McGolrick Park Neighborhood Alliance thanks elected officials for $1.3M gift for playground

October 21, 2014 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams (right), Councilmember Stephen Levin (left) and Assemblymember Joseph Lentol (second from left) were on hand at the Oct. 18 celebration at McGolrick Park in Greenpoint.

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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 held a celebration on Oct. 18 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 Oct. 18 ceremony, members of MPNA, area residents and officials planted daffodil bulbs in the gardens as part of It’s My Park Day. The flowers will bloom in the spring and for many springs thereafter.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Councilmember Stephen Levin, Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey and Brooklyn Community Board 1 officials were recognized at Saturday’s ceremony. State Assemblymember Joseph Lentol, a founding member of MPNA, moderated 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.”

Adams committed $500,000 to fix the playground as part of his office’s major capital budget support for Brooklyn parks. 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.”

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.

Levin said, “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.”

“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,” said Lentol.