4 JUNE 24, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Local group rallies at Mafera Park, calling on
elected offi cials to secure funds for renovations
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
A group of about 15 community
members gathered Wednesday,
June 16, to ask their
local officials to allocate funds
for renovations to Mafera Park in
Ridgewood.
Friends of Mafera Park, consisting
of a group of area residents, first
formed in 2016 to call attention to the
changes needed to their local park.
During the June 16 rally, residents
walked the grounds of Mafera Park
— located at 65th Place and Shaler
Avenue — showing Councilman Robert
Holden and Community Board 5
District Manager Gary Giordano the
neglected areas.
Holden, who is seeking re-election
in the June 22 primary, said he plans
on helping the residents.
“I love ideas on creating and reconstructing
parks. This is the process I
use as a parks advocate and this is a
good way to get information to bring
to my council office,” Holden said.
According to the Friends of Mafera
Park group, one project the
community would like money for is
a dog park.
A section of the park used to be a
garden run by the Parks Department,
but had since been neglected. The
community took over and turned it
into an unofficial dog park.
However, three-inch metal barriers
run through the grounds of the
space, making it unsafe for dogs to
run around.
Investing money in a dog park
would cost close to $1 million, according
to Holden.
The group is also asking for
updated playground equipment,
along with necessary repairs, and is
hoping to add a running track, gym
equipment and trees.
Linda Byszynski, the leader of
Friends of Mafera Park, said she has
been bringing her kids to the park
for years. Unlike other parents, she
said she refuses to go to nicer parks
in the area, such as Juniper Park in
Middle Village.
“I’m a homeowner, I pay taxes
here,” Byszynski said. “The upkeep
is not the same as Juniper Park and
it’s really not fair.”
The City Council allocated more
than $4.6 million to Juniper Park to
reconstruct the track and field and
add a fitness area.
Juan Ardila, a District 30 candidate
running against Holden, said
that since there isn’t much green
space in the area, it’s important to
maintain the parks.
“There’s a park here that’s not
getting the support that it needs,”
Ardila said. “Juniper is not the only
park in the district. We need to make
sure all of our parks are getting the
renovations they need.”
After the June 16 meeting, Byszynski
said Giordano agreed to form a
community stakeholder meeting
with Community Board 5 and the
Parks Department to assess the
needs of the park.
From there, costs and priorities
will be considered before moving
forward with the City Council
office.
Friends of Mafera Park asked Councilman Robert Holden to replace
playground equipment. Photo by Julia Moro
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