By Madina Toure
MacNeil Park in College Point will be undergoing a renovation, thanks to $575,000 in state funding.
The funding, secured by state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) for this fiscal year, will go toward paving a perimeter sidewalk along the park, located on Poppenhusen Avenue between 115th Street and College Place, as well as planting additional foliage and creating a formal entrance. The funds will be directed to the city Parks Department to do the work.
“Residents of College Point favor MacNeil for its view while they walk or run along the waterfront,” Avella said in a statement. “I have always been committed to preserving and investing in our valued New York City parklands. It is time to finally provide College Point locals with renovations for this popular public space.”
The park, which has 29 acres of waterfront parkland, includes a baseball diamond, a basketball court, a playground and pavilions for outdoor activities and picnics.
It is named after Hermon A. MacNeil, one of best known American sculptors, and was the third location to create a memorial grove for the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Kathryn Cervino, chairwoman of the College Point Civic & Taxpayers Association’s parks committee and vice president of the Coastal Preservation Network, said she is looking forward to the improvements.
“Combined with the waterfront pathway reconstruction that’s set to begin soon, the new path along Poppenhusen Avenue will give parkgoers the ability to safely walk around the perimeter of the park,” Cervino said in a statement.
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
