Treyger secures $14M to renovate small Southern Brooklyn parks

Councilman in 47th District wins support for his neglected neighborhoods

April 30, 2021 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Councilmember Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island-Gravesend-Bath Beach-Bensonhurst). Photo courtesy of Treyger

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On Wednesday, Councilmember Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island-Sea Gate-Bensonhurst-Gravesend) visited West Playground and Scarangella Playground in Gravesend with Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Marty Maher to announce $14 million in capital funding to revitalize several small parks in Southern Brooklyn.

When the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation originally introduced its Community Parks Initiative to enhance a number of parks across the five boroughs, southern Brooklyn was initially left out.

Treyger strongly advocated to reverse decades of neglect for outer-borough green and recreational spaces and secured the aforementioned $14 million for upgrades to West Playground, McDonald Playground, Scarangella Playground and the Ocean Parkway Malls.

In total, Councilmember Treyger has dedicated more than $35 million for park upgrades in Council District 47. This amount also includes also includes improvements to the landmarked Riegelmann Boardwalk in Coney Island, Surf Playground, Lafayette Playground, Nautilus and Poseidon Playground.

McDonald Playground is located at McDonald Avenue and Avenue S in Brooklyn and received $1.5 million from Councilmember Treyger. The project is slated to include reconstructing and expanding the playground and spray shower; new playground equipment for ages 0-12; new benches, featuring a 1939 World’s Fair-type bench; shade trees, a concrete game table; reconstructing the basketball and handball courts; and a new perimeter sidewalk.

The new West Playground Comfort Station will look like this when it’s finished. Rendering courtesy of NYC Parks Department

A community scope meeting was held in August 2017 and construction is likely to begin in spring 2021, with an estimated completion date of spring 2022.

Scarangella Park and Playground is located at Stillwell Avenue and Avenue V in Brooklyn and received $6.25 million from Councilmember Treyger. The project renovation will greatly expand the playground, adding new sensory equipment, a spray shower, landscaping, swings and seating areas. The community scope meeting was held on June 11th, 2019, and the project is currently in the design stage. Construction is estimated to start in spring 2023 and complete in spring 2024.

Treyger, in partnership with the city administration, also secured $2.4 million for a new comfort station at Scarangella Park, with construction starting in spring 2021 and tentative completion by fall 2022.

Ocean Parkway Malls will include six blocks of southbound malls from Avenue R to Avenue X. The project received $2 million from Treyger, in partnership with Council Speaker Corey Johnson. The new renovations will include reconstructing the benches, new railings, new asphalt on the bike path, and new concrete paving on southbound malls from Avenue R to Avenue X. The design was completed in spring 2020, and construction is likely to begin in spring 2021 and be finished by spring 2022.

West Playground is located at Avenue Z between West First and West streets and received $1.8 million from Treyger for a new comfort station and utilities. Design began April 2015 and was completed in September 2018. Construction is scheduled to begin spring 2021 and estimated to be finished during fall 2022.

Surf Playground is undergoing construction as well, and is slated to reopen in fall 2021.

“I look forward to the official openings, and I will continue to allocate and advocate for resources for our neighborhood parks and recreational amenities,” said Treyger.