Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the groundbreaking for a new $1.4 million community playground at PS 115 as part of the Vital Brooklyn Initiative.
The Vital Brooklyn Initiative is the governor’s community development program for underserved neighborhoods in Central Brooklyn.
“This safe and modern new community playground will be a new resource for children and families to enjoy the countless benefits of outdoor recreation, while supporting the health and wellbeing of more than 16,500 people,” Gov. Cuomo said in a statement.
The groundbreaking took place for the new $1.48 million playground at PS 115, 1500 East 92nd St., Brooklyn, which serves a community of more than 16,500 people. It includes an artificial turf field, running track, basketball practice hoops, play equipment, game tables and benches, trees, impervious pavers, a stage, a gazebo with a living “green roof,” an outdoor classroom, colorful art and a drinking fountain.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation funded the project under the Vital Brooklyn initiative. The New York City Council, through Member Alan Maisel, also earmarked $250,000 for the project.
Students, staff, parents and community members designed the new playground through The Trust for Public Land’s NYC Playgrounds Program. Five such playgrounds, serving more than 135,000 Brooklyn residents, have already opened under the Brooklyn initiative since September 2018, and all the remaining projects should all be open by next summer.
The Vital Brooklyn Initiative is transforming eight asphalt schoolyards into playgrounds designed by local students, with new equipment, multi-purpose fields, grass, trees and in some cases, green infrastructure. With a total budget of $1.4 billion, the initiative seeks to transform Central Brooklyn by identifying and investing in eight integrated areas.
