Over the years, many New Yorkers have gotten used to having streets repaved, only to see them dug up almost immediately thereafter.
So it may come as a relief to northeast Queens residents that, after years of waiting for the baseball field at the Cross Island Parkway/Northern Boulevard to be replaced, it wasn’t ruined by workers planting dozens of trees in the outfield.
That’s because, although dozens of trees were in fact planted in the area, Bell Field, as it was originally known, is a “tot” ball field according to a Parks Department source, so the trees are “beyond the fence.”
Several huge oak trees were cut down when the field was cleared as a staging area for a major drainage project and the replanting includes oaks and “native” tree species as part of the million trees program, according to knowledgeable sources.
“It was never even supposed to be a Little League field, and if big kids are playing there, it’s without a permit,” the source said. “Little League fields have a recommended outfield of 180 feet. The littlest kids can’t hit anywhere near that, so the plantings are outside the field.”
If proof is needed that this is a field for the littlest players to have the amenities, the size of the benches give a clue – they’re tiny and low to the ground.
– Victor G. Mimoni
