CROWN HEIGHTS — Work will begin next month on a major makeover of Brower Park’s large oval field with spigots installed around the lawn to prepare for a re-seeding to take place next year, according to the Parks Department.
The oval-shaped open space is one of ten lawns set to be replanted with grass in the city as part of a partnership with the Central Park Conservancy, which is providing funding for the project, Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey told Crown Heights residents who attended a public meeting held at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum Tuesday night.
“They agreed, throughout the city, to make the commitment to renovate and restore,” he said.
To replant the ground in the park, a system for watering the area must be in place, he said. So, workers will install water spigots around the oval starting in September and October. After that work is complete, the re-seeding is scheduled to take place between August or September of 2016 through April or May of 2017.
During those nine months of re-seeding, the oval field will be closed by metal wire fences, Jeffrey said. But after the project is complete, the area will be reopened and used as it is today — something that came to a relief to some dog owners who had concerns that off-leash dog-walking hours would be canceled in Brower Park and had petitioned to stop the project.
“We don't plan to change the use of the lawn,” Jeffrey said to the dog owners at the meeting. “People were saying that we were throwing dog walkers off the lawn. We are not throwing dog walkers off the lawn.”
But not everyone at the meeting saw the plan to return to normal as a good thing. Several people in attendance brought up concerns about dog feces left in the grass; one resident brought up the possibility of restricting dog-walking to certain areas of the open space.
Jeffrey didn’t rule out that idea.
“There are a couple places in the borough where I’ve designated ‘no-dog areas.’ That was never what was envisioned for this space, nor is it envisioned now. At the same time, I’m listening … so, we can look for some opportunities,” he said.
The possibility of holding another public forum on the issues at Brower Park was discussed, though no date has been set yet.
Community Board 8 will schedule all future meetings about the park. To receive updates, visit the board’s website at brooklyncb8.org.
