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Construction to Finally Begin on Playground 89 After City Settles Suit

By Emily Frost | September 24, 2015 7:07pm
 The Parks Department said construction on the controversial playground will finally begin at the end of September.
Playground 89 Construction to Begin
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UPPER WEST SIDE — A controversial playground renovation that residents have fought both for and against for more than two years is set to begin Monday after the city settled a last-minute lawsuit with an opposition group. 

Playground 89, which sits next to P.S. 166 on West 89th Street, will undergo a nearly $1 million renovation beginning Monday, a Parks Department spokeswoman confirmed.

The 1967 "adventure" playground's sloped structure makes it dangerous for children, argued elected officials, P.S. 166 parents and residents, while another group of residents insisted that the playground doesn't need a renovation, arguing that it would fundamentally change its historic architecture. 

One resident recently described the Parks Department's final plans, which were approved by Community Board 7 and the Public Design Commission, as "one of the biggest boondoggles on the UWS."

To the frustration of parents who wanted to see the renovation happen quickly over the summer while school was out, unforeseen delays dragged for months, despite the playground getting its final necessary approval a year ago.

In June, a Parks Department spokesman told DNAinfo the department was planning to fast-track playground construction — which typically takes 12 to 18 months — starting it in early July and having it wrapped up by sometime in September. 

In early July, the opposition group Friends of Playground 89, together with the preservation advocacy organization Landmarks West filed its seventh lawsuit to prevent the reconstruction of the playground.  

The lawsuit brought by FOP89 and Landmarks West was settled in August, according to a spokesman from the city's Law Department. 

"The City settled the lawsuit in August and the renovation project is expected to being in the near future. This publicly-reviewed and approved project will result in a number of improvements for the community, including making the playground ADA-accessible," said Law Department Press Secretary Nick Paolucci.

Though the parties reached an agreement, no changes to the playground's new design were made, a Parks spokeswoman confirmed.

Subsequently, the start of construction was bumped to mid-August and then to mid-September.

In mid-September, the start was moved back again "due to a scheduling conflict with the contractor."

Construction is now set to begin Sept. 28, weather permitting, a spokeswoman said. It should last about three months, she added. 

"I think it was prudent of the powers that be to delay playground construction slightly so that the students could get settled into a routine at school before work begins," said P.S. 166 parent Christine DiPasquale, who has led efforts to change the playground.

"I’m looking forward to the work beginning very soon - and anxiously await completion of a new design that will benefit the neighborhood and our school greatly!” she said. 

FOP89 and Landmark West did not return request for comment, nor did P.S. 166 Principal Debra Mastriano. 

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