DITMARS — Astoria Park is set to get $30 million in upgrades over the next four years — and the city's looking for ideas on how it should spend the cash.
Officials will hold a public meeting Nov. 16 to get community input on how to invest the funding, which is being doled out under Mayor Bill de Blasio's new Anchor Parks program that was announced in August.
The initiative will cover improvements in five of the city's bigger parks — one in each borough — that lack large conservatories to fundraise for them, as sites like Central Park or the High Line do, officials said.
The $30 million is slated for capital projects, so it can go toward upgrades like running tracks, comfort stations or playground equipment. It will be spent over the next several years, with the end goal of wrapping up by 2020, officials said.
"This workshop is an opportunity for residents to share their ideas on how the $30 million allocation can improve the park's use-of-space to benefit all Astorians," City Councilman Costa Constantinides said in a statement.
"The design and construction phases will not begin until after public input is heard."
Several improvements are already underway or planned for Astoria Park, including a $1 million renovation of Charybdis Playground that's expected to enlarge the play space and add a new children's spray shower.
Constantinides has said he would like to see a soccer field built in the center of the park's running track, a project that he estimates would cost around $3 million — though DNAinfo New York readers were divided on the idea.
Residents will be able to make their own suggestions at the Nov. 16 meeting, which will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. at Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden at 29-19 24th Ave.
