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Read the press release here.

Sandy-Damaged Battery Park City Ballfields Set to Reopen for Little League

BATTERY PARK CITY — Good news for more than 1,000 Downtown Little Leaguers — the Sandy-damaged Battery Park City fields will be ready for the start of their fast-approaching season.

The field’s artificial turf, which was deluged by the superstorm's floodwaters and sewer backflow, has been completely replaced and the park will kick off Little League season with an opening day ceremony on April 7, the Battery Park City Authority announced Tuesday.

After Sandy, many locals were concerned that the 85,000 square-foot field, which sits on West Street between Warren and Murray streets, wouldn’t be ready to play ball this season.

But with a major push from the Downtown community that included several local officials, as well as a rapid work-schedule for turf replacement overseen by the BPCA, the park will manage to get up and running the regular season opener.

BPCA also announced that the long-anticipated Asphalt Green community center at 212 N. End Ave. — which also suffered Sandy damage, as well a series of frustrating delays before the massive storm — will be open by June 15.

The $55 million facility — which will feature two pools, a full-court basketball gym and a theater — was initially slated to open in November 2011.