Game on!
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. played basketball on the courts in Rochdale Park as a young man. But he stood on the courts recently instead for an official ceremony, after helping fund a renovation that will improve the courts for others for years to come.
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation recently cut the ribbon on three newly rebuilt basketball courts, along with night lighting and new bleachers in Jamaica’s Rochdale Park.
New York City Parks Queens Borough Commissioner Jacqueline Langsam, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr., and Queens residents were on hand to cut the ribbon.
The $3.5 million project included replacing existing asphalt with new asphalt and color seal coat, building one intermediate-size basketball court in the center and two junior basketball courts to the east and west.
Intermediate courts are 75 feet by 50 feet, while junior courts are a little smaller at 60 feet by 45 feet and 6 inches.
They also added new LED sports lighting at the east and west perimeter of the courts for evening play, and relocated two security light poles to align with existing light poles.
And they added four ADA accessible bleachers and benches, all under the shade of trees, for players and spectators.
They also improved landscaping, adding three large planting beds around the courts, providing natural shade and areas to sit and relax.
Other new amenities include a drinking fountain with bottle filler, trash receptacles and bike racks, which the Department said are designed “to encourage alternative transportation to the park.”
New York City Parks Borough Commissioner Jacqueline Langsam called the upgraded courts an “asset for players and families in Rochdale Village and throughout the South Jamaica community.”
She added that “modern recreational facilities like these foster community connections and encourage active lifestyles for residents of all ages.”
And Speaker Adrienne Adams, who helped provide $3 million for the project, said neighborhood parks are “vital to our physical and mental health, providing residents with spaces to play, exercise and thrive.”
“These improvements are a reflection of our commitment to strengthening Southeast Queens,” Adams said.
The $3.35 million project was funded through $3 million from City Council and $350,000 allocated by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. The unveiling brought Richards to a place he already knew as a child.
Richards said it was a pleasure to see “basketball courts I played on every single day as a kid” be so “beautifully transformed,” providing a real benefit to “the families of Rochdale Village.”
Rochdale Park, at 133-39 Guy R. Brewer Blvd. between 130th Avenue and 137th Avenue in southeast Queens, is located in the Rochdale Village neighborhood.
Rochdale Village includes 120 landscaped acres with tall shade trees, lawns, flowerbeds, sitting areas, basketball and tennis courts, playgrounds, a community garden, baseball field and other amenities such as satellite daycare centers.
It also has its own branch of the Queens Public Library and the Rochdale Village Community Center.
And it includes two shopping malls, a community center and senior center, as well as reserved parking.
Rochdale Village, named after the English town of Rochdale, England, opened in 1963 on the side of the former Jamaica Racetrack.
It was built by the United Housing Foundation, based on the Le Corbusier concept of architectural design as a “city within a city” mixing green spaces with housing after the Jamaica Racetrack shut down in 1959.
When Rochdale Village opened in 1963, it was reportedly the largest private housing cooperative in the world.
