WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Parks Department and community officials took the wraps off of an ambitious renovation to Fort Washington Park Monday morning.
Together under cold weather and gray skies, Parks Comissioner Veronica White, City Councilman Robert Jackson, members of Community Board 12 and the 33rd Precinct cut the ribbon on an $11 million revitalization of the park, which added a new playground, two new baseball fields, picnic areas, five volleyball courts and bike paths.
The renovated section of the park stretches from West 158th to 168th Streets.
"This is a gorgeous park," said White, attending her final ribbon cutting as head of the Parks Department. "It's great, we'll be looking forward to seeing you enjoy the park this summer."
"I just can't wait to bring my grandchildren down here in the spring and the summer to enjoy it," added Jackson. "This is beautiful."
Monday's reveal was well received, as parents and children scrambled into the park to get to the new hand slides and climbing structures.
"We love it," said Jill Jones, who pushed her two-year-old daughter Emory on a swing set. "I feel like they really put some thought in what to have here. We're excited for summer."
The renovation is part of a larger $30.4 million renovation of the park under the city's PlaNYC strategic vision. Other projects still underway include the construction of a new ADA ramp at Dyckman Street and Riverside Drive and the rehabilitation of a pedestrian bridge at West 180th Street.
