Queens Borough President Donovan Richards unveiled a new Flushing Meadows Corona Park Task Force to rectify “longtime injustice” and “chronic disinvestment” as elected officials and community members gathered in the sprawling Queens park Thursday morning to celebrate a $22.5 million investment in the park’s Playground For All Children.
The new task force features dozens of public and private partners, including Richards, Council Members Shanel Thomas-Henry and Shekar Krishnan, the USTA, Governor’s Ball and the Alliance for Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Several city agencies and local community boards also feature on the new task force, as do a number of cultural institutions located within the park, including the New York Hall of Science, Queens Museum and Queens Zoo.
Richards, who will co-chair the task force alongside Tiebreaker Productions Partner Mike Luba, formed the group in response to what he described as “chronic disinvestment” that has plagued the area for generations.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. Photo by Shane O’Brien
The task force comes almost exactly one year after a report published by the Center for an Urban Future describing Flushing Meadows Corona Park as the most “overlooked” park in New York City. The report outlined 20 ideas and solutions for “harnessing the full potential” of the 900-acre park.
It also called on all relevant public bodies to prioritize future spending in the park to address the constant threat of flooding, noting that even minor rainfall can leave the park unusable for days.
One of those solutions was to revamp the Playground For All Children, which opened in 1984 and was designed to cater to children with physical disabilities as well as those who have sensory and vision issues. However, the playground has not been upgraded over the last 42 years.
Richards announced $22.5 million in funding for those renovations on Thursday morning, with $17.5 million coming from his office and $5 million coming from Thomas-Henry.
“This is very personal to us,” Richards said. “I have loved ones and friends who are disabled, and I see them in the faces of the children who play here, and they deserve a high-quality playground tailored to their needs. And this is what we will deliver.”
NYC Parks Queens Borough Commissioner Jackie Langsam said the Parks Department and the task force will now conduct outreach to the local community to determine the neighborhood priorities for the renovated playground.
“We want it to be the best of the best,” Langsam said. “We want to retain the international or national standard that we had once upon a time. We want to be back there again.”
NYC Parks Queensborough Commissioner Jackie Langsam. Photo by Shane O’Brien
The funding for the playground renovations mark one of the first acts of the newly formed task force, with Richards outlining that Flushing Meadows Corona Park needs baseline funding of at least $100 million in order to address existing issues within the park.
Richards said the task force will look to first address “systemic issues” in the park, such as blocked catch basins, adding that it will be difficult to invest significantly in a park that continues to flood. He is also targeting “low-hanging fruit” like turning on the Unisphere lights and fountain and establishing an NYPD satellite office to improve safety in the park.
Richards and Thomas-Henry vowed to lobby a number of private partners who benefit from the park to provide funding for the Alliance, including the USTA, Metropolitan Park, New York City FC, Gotham FC and Governor’s Ball. Richards also said he would soon travel to Washington to lobby for funding for the park.
Anthony Sama, the Alliance’s executive director, said the formation of the task force is a symbol that the “city should get ready for Queens’s moment.”
“Flushing Meadows Corona Park is the crown jewel of the borough and perhaps it is soon to be the crown jewel of New York City,” Sama said. “So we should be really proud of all this park has accomplished, but so much prouder of all that’s ahead of us.”
Richards was joined by numerous elected officials and community partners at Thursday’s event, including Thomas-Henry, Krishnan, Sama, Assemblymembers Larinda Hooks and Catalina Cruz, and Council Member Ty Hankerson. Queens Community Board 4 Chair Marialena Giampino, Queens Night Market founder John Wang and Queens Botanical Garden Executive Director Evie Hantzopolous were also present at the event.
Assembly Member Larinda Hooks. Photo by Shane O’Brien
Thomas-Henry said Thursday that the investment in the refurbishment of the Playground For All is particularly important because it presents a “vision of what inclusion looks like.” The playground was unveiled six years before the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and helped set a “national standard,” Thomas-Henry said.
“Today, we’re making sure it continues to serve families for generations to come,” she said.
Council Member Shanel Thomas-Henry. Photo by Shane O’Brien