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Hunters Point South Park to Close During Fourth of July Fireworks

 American flags in Hunters Point South Park in Long Island City on July 4, 2014.
American flags in Hunters Point South Park in Long Island City on July 4, 2014.
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DNAinfo/Jeanmarie Evelly

HUNTERS POINT — Long Island City is finally getting a view of the July 4th Fireworks, but one of two parks in the neighborhood's waterfront will be closed for the big show.

Hunters Point South Park will be off-limits to the public during the display, as Macy's will use the site as its "command center" for the event and its national broadcast, according to a Macy's Fireworks spokesman.

The 5-acre park will be partially closed the evening of July 3 and closed all day on July 4 as the Macy’s team oversees the execution of the largest Independence Day display in the country, the spokesman said.

Long Island City is set to get its best views of the show in years this summer, as the fireworks will be set off from barges on the East River, including four just south of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel.

Though the display took place on the East River last year after five years on the Hudson, the pyrotechnics were launched from barges further south, making the Lower East Side and Brooklyn the ideal viewing spots.

"There are going to be some people very upset," said Pat O'Brien, chairman for Queens Community Board 2, who said the board only recently learned of the plans and were disappointed they weren't asked to weigh in sooner.

"That’s an awful lot of space to set aside and to keep people out of," he said.

LIC Landing, an event space and outdoor restaurant that opened in the park last summer, will also be closed to the public during the show. It will be offering catering for the command center, the Macy's Fireworks spokesman said.

The restaurant's owner did not immediately respond to calls for comment Wednesday.

The Parks Department referred questions to the Mayor's Office, which said it will be announcing viewing locations for the fireworks in coming weeks.

Hunters Point South Park is one of two parks on the neighborhood's waterfront, in addition to Gantry Plaza State Park to its north.

O'Brien said the NYPD estimates between 80,000 to 100,000 people will head to Long Island City to catch the fireworks display this year —  a number that could be even higher, as residents get excited about finally having a good view in Queens.

"We haven't had the fireworks in years here," O'Brien said. "[Now] they're going to be right across the street, they're going to be right in the middle of the river."