Plans For Norelli-Hargreaves Playground's $2.5M Revamp Unveiled

JAMAICA, QUEENS -- A run-down Jamaica playground could finally see a much-needed makeover more than two years after $2.5 million was designated for the project.

NYC Parks and Recreation officials unveiled long-awaited blueprints for a revamp of the neighborhood's Norelli-Hargreaves Playground at a Community Board 12 meeting on Wednesday. The overhaul would include a new entrance, new equipment, drainage improvements and more, said Lisa Sabella, of the capital planning division.

"The site right now is a wide open asphalt field," Sabella said. "It could use a little help."

The design plans come after Queens Borough President Melinda Katz allotted $2.5 million for upgrades to the playground in August 2015. The playground on 142nd Street was one of 37 public parks to receive $32 million for renovations and upgrades.

Under NYC Parks' plan, the money for Norelli-Hargreaves would pay for new pavement, better drainage, updated fencing and a new tree-lined entryway to the park on 142nd Street and 106 Ave, Sabella said.

"The stairway there will lead right into a walking path, and there's also going to be a handicap- accessible ramp there," she said.

The upgrades also include senior and adult fitness centers at the park's north and south corners, respectively, and new equipment for its basketball court, Sabella said.

Two new filtered water fountains would also be installed on the grounds, and trees would be planted to provide shade during the warmer months.

"We're trying to create a healthier environment for everybody," she said.

Board members didn't object to the design, but expressed concerns about sourcing work for the project locally. The Parks department bids out its projects competitively and representatives told the board they couldn't make any promises that the contractors they hired would be local.

"You’re saying somebody from out of the community can come and bid for you and hire people from Staten Island to come work, while you got people that’s unemployed in the same area," one board member complained.

Lead photo via Google Maps.