N E W S A U G U S T 7 L E H A V R E Park it here! WWW.QNS.COM | AUGUST 2016 | LEHAVRE COURIER 7 BY JILL DAVIS It’s summer, which means outdoor activities. Queens has thousands of acres of parkland, and so I got curious about some of the parks and recreation areas in and around our neighborhood. Read on for a little history lesson about two nearby places and to find out what these great spaces have to offer. Little Bay Park Cross Island Pkwy. between Utopia Pkwy. and Totten Ave. This park is just a couple of hops, a few skips and one long jump from Le Havre. It wasn’t always called Little Bay Park, and it’s a lot bigger than I thought. The Parks Department acquired the property now known as Little Bay Park in September, 1950. The agency had planned to develop the area but the construction of the Throgs Neck Bridge, which began in 1955, and the New York City fiscal crisis of the 1970s, ultimately killed that proposal. Previously known as Clearview Park, the park was renamed in 1973 (I like the current name better, not that it matters). The southern viaduct of the Throgs Neck Bridge intersects Little Bay Park, so its use as a beach is very limited; however, the terrific views of the bridge, Little Neck Bay and the East River more than compensate. That may be why the park has received a good share of funding for improvements and maintenance over the past 20 years or so. In July 1998, the park received over $650,000 in renovation funding sponsored by Council Member Michael J. Abel, which included the refurbishment of the athletic fields. In August 1999, Council Member Abel sponsored an additional $1.2 million renovation that provided a roller hockey rink and a shoreline bicycle path (designated as part of the New York City Greenway). The park also includes two football/soccer fields, a baseball field, and sitting areas along the shore on its 55 acres. The park is especially popular for its dog run, which was permanently installed in 2010. The run is divided for small and large dogs and is connected to Utopia Parkway and the waterfront path by an asphalt walkway. In May 2015, the Parks Department opened an expanded parking lot with green infrastructure elements to aid in storm water management, and in February 2016 a brand new heated comfort station opened for public use. Most recently, work began in April of this year to refurbish the park’s soccer field, a $1.6 million project. It is expected to be completed by April of next year. Little Bay Park Groundbreaking for Little Bay soccer fi eld renovation, April 2016 Willets Point Playground 166 St. between 16 Ave. and 16 Rd. The playground is just about a mile down the road from here. It has a very long history and lots of things to do. The playground is named for Willets Point, the peninsula located to the northeast of the park, which was acquired by Charles Willets in 1829. The Willets (aka Willett) go as far back as the mid-17th century in Queens and Nassau records; in fact Charles’ ancestor, Captain Thomas Willett, had been the first English mayor of the recently renamed “New York” back in 1644. The federal government purchased the property in 1857, and the only structures on the land at the time were a tavern farmhouse, a two-family summer house and a stable standing close to a salt marsh. With the coming of the Civil War in 1861, Willets Point was used as a staging area for Union troops before they moved to the front lines. As the war intensified, interest grew in building a permanent fort at Willets Point, and work began in 1862. The fort was planned to be a massive masonry structure but was considerably scaled back when the war ended in 1865. When work on the more modest building was completed in 1869, the site was chosen to be a major storage depot for the Army Corps of Engineers. Fast forward to 1958 when the Willets Point Playground opened for public recreation. It is now jointly operated by the Parks Department and the NYC Board of Education. Council Member Michael Abel sponsored a $1 million renovation of the playground which was completed in July 2001. Colorful modular play equipment highlighted the reconstruction along with the installation of a decorative spray shower with an automatic timer, tot swings and benches. In addition, the basketball courts, handball wall, and large asphalt play area were refurbished. The playground, surrounded by chain link and wrought iron fencing, now features two life size metal giraffes which stand at the gate between the play equipment and the basketball court, welcoming people into the play area. Information for this article was collected from the New York City Department of Parks’ website: www. nycgovparks.org. Willets Point Playground
LH082016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above