More Than $4 Million for Prospect Park Projects in City Budget

Pictured: the Lefferts Historic House. Photo courtesy of Jim Henderson/Wikimedia Commons

PROSPECT PARK, BROOKLYN — The Lefferts Historic House isn't the only patch of Prospect Park that's getting a makeover.

That $2.5 million restoration project is one of many efforts that received city funding in this year's budget, the Prospect Park Alliance announced this week. Here are some of the other highlights:

• Mayor Bill de Blasio's office dedicated $2 million for the reconstruction of paths in the park's northeast corner, which will mean better drainage, new lighting, and renewed landscaping.
• $1,750,000 controlled by Borough President Eric Adams and Councilman Mathieu Eugene (whose district includes Kensington, Ditmas Park, and Prospect-Lefferts Gardens) will be used to install new fences, trees, and a wider pedestrian walkway along Ocean Avenue.
• $500,000 from the office of Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo (representing Fort Greene and Clinton Hill) will pay for restorative work on the Prospect Park Carousel, a job that hasn't been undertaken in nearly 30 years.
• $100,000 from the office of Councilman Stephen Levin (representing Dumbo, Brooklyn Heights, Greenpoint and Williamsburg) will layer the running lane on a portion of West Drive (the exact location is to be determined) with a softer surface that the Alliance says will drain more efficiently. Alliance spokeswoman Grace McCreight said that if runners like the surface, it could be expanded in the future.

In addition to the above projects, several park-related participatory budgeting proposals got the green light this year: an aquatic weed harvester known as the "Lake Mess Monster," five freeze-resistant drinking fountains along Prospect Park Drive, and new community BBQ sites at Lincoln Road and East Drive, and at Parkside Avenue and East Drive.