Flushing kids have a new state-of-the-art play space to enjoy for years to come.
Students and administrators from P.S. 120, who also provided input toward the site’s design, gathered for a celebratory ribbon cutting on Sept. 28. The new public space at 136th Street and 58th Avenue features a new turf field, running track, outdoor classroom, play equipment, basketball practice hoop, gazebo and water fountain.
The playground was also built with innovative technologies to improve the health of the neighborhood and its waterways. Executed by the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the city agency crushed 3,500 old 5-gallon toilets — which have been replaced by low-flow toilets in certain public schools — and installed the porcelain under the turf field to act as a sturdy porous sponge, reducing the burden on the area’s sewer system.
Trees, plantings and permeable pavement were also installed to absorb rainwater during inclement weather.
“We look forward to daily recess, comprehensive sports and PE activities, as well as sharing this beautiful space with our community,” school principal Robert Marino said. “It is also amazing to know that we are helping to reclaim millions of gallons of water to the earth though the turf field, rather than have it spilled off into the sewer.”
The playground was funded by Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and Councilman Peter Koo and created in conjunction with the Trust for Public Land’s New York City Playground Program, the Department of Education, DEP, the School Construction Authority and the New York Road Runners.
“This new playground will make sure our kids are given the best space possible to stay active, healthy, and that they are challenged both inside and outside the classroom,” Koo said. “What makes this playground especially unique is that its design came from the hearts and minds of P.S. 120Q’s own students and faculty. I’m very proud to have contributed $235,000 in funding to this project so that our kids can have the best infrastructure possible to help them achieve a world class education.”
According to the Trust for Public Land, the 120Q playground serves 12,160 community members; 2,467 are under the age of 19.
