On a promising note this Monday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani revealed a new initiative featuring a 24-member “renew crew” that will set forth on rejuvenating various city playgrounds, recreational centers, and basketball courts.
This dynamic team, consisting of skilled plumbers, painters, and other workers, is geared up to undertake approximately 30 projects each year, with each project lasting about three weeks. Spanning from April to October, these efforts have been allocated a budget of $2.3 million for the current year, as reported by City Hall.
“Our crew is wholly committed to rejuvenating playgrounds, sports facilities, and rec centers in parks scattered across all five boroughs,” Mamdani shared during a press briefing held in Queens.
He painted a vivid picture of the issues at hand by highlighting examples like a dangling basketball hoop, a non-functional water fountain since spring, or a precarious fence. “If it’s broken, this team is ready to bring it back to its prime,” Mamdani assured.
In a symbolic kick-off event at Forest Park’s Dry Harbor Playground, the Mayor, along with city officials, watched as the “renew crew” embarked on their inaugural project—refreshing the look of the basketball courts and sprucing up the nautical-themed playground equipment.
Upwards of 5,000 complaints have been made to 311 regarding needed fixes to recreation areas over the past year, Mamdani said.
The maintenance team will address faulty horseshoe and bocce courts, rickety benches and other common park amenities in disrepair. They’ll also be mulching, pruning trees and enhancing the greenery around 9/11 memorial, city officials said.
New Yorkers can keep up with the crew’s progress at NYC Parks’ online tracker.
Maxime, an eight-year-old New Yorker, told reporters at the press conference that he’d recorded a video urging Mamdani to re-open the McKinley Park playground in Brooklyn, which had been closed for two years.
“But guess what? A few weeks later, the park was finally open. So thank you, Mayor Mamdani and NYC Parks for hearing me out,” Maxime said.
“I’m really passionate about parks being opened because kids need a safe and fun environment to play in.”