New Playground Opens in Brooklyn (NYC)

Contact: Susan Clark Trust for Public Land (212) 677-7171/(347) 675-5824 susan.clark@tpl.org
Mary Alice Lee Trust for Public Land (212) 677-7171 maryalice.lee@tpl.org

Photo by: Troy Farmer

July 13, 2004...Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY: Elementary school students and community residents gathered today in Brownsville, Brooklyn to celebrate the dedication of the Carter G. Woodson Children's Park. The playground was created through the nonprofit Trust for Public Land's City Spaces program, a groundbreaking public-private partnership dedicated to providing permanent, community-managed recreation spaces. The dedication ceremony included the project's partners from P.S. 150, the Carter G. Woodson Cultural Literacy Project, the Trust for Public Land, MetLife Foundation, the Charles Hayden Foundation and the City of New York/Parks and Recreation. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz was also present for the celebration.

The site before renovations Photo by: TPL

The site, formerly a trash-filled vacant lot, has been transformed into a community play space that includes an artificial turf field surrounded by a running track, a play spray, game tables, seating, swings, play equipment, and a multi-purpose performance space that will accommodate group games, theater, and literacy programs run by P.S. 150 and the community sponsor, the Carter G. Woodson Cultural Literacy Project. The funds needed to build the $800,000 park were raised by the Trust for Public Land with lead support by MetLife Foundation and the Charles Hayden Foundation. The City of New York/Parks and Recreation contributed a new tree-lined perimeter sidewalk and a water fountain.

This park is the result of a unique partnership between the Trust for Public Land and the city of New York/Parks & Recreation. TPL launched City Spaces in early 1996 to build playgrounds in New York and Newark in neighborhoods with inadequate local park space. The sites are permanent additions to the city's parks system under the jurisdiction of the City of New York/Parks and Recreation, but local community groups sponsor the sites and share responsibility for long-term maintenance and programming.

The design for the playground came from junior architects—fifth grade students from P.S. 150—who took on tasks ranging from surveying the site and interviewing community stakeholders, to working with professional architects. Students, parents, staff, and community members came together to design the new playground.

Rose Harvey at the opening Photo by: Troy Farmer

"The Brownsville community is severely underserved by existing park resources. The students of P.S. 150 and members of this community have transformed this lot into a vibrant park with the commitment and partnership of agencies, nonprofit organizations and generous individual and foundation donors," said Rose Harvey, senior vice president and mid-Atlantic regional director for the Trust for Public Land.

"We are pleased to support the Trust for Public Land in its efforts to improve and expand our City's open spaces," said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "The opening of the Carter G. Woodson Children's Park represents the kind of public/private collaboration that is improving local communities throughout New York City."

"The transformation of the vacant lot into a children's park is a tangible example of community empowerment. The children of the Woodson Project will grow up knowing that they have the ability to change the landscape of their environment," said Stanley Kinard, executive director of the Carter G. Woodson Cultural Literacy Project. "We took on this project over 10 years ago, and are grateful to all of the organizations who made this day possible, including Community Board 16, the After School Corporation, the Trust for Public Land, Charles Hayden Foundation, MetLife Foundation, and the City of New York/Parks & Recreation. I'd also like to extend a special note of appreciation to the students and staff of the Woodson Project, who have had an integral part in making this park what it is today. We all look forward to working closely with the residents of Brownsville in making this park a beacon of our community."

"Playgrounds are an important part of young people's development and an element of healthy communities," said Sibyl Jacobson, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. "We are pleased to help TPL, P.S. 150 and the Carter G. Woodson Cultural Literacy Project create this important community resource for Brownsville children and families."

Photo by: Troy Farmer

MetLife Foundation, established by MetLife in 1976, supports health, education, civic and cultural programs throughout the United States. The Foundation, the original supporter of TPL's City Spaces Program in New York City, has contributed $1 million to support TPL's open space work in cities nationwide, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, and Oakland, CA. For more information about the Foundation, visit the Web site at www.metlife.org.

The Charles Hayden Foundation seeks to promote the mental, moral and physical development of children and youth ages three to eighteen in the New York and Boston metropolitan areas. The foundation focus is on those institutions and programs serving youth most at risk of not reaching their full potential, especially youth in low-income communities.

The Carter G. Woodson Cultural Literacy Program, based in Brooklyn, serves Central Brooklyn and is housed in an elementary and high school in Brownsville and Bedford-Stuyvesant. With crime, high dropout and teenage pregnancy rates in these communities escalating, the Woodson Project intervenes and inspires at risk students with after-school programs that give them academic support in literature and art.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit land conservation organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Through the City Spaces program, 17 new community parks have been created in Newark and New York City and another six are in the works. The Trust for Public Land depends on the support and generosity of individuals, foundations, and businesses to achieve our land for people mission. For more information visit us on the web at www.tpl.org.

City of New York/Parks & Recreation assures that over 28,000 acres of parks, beaches, playgrounds, stadiums, marinas, recreation facilities, gardens, malls, squares and public spaces of the City of New York are clean, safe, and attractive for the health and enjoyment of the people. Parks cares for street trees, park flowers, community gardens, historic houses, statues and monuments and open space, while providing conservation and nature study.