By Bill Parry
A playground in Astoria that used to be a nighttime hangout has undergone a million-dollar restoration with tighter security measures.
City Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) and Queens Borough President Melinda Katz joined community leaders and dozens of youngsters to cut the ribbon Nov. 2 at the newly renovated Sean’s Place playground on 38th Street between Broadway and 31st Avenue.
“Our playgrounds are vital to our neighborhoods. They serve as open spaces for our families to play and experience nature,” Constantinides said. “There’s no better place where this is exemplified than at Sean’s Place, which was turned into a playground following the community rallying for a park in their neighborhood. I’m proud to help reopen Sean’s Place Playground with new play equipment for children of all ages and abilities, plantings, basketball court, and benches. We look forward to seeing children enjoy the new upgrades for many years to come.”
The renovations included a new spray shower, colored concrete paving and new fences. The project will also install a new ADA-compliant ramp by the swings. Construction on the project began in September 2016.
The playground is named in honor of Sean McDonald, a rookie police officer from the neighborhood who was killed in the line of duty in 1994 at the age of 26. McDonald was born in Ireland and moved to Astoria as a child where he later graduated from the now-closed Most Precious Blood Catholic School.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
