One Brooklyn
BROOKLYN, NY, September 27, 2017: Today, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams joined community leaders and local youth in unveiling more than $7 million of investment from his Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) capital budget in parks and recreational space across Brooklyn; this block of funding brings his administration’s total allocation for parks and recreational spaces since 2014 to nearly $30 million, and is on top of a previously committed $1 million to support the City’s acquisition of the 11-acre CitiStorage site in Williamsburg needed to complete the long-promised Bushwick Inlet Park. The announcement took place at Harold Ickes Playground in Red Hook, an underutilized concrete space in a historically industrial neighborhood, where he highlighted the work of teens from the Red Hook Initiative, a local community-based organization, who are leading a neighborhood-driven transformation of the playground. He allocated $1 million to the project to create a BMX bike and skate park along with a multipurpose play area. Borough President Adams emphasized the importance of expanding green and recreational spaces to all corners of the borough so that every Brooklynite regardless of background or neighborhood has a chance to enjoy the great outdoors.
“We want to build a borough that is ripe for raising healthy children and families, and we can do that if we expand the places where folks can sit in the park, enjoy sitting on the grass while reading a book under a tree in peace and quiet under the sunshine, or playing with friends on the swings or jungle gym,” said Borough President Adams. “Green and recreational spaces are places of healing and solitude. It heals the mind, body, and soul. That’s what we’re doing here and that’s what this funding is meant to do.”
“Borough President Adams shares our belief that strong parks make strong communities — and his generous investments in parks like Bushwick Inlet, Harold Ickes Playground, Froggy Park, and other key Brooklyn green spaces are proof positive of his enduring commitment to improving parks throughout the borough,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP.
“Harold Ickes Playground will get a skate park because of Red Hook youth leadership,” said Council Member Carlos Menchaca. “The Red Hook Initiative youth committee identified the need and named a solution. They took leadership roles in the participatory budgeting (PB) process that I conduct every year. Because of their advocacy and hard work, I secured $1.5 million in City Council funding, and Borough President Adams allocated an additional $1 million of funds to make their vision a reality.”
“The Red Hook Initiative youth committee identified the need for a skate park through the participatory budgeting process and collected hundreds of signatures in support of the project,” said John Texidor, youth committee facilitator of the Red Hook Initiative. “We thank Borough President Adams and Council Member Menchaca for recognizing the need for a youth space in Red Hook and making this dream of a skate park a reality.”
Additional investments Borough President Adams unveiled included $1.5 million to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation for the development of civic space at the Brooklyn Bridge Plaza in DUMBO; $1 million to the Prospect Park Alliance for the restoration of the Parkside Avenue perimeter in Prospect Park South; $1 million to Tilden Playground for the construction of the Shirley Chisholm Community Center in East Flatbush, an initiative that he led in partnership with Council Member Jumaane D. Williams; $1 million to Bildersee Playground for the construction of a new playground in Flatlands; $1 million to the Fort Greene Parks Conservancy for the revitalization of the Myrtle Avenue perimeter in Fort Greene; $500,000 to Wingate Park for track and field upgrades in East Flatbush; $250,000 to the New York Restoration Project for Bridge Plaza Community Garden improvements in Downtown Brooklyn; and $250,000 to Paerdegat Park for field renovations in East Flatbush.
“We are grateful to Borough President Adams for his generous capital support for the Brooklyn Bridge Plaza project in this year’s budget,” said Eric Landau, president of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation. “This allocation helps bring us closer to our fundraising goal and to ultimately bringing Brooklyn Bridge Park to 100 percent completion.”
“The Fort Greene Park Conservancy thanks Borough President Adams for his continued, historic support of Fort Greene Park,” said Julian Macrone, program and development manager of the Fort Greene Park Conservancy (FGPC). “This year’s $1 million allocation will allow NYC Parks to undertake critical infrastructure and accessibility improvements that will benefit thousands of neighbors and visitors along Fort Greene Park’s northern edge. We applaud Borough President Adams for this important commitment to a long-neglected Myrtle Avenue streetscape. FGPC looks forward to continued partnership with Borough President Adams and his team championing equity and sustainability in our parks, and working towards a unified, stronger One Brooklyn.”
“We would like to thank all the volunteers for helping to keep Wingate Park clean and safe,” said Vivia Morgan, founder and president of Friends of Wingate Park. “I want to thank Borough President Adams for funding the improvement of Wingate Park, so that we can strengthen our efforts to serve the educational, social, and cultural needs of the community, as well as increase employment opportunities and ensure the empowerment of our youth.”
“The Bridge Plaza Community Garden is beloved by its surrounding community,” said Deborah Marton, executive director of the New York Restoration Project. “Thanks to Borough President Adams’ vision and generosity, we are finally able to deliver much needed renovations to the space. Soon the garden will feature more education programming, ADA-accessible pathways, dramatically enhanced horticulture, and more!”
“The Prospect Park Alliance has partnered with the City of New York to care for Prospect Park since 1987, and these 30 successful years were made possible in large part due to the support of our elected officials,” said Sue Donoghue, president of the Prospect Park Alliance. “Borough President Adams’ commitment to urban green spaces is exemplary and we are grateful for his advocacy. His continued funding in the coming year will allow us to restore Parkside Avenue, ensuring that all the park’s perimeters are beautiful and welcoming for all who visit.”
In addition, Borough President Adams harnessed the power of community mobilization through the City’s PB selection process by partnering with Council Member Brad Lander to secure $100,000 to Thomas J. Cuite Park or “Froggy Park” for water fountain service restoration in Windsor Terrace, and with Council Member Mathieu Eugene to secure $100,000 for tree planting along Rogers Avenue between Midwood and Winthrop streets in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. The initial organizing efforts for improving Harold Ickes Playground were also borne out of the PB process in conjunction with Council Member Menchaca. In 2016, Borough President Adams became the first local elected official or agency head outside of the City Council to commit to PB, and he has allocated $1 million in both FY17 and FY18 to support community-envisioned projects across Brooklyn.
“Today’s announcement is a testament to the power of grassroots community mobilization through the PB process,” said Borough President Adams. “These young people in Red Hook saw a need in their community, raised their voices, galvanized their local elected officials and community leaders, and made change happen for the betterment of their community.”
“Thanks to Borough President Adams’ support, Thomas J. Cuite Park or ‘Froggy Park’ will soon have a working water fountain for locals and the hundreds of preschoolers that use the playground every day at PS K-280,” said Council Member Lander.
Borough President Adams presented the funding recipients with oversized honorary checks with the seal of Brooklyn Borough Hall, as well as an oversized check made out to “One Brooklyn” for parks.
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