said State
Sen. Andrew Gounardes.
The freshman state legislator
promised $5.6 million
for the restoration of the
park’s playground, while
Councilman Alan Maisel secured
another $4.5 million
from the City Council to restore
the park’s inner oval,
and Borough President Eric
Adams pledged another $1
million from the city’s fiscal
year 2021 capital plan.
The inf lux of new funding
comes after Gounardes’ predecessor,
former State Sen.
Marty Golden, promised $4
million in funding for repairs
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COURIER L 6 IFE, NOV. 22-28, 2019
in 2018, shortly before
losing reelection — but the
funding never showed up.
That move sparked accusations
from Senate Democrats
that Golden — a Republican
— had announced the
money without fi rst securing
the funding as an 11th-hour
stunt to win reelection.
“Marty Golden lied to
Brooklyn families and
took credit for money he
did nothing to secure and
knew wasn’t coming,” Senate
Democratic spokesman
Gary Ginsburg told this paper
in September.
A spokeswoman for Senate
Republicans fi red back,
saying that the Parks Department
had failed to fi ll out
forms authorizing the funds
— and chalked up the ordeal
to bureaucratic oversight.
Now, Gounardes’ office
has promised that all the paperwork
is filled out — and
the money will be delivered
in an expedited manner.
“We have been able to cut
through all that red tape in
partnership with the mayor’s
office to make sure we
can start the scoping work
now,” said Gounardes. “Not
two years from now.”
State funds are typically
held for two years before
the Parks Department can
access them, but the newly
earmarked money will be
allocated immediately — allowing
construction to be
completed by 2023, according
to Brooklyn Parks Commissioner
Marty Maher.
The spongy material of
the playground floor is deteriorating
and losing its color.
Photo by Jessica Parks
And while the $11.1 million
will be enough to facilitate
most of the Marine Park
renovation, the legislator’s
expect to secure even more
money once the city budget
is finalized.
“By next June, I am confident
we will have most of the
money that we need to bring
this park to the best shape
it’s been in many, many,
many years,” said Maisel.
The community is invited
to the project’s first scoping
meeting — which kicks off
the design phase — planned
for Jan. 22 at the Carmine
Carro Community Center.
Politicians teamed up to secure $11 million to revitalize Marine Park. Photo by Jessica Parks
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