Community Corner
Astoria's 35th Avenue Playground Reopens With $3-Million Makeover
Playground Thirty Five, just around the corner from the Kaufman Astoria movie theater, is open again and sporting a new look.
ASTORIA, QUEENS — The playground at Steinway Street and 35th Avenue is open again and sporting a new look, thanks to a nearly two-year-long renovation.
The playground's $3 million renovation features new playground equipment, a spray shower area, planting beds, lighting, fences and a "more welcoming" entry on 35th Avenue, according to parks department spokesperson Meghan Lalor.
Construction wrapped up on Feb. 20, about nine months behind schedule. Work started in May 2018 and was scheduled to be finished by May 2019, according to the parks department.
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Lalor attributed the delays to the contractor hired for the project and difficulties dealing with the area's storm-drain infrastructure.
Funding for the playground renovation comes from Mayor Bill de Blasio's Community Parks Initiative, which is revitalizing 67 parks and playgrounds in areas with higher-than-average poverty levels, according to a project description.
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Work is now complete on 47 of the 67 projects that have been funded under the initiative, Lalor said.
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