SUNNYSIDE —Thomas P. Noonan Jr. Playground reopened this week after almost a year of renovations, an upgrade that parents say was sorely needed.
The playground — known to locals as the "Rainbow Park" for its rainbow-shaped play shower — reopened on Tuesday after a $2 million facelift, including new fences, new ADA-accessible play equipment, a separate section for toddlers and more swings.
"I think it's beautiful," said Elizabeth Wolotowski, who lives across the street from the park and often brings her three grandchildren there to play.
Before improvements, the playground left wide sections of space unused and only incorporated a couple of swings for older kids, she said.
There were also no fences around the playspace to keep kids from darting into the street, and the park's benches were too far away from the play equipment and made it difficult for caregivers to keep watch, she said.
"Every time the ice cream truck came over here on Greenpoint Avenue, they would run," she said.
Now, the playground is completely fenced in, and there are new swing sets as well as new bike racks and benches. A new rainbow sprinkler was also built to replace the old one, which City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer noted had "started to look a little aged."
Work was also done to fix a drainage problem that created puddles around the playground, which was last renovated in 2000, according to the Parks Department.
"The old [playground] was in pretty bad shape," said Rrezart Ura, father of an 8-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter.
While residents applauded the final product, a few parents took aim at the length of the project and the timing of construction, which began just before summer last year. The project was completed two months ahead of schedule though, officials said.
Part of the renovation included the addition of a granite memorial around the park's flagpole bearing the name of local Vietam veteran Lance Corporal Thomas P. Noonan Jr. who the playground was named after, as well as a sign honoring several other local veterans who served in Vietnam.
Van Bramer set aside money from his capital budget to fund the project.
"This is a place where the children of this community have come to call home," the councilman said.
The city also plans to re-pave the park's basketball and handball courts this fall with $200,000 provided by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
