QUEENS — Kids visiting Forest Park can play again at a playground, which reopened Tuesday after a $1.45 million makeover, officials said.
Joseph DeVoy Playground, at 71st Avenue and Union Turnpike near the Forest Hills entrance to the park, closed last June and was initially scheduled to be renovated by this summer.
But the playground reopened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, months ahead of schedule, according to the Parks Department.
The playground, popular among families visiting Forest Park, features a number of new attractions designed for children 12 and under, the agency said.
“New interactive playground equipment resembles an old fashioned tree house and is colored in earth tones to reflect the nearby forest,” the agency said in an email Tuesday.
The new features also include several steel drums for kids, a drinking fountain, additional seating, and a new tire swing.
There is also a new entranceway and a layout that allows wheelchairs to navigate between various play elements.
“Spring is right around the corner, and now kids of all abilities can exercise their imaginations at this new treehouse-themed playground and enjoy the great outdoors in one of Queens’ flagship parks,” said Parks Department Queens borough commissioner, Dorothy Lewandowski.
Photo: Courtesy of Parks Department
Several old features that have been part of the playground for years, like the wood climbing logs and animal sculptures, were “preserved at the request of the community,” according to the Parks Department.
The renovations were completed with funds provided by the Queens Borough President's office, the agency said.
