May 28, 2019

New Green Infrastructure Will Capture One Million Gallons of Stormwater Each Year and Improve the Health of East River

$1.5 Million Green Playground Will Bring Nearly 7,000 Residents Within a 10-Minute Walk of a Park

Photos are Available on DEP’s Flickr Page

Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Vincent Sapienza joined Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, Council Member Barry Grodenchik, The Trust for Public Land New York State Director Carter Strickland, students and teachers today to break ground on a new, student-designed green playground at P.S. 221 in Little Neck, Queens. The playground will transform a former asphalt lot into a new community green space with trees, a turf field, running track, play equipment, and game tables. Green infrastructure elements will capture one million gallons of stormwater each year, helping to improve the health of the nearby Little Neck Bay and East River. Once completed in fall 2019, the $1.5 million playground will bring nearly 7,000 Little Neck residents within a 10-minute walk of a park.

“This groundbreaking is an exciting step in the transformation of an old asphalt schoolyard into an environmentally-friendly, vibrant community space,” said DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza. “The green infrastructure elements the students have incorporated into their design will not only beautify the neighborhood, but will also reduce stormwater runoff which will keep stormwater out of our sewer system and help to improve the health of the nearby East River.”

Green infrastructure design elements, made possible in part through a partnership with DEP, are a hallmark of The Trust for Public Land’s playground work. These features reduce stormwater runoff that can flood streets and overwhelm sewer systems, allowing untreated water to end up in rivers and bays. Each playground absorbs hundreds of thousands of gallons of water annually and includes new trees that bring shade and better air quality to their neighborhoods. Similar playgrounds are also being designed in the Bronx River and Flushing Bay watersheds.

“We are breaking ground on student-designed and environmentally-friendly playground that will be a state-of-the-art recreational resource for the entire Little Neck community,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz. “This playground represents a significant investment in the future of Little Neck and will be used by local schoolchildren and by other neighborhood residents for decades to come.”

“Easy access to green space is critical for all New Yorkers, as parks have a proven impact on overall health and well-being, particularly for young people,” said Carter Strickland, New York State Director for the Trust for Public Land. “Truly great parks offer an outdoor space to engage and connect the community. Involving students in the design process is such an important part of our Playgrounds Program because it means each park is tailored to the community it serves.”

The playground will also function as an outdoor classroom for students to explore nature, learn about environmental science, and take part in physical education and after school activities. The design process provided an important learning opportunity for the student designers, allowing them to gain valuable life skills such as budgeting, negotiation, and planning.

The P.S. 221Q playground will be built through The Trust for Public Land’s NYC Playgrounds Program. Since 1996, working with the City, The Trust for Public Land’s NYC Playgrounds Program has designed and/or built more than 200 school and community playgrounds across the five boroughs.

In addition to serving students, all playgrounds in New York City are open to the public on weekends, after school, and during school breaks, providing opportunities for both children and adults to be physically active. The program has added more than 160 acres of additional playground space serving the nearly 4 million people who live within a 10-minute walk of one of the sites.

The P.S. 221Q playground is made possible through a partnership with the NYC Department of Education, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, and NYC School Construction Authority, as well as funding allocated by Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and Council Member Barry Grodenchik.

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About New York City DEP

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than one billion gallons of water each day to more than nine million residents, including eight million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 in the upstate watershed. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program, with a planned $19.7 billion in investments over the next 10 years that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

About The Trust for Public Land

The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Nearly ten million people live within a ten-minute walk of a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year. To support The Trust for Public Land and share why nature matters to you, visit www.tpl.org.