RED HOOK — Red Hook’s Louis Valentino Jr. Park is slated for an $118,000 improvement project this fall, officials confirmed.
The project includes the restoration of the asphalt path system to provide better drainage, concrete work and new landscaping, Tara Kiernan, spokeswoman for the city’s Parks Department said in an email.
Valentino Park, located on the Red Hook waterfront near Coffey and Ferris streets, will remain open during construction, which is set to begin this fall. The renovation should be completed in early 2015.
Officials are also in the design phase for a new “comfort station” in the park, which will not be covered within the $118,000 project.
This is Red Hook’s second renovation to a public park in one year. In April, officials announced a $2.3 million renovation for Coffey Park, which will also be completed early next year. The neighborhood park has been closed to the public since construction began.
But some residents say they weren’t informed of the parks' proposed renovations and are advocating for more “transparency and better communication between Red Hook residents and the Parks Department.”
“This is like Coffey Park all over again,” said Allison Reeves, a member of People for Red Hook Public Parks who has lived in the neighborhood for 14 years, said of Valentino Park’s project.
Members are pushing to schedule a meeting with the city agency and local elected officials, where they can voice their vision for the neighborhood’s green spaces. The group has started a survey to gather ideas from locals.
“We don’t have sufficient input to what happens in our community,” Reeves said.
