Thomas P. Noonan Park (QueensPost)
Aug. 20, 2018 By Christian Murray
An unkempt corner of Thomas P. Noonan Park is about to undergo a major overhaul.
Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer has secured $2.5 million of city funds to revamp the Greenpoint Avenue/42nd Street section of the park, an area that is gritty and where the homeless often congregate.
Van Bramer said that he intends to expand the children’s playground into this section of the park and reduce the number of benches used by adults.
“I would like to see the play area extended with more play equipment, as well as see additional greenery,” Van Bramer said. “I want the entire park to be something the community is proud of.”
Phase I
The revamp will represent phase three of the overhaul of the park.
In 2015, the playground was expanded and new climbing areas, swings, safety surfaces and shrubbery were added. That upgrade, Van Bramer said, also included a new sprinkler as well as a flagpole in recognition of Lance Corporal Thomas P. Noonan Jr., who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor after the Vietnam War.
In 2016, the basketball courts and handball courts were resurfaced with new asphalt.
Upon the completion of Phase 3, the entire park–with the exception of the bathrooms– will have been redone in recent years. Van Bramer said that he intends to get funding to renovate the bathrooms.
Van Bramer said that his office is looking for the public’s feedback in coming up with the design for phase three. He said that he will be taking suggestions via social media and there will be a suggestion box in the Sunnyside Library.
A timeline for the project has yet to be established.
Van Bramer said that the park is very important to the Sunnyside community. “Shortly after doing Phase 1, I saw the amount of children in the park and it made me feel good and reinforced my commitment to it.”
Thomas P. Noonan Park (QueensPost)
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26 Comments
I’d like to see a dog park – many, many dogs in the area, especially at the Celtic Park coop.
F the dog park. Its all about the kids!!!
That park already is 75% for the kids…..enough already! Adults deserve a place to enjoy some green space too, and yeah, a place for our dogs to play. This will keep them off the perimeter planted areas.
These people park their shopping carts filled with their crap along the perimeter of the park, they just hang out all day drinking and urinating, stumbling around to buy more liquor, that part of the park is a freakin hellhole.
Urinating next to children playing, is that a tood idea? If not its between cars, in bushes, drunk all the time
It’s about the day to day supervision of the park. Who remembers the park supervisor, a woman, who retired about 20 years ago. She kept this park in good condition, watched her workers carefully. She interacted with the community. She greeted everyone who entered the park, or were just walking by. She, also, kept the inebriated out of the park. The park has not been run the same since she retired. Anonymous
The space around the park where plants were planted a few years back is nothing but dogs toilet, the dogs owners claimed it as such. Disgusting!!
That portion of the park and the park in general is very poor kept! Not to mention the lack of police patrol! And the homeless????
Perfect reason to have a dog run….an assigned area for dogs.
Until there is an actual Police Presence (Foot Patrol) that can call a City Agency to pick up the Homeless and provide them with real assistance (Physical and Mental Care as well as housing) nothing positive will happen. The homeless will just move to the few benches on Greenpoint Ave. and the ones on 46th Street near the ridiculous Sunnyside Arch. That location seems to attract an already sketchy element.
Need a new mayor, preferable, one who loves NYC. You have a huge swamp to drain. The Dems don’t do swamps. They just let it grow.
Eileen – Just ask Trump.
Very happy they are addressing this problem, but removing benches to stop homeless people seems like canceling the subway to stop panhandling. Would be great to find a permanent (indoor) housing solution for this population.
The other big problem, to me, is maintenance of the park. If this park were a private residence or business it would have received tickets every day of the year for the disgusting amount of litter and cigarette butts. In the winter, the sidewalks around the park are always the worst in the neighborhood. Why aren’t they required to shovel snow like every other property? I very rarely see anyone maintaining this park.
This park was just renovated in the past few years! How much would it cost have the police actually patrol the park?
They are not renovating the entire park, just finishing the unrenovated part.
The budget should have covered the entire park including the bathrooms. I wonder if kickbacks were involved. Not an accusation, perish the thought. Just an observation.
Wonder if you were paid to write this. I’m not accusing you, Heaven forbid, just noticing how your statement is so passive-aggressive.
You got me Johnny, the Russians paid me to point out the fact that the New York City and State governments are inherently corrupt.
Leave the benches, remove the skells.
No mention of how the councilman will address the homeless population that lives in the park? What happens to them! What’s the plan!
What is your suggestion?
All in favor of project “ Soylent Green” to deal with the homeless people, say “ Aye”
Chaaange!
Fan of Dough Boy Park: No doubt you’re joking, but you do realize that you’re suggesting that we eat the homeless. Mixed with appropriate green mash, of course.
The Councilman can call upon DHS and both he and DHS should meet with the homeless and offer assistance. Explain the services that are available to them and that they have a right to shelter in NYC. He can enlist Cynthia Nixon and have the plight of the homeless added to her platform. For that matter… in the remaining years that the councilman has with us…. have him redirect his time and energy to homelessness and corresponding factors such as mental illness and addiction.
Final phase will add a wrestling ring for the homeless
Change!
PPV bum fights to raise money for the park.