STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Slides, swings and a complex climbing apparatus are now being installed at Gerard P. Dugan Playground, a popular Mid-Island facility that is currently in the midst of a nearly $4 million overhaul. According to the NYC Parks Department, the new play equipment, which can be seen through a construction fence at Mill Road and Tysens Lane, should be operational this spring.
“We are so excited to share that Gerard P. Dugan Playground is undergoing a $3.7 million makeover,” a representative from the NYC Parks Department told the Advance/SILive in April, detailing the construction project. “As part of the reconstruction, the playground will boast improvements including new play equipment, spray showers, seating areas and more.”
Originally established in 1931, the block-long haven in New Dorp was opened to the public during the administration of Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, and has undergone a variety of renovations during its 91-year existence.
Named after Gerard P. Dugan, a Brooklyn native who served in the Marine Corps in the 1920s before moving to Staten Island in 1935 and becoming a dedicated community activist, the park is well-used and frequented by local baseball teams and the families of toddler-aged children. Over the past several years, equipment and play spaces there became neglected, prompting the city-funded makeover.
“These are the places where our families, our friends and our neighbors play and enjoy the national treasures of this borough,” former Councilman Steven Matteo told the Advance/SILive.com in 2018 when he helped secure funding for the park’s renovation.
And while the site’s construction was delayed by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with work stalled in the design phase for more than a year, current Mid-Island Councilman David Carr said he is glad to see the changes finally come to fruition.
“The COVID pandemic really underscored how vital accessible and functioning parks and playgrounds are for public health, and how wise my predecessors were for investing in them,” Carr noted. “I am very pleased to see the second phase of Dugan Playground underway, and I am confident it will be an asset to this community for many years to come.”
The playground, which was last redesigned and renovated in 1997 under a $656,000 capital project funded by Borough President Guy Molinari, is among the 100+ NYC construction projects that were paused by the pandemic and resumed last spring.
“Previously on hold in procurement due to the COVID-19 pandemic-related construction pause, the 100+ park improvement projects represent more than $417 million in investments, making the city’s public green spaces more sustainable, accessible, and vibrant,” the Parks Department said in a statement. “More than 86% of these projects include sustainability features, such as LED lighting, rain gardens, planting of new trees, on-site stormwater capture, and use of recycled and resilient materials. Additionally, 62% of projects are in underserved neighborhoods as identified by the Task Force on Racial Inclusion & Equity.”
Projected completion for the Dugan Playground is April 2023.
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