ROCHDALE — Local officials and community members broke ground Tuesday on a new playground at Catherine and Count Basie Middle School 72 in Rochdale.
The $2.5 million facility will include amenities such as a durable, non-toxic, synthetic turf field with a 3-lane track, dual functioning outdoor classroom and amphitheater, with lumber benches and backrests and an interchangeable basketball and volleyball court.
“The playground at M.S. 72 had fallen into disrepair, and this overhaul is long overdue,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz at the groundbreaking Tuesday. “Because of this funding the children and families of Rochdale will be able to enjoy a robust playground.”
The project will be financed through capital improvement project grants allocated by Katz’s office and the office of Councilman Ruben Wills.
“The restoration of this space has been a priority of my office for the past several years, and I’m pleased to say that the void here will soon be filled by a first-rate recreational environment,” Wills said at the groundbreaking Tuesday.
The new facility should open as soon as April 2017.