BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Officials are calling on Bed-Stuy residents to share their ideas for a $4.5 million local park renovation.
The New York City Parks Department will host a forum on Wednesday to get the public's suggestions for improvement of Jesse Owens Playground.
The park, at Lafayette Avenue between Stuyvesant Avenue and Malcolm X Boulevard, is one of 35 sites the city is planning to redo as part of a $130 million Community Parks Initiative, which aims to address densely populated, growing and lower-income communities, according to the agency.
Out of Jesse Owens’ $4.5 million budget, $600,000 will go towards a makeover of the park’s bathrooms, according to Kevin Jeffrey, Brooklyn Borough Commissioner for Parks.
Wednesday’s meeting asks the public to weigh in on their “aspirations” for the 2.3-acre space, which is bordered by P.S. 26 and Frederick Douglass Academy IV Secondary School, Jeffrey said. The park includes three basketball courts and four handball areas.
“We’re looking at this process as enforcing a different level of engagement with the community,” Jeffrey added. “Once it’s built, we’ve actually developed stewards — people who can be the eyes and ears of the park.”
Five other Brooklyn parks are slated for rebuilding as part of the agency’s program, including Bed-Stuy’s Stockton Playground.
In addition to the citywide renovations, $1.4 million will be designated for more than 70 new staff members assigned to recreational programming and maintenance at participating parks.
The community input meeting for Jesse Owens Playground will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Jesse Owens School (P.S. 26), 1014 Lafayette Avenue.
To sign up to participate, visit nyc.gov/parks, email Claudette.ramos@parks.nyc.gov, or call (718) 965-8907.
