8 MARCH 16, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM Forest Hills playground is rebuilt like a ‘treehouse’ BY ROBERT POZARYCKI [email protected] @ROBBPOZ Even if they don’t have one in their backyard, every Forest Hills child now has a “treehouse” where they can play. City offi cials gathered at the green space on Union Turnpike inside of Forest Park on March 7 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the playground’s $1.45 million renovation. The park was remodeled with a treehouse theme and includes safer playground equipment and improved access for disabled persons. “With a new entrance way and a layout that allows wheelchairs to navigate safely between play elements, Joe Devoy Playground has been transformed into a completely accessible space,” said Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski. “Spring is right around the corner, and now kids of all abilities can exercise their imaginations at this new treehouse-themed playground and enjoy the great outdoors in one of Queens’ fl agship parks.” Lewandowski along with Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley participated in the event. Construction at Devoy Playground began last June, and according to the Parks Department, the project was completed months ahead of schedule. City offi cials help cut the ribbon on the new and improved Joseph DeVoy Playground in Forest Hills on March 7. The new and improved Devoy Playground was redesigned to fi t in with the surrounding landscape of Forest Park, much of which is heavily wooded and covered with hilly terrain. The entirety of Forest Park sits on the Harbor Hill Moraine, a series of steep hills formed by the Wisconsin glacier some 20,000 years ago. As with the ideal treehouse, the playground has a tire swing and is colored in earth tones. It also features amenities typically found in a city playground: steel drum play features, a drinking fountain, panel games, new seating and swings. At the request of local residents, the Parks Department retained animal sculptures and wood climbing logs that had been there for years. $2 million rebuild of Middle Village park spray shower BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GIUDICEREPORT Things will soon be getting wetter and better at Juniper Valley Park in Middle Village. The city’s Parks Department unveiled plans during Community Board 5’s (CB 5) monthly meeting on March 8 to reconstruct the spray shower at the Juniper North Playground, located off the intersection of Juniper Boulevard South and 78th Street. The spray showers that will be receiving the facelift are adjacent to the bocce courts and comfort stations. This $2 million project will overhaul the entire spray shower section with new fl ooring, water play devices, additional seating and a newly reconstructed drainage system. “Our plan is to upgrade the water play, make it more interactive in that area,” said Theresa Dewey, project manager from the Parks Department. “We are going to keep the existing footprint, we just want to update it and make it more interactive and a little more fun for families and children.” One major change coming to the spray shower area is the removal of the rubber mats, which have begun to deteriorate due to excessive water use. The Parks Department will replace the broken rubber mats with colored concrete to match existing structures around the park. The reconstructed area will be split into two sections: a youth and active zone — which will incorporate more upright spray elements such as water cannons, buckets to dump, and some ground spray elements — and a child and family zone, with mostly ground sprays and shorter sprays for younger children. “At the scope meeting, it was also brought up that you would like this part of the area to be open and fl at for other activities that might go on in this space, such as tai chi or other performance type things that might go on here at some point,” Dewey said of the child/family zone. “So this side of the spray shower will be mostly left open without a whole lot of upright obstructions.” As part of the project the current perimeter fence will become a lower, 2.5-foot steel fence in order to increase visibility into the area. The entrances to the spray area will also be reconfi gured, bringing them to grade to eliminate the need for ramps, while keeping the space ADA accessible. The Parks Department noted that the spray shower area will be open for use this summer. The design phase for this project is expected to be complete by the end of 2017. Construction is planned to start in the late summer of 2018, and is expected to last for one year. Rendering courtesy of NYC Parks Department Photos courtesy of NYC Parks Department Kids play on the new tire swing at Joseph DeVoy Playground in Forest Hills. Renovations start at Elmhurst playground BY ROBERT POZARYCKI [email protected] @ROBBPOZ The makeover at Crowley Playground in Elmhurst is offi cially underway. According to the city’s Parks Department, crews began renovating the green space sandwiched between 57th Avenue and the Long Island Expressway on Monday, March 6. The improvements include reconstructing the park’s drainage system and repairing all fences within and around the park. Crews will also install new lighting, tables, benches and ground hydrants, as well as a new water fountain. Playground equipment will also be replaced with modern play structures for both preschoolers and elementary school students. A new decorative spray shower with colored concrete and ground sprays will also be installed. The $915,000 project, funded by the Mayor’s Offi ce and Councilman Daniel Dromm, is scheduled for completion this fall, according to a Parks Department spokesperson.
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