The final phase to reconstruct a Little Neck playground will soon be underway, three years after the project began.
On Wednesday, July 15, Councilman Barry Grodenchik, Queens Parks Commissioner Michael Dockett and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards will celebrate the groundbreaking at Challenge Playground. The $3,075,000 redesign includes new play equipment, fencing and a modernized spray shower to replace an old cement wading pool.
The playground is located at 251st Street and 61st Avenue, adjacent to P.S. Q811 on Marathon Parkway. During a visit to the school in January 2019, Grodenchik announced that he and former Borough President Melinda Katz were “building a new playground” in the area.
In recent years, the councilman has helped to fund the reconstruction of several playgrounds in the 23rd Council District, which includes Bayside Hills, Bellerose, Douglaston, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Hollis Hills, Holliswood, Little Neck, New Hyde Park, Oakland Gardens and Queens Village.
Between 2018 and 2021, Grodenchik secured City Council funds for a student-designed playground at P.S. 221 in Little Neck and the recently completed Redwood Playground in Fresh Meadows.
The groundbreaking will take place on Wednesday, July 15, at 11 a.m. According to the NYC Parks website, construction is set to finish in May 2022.
Visit nycgovparks.org/planning-and-building/capital-project-tracker/project/8782 to track the project’s progress.
Editor’s note: The date of the groundbreaking ceremony was changed from July 7 to July 15.
