City Councilman David Greenfield (Boro Park, Midwood, Bensonhurst) stood atop the brand new children’s climbing apparatus and surveyed the entire park area: the new ball fields, the lush green spaces filled with leafy plantlings and infant trees; the freshly painted and lined basketball and handball courts.
“Improving the 18th Avenue Park was particularly personal for me,” said Greenfield, who used to play at the park as a boy growing up on Avenue I and East 3rd Street. “I believe the 18th Avenue Park is the most beautiful park in southern Brooklyn. I can’t wait to take my children to play there, and I invite everyone in our community to come out and enjoy our beautiful new park.”
And so it went Tuesday when Greenfield and a slew of officials cut the ribbon on the park’s renovation after $7 million and more than 15 months of work.
The work included:
- 4 new playgrounds
- 2 new swingset areas
- 2 new basketball courts
- 2 new baseball fields
- 4 new handball courts
- 50 new benches
- 7 new water fountains
- New and improved walkways and safety surfaces
- Hundreds of new trees and plants
Greenfield was joined at the re-opening by New York State Sen. Simcha Felder, Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey, Community Board 12 Chairman Yidel Perlstein, Community Board 12 District Manager Barry Spitzer, and Democratic District Leader candidate David Schwartz..
“For the longest time, everyone in Boro Park has been looking forward to the 18th Avenue Park re-opening,” said Felder. “Parks like this are a haven for children and the elderly—they are a melting pot for all New Yorkers. Now, thanks to the efforts of Councilman Greenfield, a new generation can enjoy this vital resource, enlarged and improved.”
