Monday marked the groundbreaking for a newly renovated playground for the students at P.S. 58 in Maspeth, but the organizations involve said the space exceeds expectations as a green project.
Councilman Robert Holden, the Trust for Public Land and the city Department of Education put their heads together to fund and design a playground that would serve students well for years to come.
“The Trust for Public Land worked with the students and staff at P.S. 58 to design, and with local elected officials to fund, this much-needed, state-of-the-art playground to Maspeth,” said Carter Strickland, The Trust for Public Land’s state director. “The creation of this state-of-the-art green space will not only serve the needs of the school, but will create a beautiful new park for the entire community to enjoy.”
According to the DOE, the students helped with design aspects of the playground such as a running track, turf field, basketball practice hoops, game tables, trees, ADA-accessible play equipment and safety mats.
The DOE said the space could accommodate the 13,000 residents of the surrounding communities within a 10-minute walk.
“I’m thrilled that the School of Heroes is receiving this much needed upgrade to their playground with so many unique features that the local community will enjoy,” Holden said. “I’m proud to have contributed to making this project a reality, along with Borough President Melinda Katz, as it will further honor the brave first responders of our great city.”
With a scheduled completion date of Sept. 11, 2019, the playground was designed through a program that includes students in the process in order introduce them to the science, engineering and architectural aspects included in the process of creating the green space.
