Little Neck's New $1.5M Playground Won't Be Open On Weekends

LITTLE NECK, QUEENS — City playgrounds are typically open on weekends, after school and during school breaks — but that won't be the case for a new $1.5 million playground opening next week in Little Neck, thanks to a funding shortage.

When the student-designed green space and playground at P.S. 221Q opens Monday, it will only be open to the public from 2:35 p.m. to dusk on weekdays, according to a spokesperson for the non-profit Trust for Public Land.

Families will have limited access to the new P.S. 221Q playground beyond school hours unless the Trust for Public Land and city officials can scrounge enough money to pay school custodians to open and close the yards during so-called "off hours," the spokesperson said.

Isabelle Boundy, assistant press secretary for the city Department of Education, said the playground is the product of a collaboration between the Trust for Public Land, public officials in Queens, P.S. 221 and the Little Neck community.

"This new playground will be a wonderful asset to the students and families of P.S. 221, and we're having conversations with members of the school community to understand their concerns," Boundy said in a statement.

News of the limited hours inspired P.S. 221Q parent Adriana Aviles to start a petition demanding that city officials keep their promise to open the playground on weekends and during school breaks.

"This petition is important so that the NYC agencies and all those involved keep their promises made to the communities they represent, especially when the funding was to enhance the community well being," the petition reads.

More than 160 people had signed the petition as of Wednesday evening.

The new playground, which Queens Borough President Melinda Katz has called "a significant investment in the future of Little Neck," includes game tables, a turf field and a running track and will capture more than 23,000 gallons of stormwater each time it rains.

Correction: This article previously stated that the P.S. 221 playground is part of the parks department's Schoolyards to Playgrounds program, but the parks department is not involved. The article has been updated.