Councilmember Shanel Thomas-Henry and the Borough President announced a total of $22.5 million in funding for the renovation of the Playground for All Children on the Corona side of the park, with $17.5 million coming from the BP’s office. 

Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr. rolled out two initiatives to strengthen the park we all love. Flushing Meadows Corona Park is the crown jewel of Queens. From the pickup soccer games and family picnics to the world-class concerts and historic US Open finals, this is a space that Queens heavily relies on in countless ways.

But for generations, families have been told their park doesn’t deserve the kind of maintenance it sorely needs, with the vitally important Playground for All Children epitomiz­ing that disinvestment.

First, Councilmember Shanel Thomas-Henry and the Borough President announced a total of $22.5 million in funding for the renovation of the Playground for All Children on the Corona side of the park, with $17.5 million coming from the BP’s office. This playground was the first in American history to be built for both able-bodied AND disabled chil­dren, but it hasn’t been meaningfully upgraded since it first opened in 1984. With this funding, that narrative will be changing in the months and years to come.

Second, Richards unveiled his Flushing Meadows Corona Park Task Force — a group of more than two dozen city agencies, community organizations, cultural institutions and private entities that either operate within or are directly connected to Flushing Meadows. Together, they will go on the offensive when it comes to advocating and securing invest­ment for the park, deliver city dollars and ensuring that all private partners in the park are stepping up to support it with their wallets.