HUNTERS POINT — Long Island City playground Andrews Grove has fully reopened for the first time since it was damaged during Hurricane Sandy last fall.
Known as "Shady Park" to neighbors for the tall trees that used to cast their shadows there, half of the playground has been fenced off since the storm last year, when several of those trees were knocked down.
The Parks Department started repairs on the damaged half of the playground in June, work that included fixes to playground equipment, safety surfaces, asphalt and fencing, a spokesman said at the time.
The fenced off section was reopened late last week, according to Friends of Shady Park, a neighborhood group that's been advocating for restorations at the space.
City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer secured $10,000 from JetBlue and Warner Bros. to go toward the purchase and planting of new trees to replace those that were knocked down by the storm, in the hopes of restoring some of the shade the playground used to be known for.
In an e-mail, Friends of Shady Park founder Sheila Lewandowski said planting is expected to take place later this year.
