Thanks to more new funding from the city, a local councilman is making sure that Astoria’s Rainey Park will receive some much-needed improvements.
On Aug. 23, Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer announced that he secured $3.7 million in funding from the city’s FY 2020 budget to restore Rainey Park. With these new funds, a total of $7.5 million has been invested in the Rainey Park renovations, including $800,000 from the Queens borough president.
Joined by Van Bramer were Queens Borough Parks Commissioner Michael Dockett, Ravenswood Resident Association President Carol Wilkins, the Ravenswood Senior Center, Jacob A. Riis Neighborhood Settlement, the Dutch Kills Civic Association and students from the Growing Up Green Charter School.
“I am proud to have secured $3.7 million in this year’s budget to renovate Rainey Park, adding to the $3 million I have already allocated to the project. This will be the first upgrade to Rainey Park in over a decade,” said Van Bramer. “Rainey Park is beloved by our Ravenswood community and local schools, and it provides much-needed green space to the surrounding Astoria and Long Island City areas. It is critical that we continually invest in our parks and provide all children and families with the beautiful, modernized public open spaces that they deserve.”
The renovation plans include making improvements to the park’s play areas, athletic fields, sidewalks and green spaces. Van Bramer stated that he plans to work with NYC Parks to ensure that community input is incorporated into the designs for the new renovations.
“From Hunters Point to Astoria, the waterfront parks of western Queens offer stunning views and a variety of sports and recreational opportunities,” said NYC Parks Queens Borough Commissioner Michael Dockett. “We’re thrilled to announce the newest investment in our waterfront at Rainey Park in Ravenswood, Queens, thanks to generous allocations from Council member Van Bramer and previous funding from Borough President Katz. We look forward to getting to work designing these new amenities.”
