The Kids (Will Be) Alright - Gowanus Playground Plans Approved!

While some business owners and beer barons may be disappointed with the feedback to their proposals at the Community Board 6 meeting last night, parents and children residing near the Gowanus Houses on Wyckoff Street between Hoyt and Bond streets now have something to cheer about.

At the board meeting held at the NYCHA Miccio Community Center in Red Hook, Glenn Kelly of the CB6 Parks and Recreation Committee pushed forward a motion to fund a complete a re-design of the Nicholas Naquan Heyward Jr. Playground.

When put to a vote by Chairperson Daniel Kummer the plans were approved unanimously.

“This has been on the board’s priority list for a long time and we presented it last meeting,” said Kelly. “All of the money is there. We have received funding from various sources to renovate two-thirds of the park and we can start moving within the next six months.”

Improvements will include a new steel gate, bicycle racks, a children’s safe-play area featuring a jungle gym with shock absorbent ground surfaces, a water-play area and an unobstructed passage from one side of the park to the other. The one third that would await future funding, Kelly explained, is designated for the proposed basketball courts and handball courts.

Board members responded with excited questions.

“What will the surface of the safe-play area be made from—recycled tires?” asked one member.

“How much money will this cost?” asked a curious woman.

“When can we expect the basketball courts to have enough funding?” queried another.

While he could not speak to all of the construction source materials, Kelly assured board members that the courts are not far behind the rest of the plans and estimated that they had secured roughly $550,000 to furnish the changes.

“This is something the area has wanted and needed for a long time,” he said.  

The board agreed with him.

The board also approved plans for the . Local design firm dlandstudios will construct the park along the Second Street bank. Using sections of specialized plant life to filter rain and storm water, as well as any water overflow from the banks, the Sponge Park will filter out harmful pollution before allowing remediated water to flow into the canal.