mcgolrick park neighborhood alliance thanks area elected/public officials for $1.3 million to...
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McGolrick Park Neighborhood Alliance
With Borough President Eric Adams, Council Member Stephen Levin, Assembly Member Joseph Lentol, Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey, Brooklyn Community Board #1
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Contact: Martha M. Holstein, MPNAOctober 17, 2014 917 693 9688 / [email protected] or Mike Schade, MPNA
718 873 3505 /[email protected]
McGolrick Park Neighborhood Alliance Thanks Area Elected/Public Officials for $1.3 Million to Rehabilitate McGolrick Park Playground in
Greenpoint and Then Plants 1,000 Daffodils
MPNA Holds October 18 Celebration & Planting in Monsignor McGolrick Park
(North Brooklyn, NY) McGolrick Park Neighborhood Alliance (MPNA), local residents and businesses who seek improvements at the historic 10 acre Msgr. McGolrick Park in Greenpoint, have reason to celebrate. MPNA will hold a 10:00 AM celebration on Saturday, October 18, 2014 to present certificates to local officials who have appropriated $1.3 million to build a new playground in the park. Area parents have been pleading for playground renovations in recent years. This incentivized MPNA to campaign for renovation and improvement over the past year. Following the October 18 ceremony, members of MPNA, area residents and officials will plant daffodil bulbs in the gardens as part of It’s My Park Day, which will bloom in the spring and for many springs thereafter.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Council Member Stephen Levin, Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey and Brooklyn Community Board #1 officials will be recognized. State Assembly Member Joseph Lentol, a founding member of MPNA, will moderate the ceremony.
“We thank and applaud our elected leaders and officials for dedicating $1.3 million to build a new playground at McGolrick Park,” said Ingrid Bromberg Kennedy, a concerned parent and a co-founder of the MPNA. “This playground has suffered from disrepair in recent years, and we are really thrilled that our elected officials dedicated funds for its rehabilitation. We hope it marks the start of revitalization of the park, which is a treasure to our community.”
Borough President Adams committed $500,000 to fix the playground as part of his office’s major capital budget support for Brooklyn parks. Mr. Adams said, “The McGolrick Park Neighborhood Alliance should be applauded for their ongoing commitment to advancing the quality of life in Greenpoint. I made the conscious decision this year to invest more in our parks, including McGolrick Park, because our parks are for every Brooklynite. It does not matter if you are young or old, if you are rich or poor – our parks bring together Brooklynites of every age, race and income level. I will continue to use my capital budget to ensure that improvements to our parks and our open space are made across the borough in an equitable fashion – from Cobble Hill to Canarsie and from Bay Ridge to Brownsville.“
Council Member Levin encouraged area residents to be part of the 33rd Council District’s Participatory Budgeting, and McGolrick Park secured $450,000 under the program for the playground. MPNA members canvassed the community and helped to generate hundreds of votes in favor of dedicating funding to the park through the Participatory Budgeting process. Thereafter, Councilman Levin added $350,000 more to the project. Mr. Levin said, “Where there is a need, it is important that we step up and meet that need. McGolrick Park has been in need of a rehabilitation for years and I am proud to contribute to this important project. Greenpoint residents deserve a park and a playground that is safe and fun for our children and with this funding, we will accomplish that. I want to thank the McGolrick Park Neighborhood Alliance for their advocacy and to the many residents of the 33rd District who voted for this project during Participatory Budgeting.“
Assembly Member Lentol, a founding member of the McGolrick Park Neighborhood Alliance, said, “The neighborhood of Greenpoint already suffers from a lack of green space, so we must
make sure that the space we do have is in tip-top shape. The playground has been in dire need of a renovation and I know the new equipment will bring a smile to many children’s faces. I applaud Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Council Member Steve Levin and Brooklyn Borough Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey for their relentless commitment to improving our parks, especially in North Brooklyn.”
Community Board #1 prioritized McGolrick Park in its Budget Statement which lists area public spaces most in need of attention. Community Board #1’s chair Dealice Fuller said, Community Board No. 1 is pleased to play a role in securing much needed funds to renovate this ‘Jewel of Greenpoint’ so that all of our residents and visitors can enjoy it for years to come.“
Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Jeffrey met with the community to explain the Parks Department’s design process, and pledged his department will oversee the playground reconstruction which might begin as early as 2016. Mr. Jeffrey said, “We are thrilled to join the McGolrick Park Neighborhood Alliance, local elected officials, and volunteers at It’s My Park Day to beautify McGolrick Park, and to celebrate its future. We are grateful for the support that McGolrick has received from local representatives, and we look forward to improving this vital community hub.“
Support for funding applications and volunteer events is provided by Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn (OSA), a nonprofit organization which raises money to improve local parks. “OSA is thrilled to see the results of the volunteer efforts of the McGolrick Park Neighborhood Alliance”, said Ed Janoff, Executive Director of OSA. “We would like to thank Council Member Stephen Levin and Borough President Eric Adams for their commitment to neighborhood park facilities like the McGolrick Park playground, where we look forward to new play equipment and landscaping for generations of little Greenpointers.”
Under grants from the Greenpoint Community Environmental Fund (GCEF), Audubon New York and New York City Audubon planted an Urban Oasis in the park in 2014 and developed an educational curriculum to care for native species and birds. This initiative won the participation of many residents to plant and care for the garden, including students from PS 110 – the Monitor School, and St. Stanislaus Kosta Catholic Academy. Audubon has been a community partner to MPNA in improving the park. New York City Audubon Executive Director Kathryn Heintz, said, “The creation of New York City Audubon’s Urban Oasis in McGolrick Park was one of those rare moments when everyone benefits: the park, the neighborhood, and the birds. Thanks to funding from the GCEF and partners from the NYC Parks and Recreation Department and the Lutheran Church of the Messiah, the McGolrick Park project has engaged more than 40 local volunteers who have transformed ¼ acre of grass and dirt into a community native plant garden that will feed native insects and, in turn, native birds”.
To address public safety, 94th Precinct Captain James Ryan had NYPD patrol the park and installed two security cameras. The 94th Precinct Explorers have generously participated in MPNA’s activities. Captain Stefan Komar is representing the 94th Precinct at the event.
Greenpoint residents formed MPNA early in 2014 because of concerns about safety, maintenance, and general conditions at the nearly 125 year old park. MPNA recently hosted a successful clean up on Saturday, September 20th that brought together residents, local businesses, students, and NYPD Explorers to weed, rake, remove litter and clean the park. The event honored Marie Sadowski who, during 50 years of her life, volunteered her time and efforts to improve the park.
Over 5,000 volunteers are expected to contribute their time to improve and to celebrate New York City’s parks citywide this season as part of “It’s My Park Day” produced by Partnerships for Parks, a joint program of the City Parks Foundation and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. This fall, volunteers will come together to complete over 150 projects across the city, working to clean, paint, weed and plant, as well as enjoy free fitness activities, arts & cultural events, and games.
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