Work Begins On Student-Designed Playground In Flushing

FLUSHING, QUEENS -- Construction began Monday on a new playground for one Queens middle school, and students handprints are all over the blueprints.

Students of Robert F. Kennedy I.S. 250 joined faculty and politicians at the groundbreaking to watch their vision for the Flushing middle school's brand new $1.2 million playground come to life.

The new playground may have been created by The Trust for Public Land - a nonprofit that helps create parks and protects land - but it was designed, at least in part, by the school's very own students.

"This playground will be built with input and insight from those who know playgrounds best - the students at 250Q," said City Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows), who helped fund the playground.

And the students have spoken on what they want for their new spot.

The playground will include a running track, a turf field, basketball practice hoops, tennis courts, new fitness equipment, an outdoor classroom space and game tables, according to The Trust for Public Land.

The nonprofit also partnered with the city's Department of Environmental Protection to focus on making the playground eco-friendly. The nonprofit plans to design the playground with green infrastructure to reduce the stormwater runoff that can otherwise flood streets and clog sewer systems.

"Once completed, the new green infrastructure at I.S. 250 will be able to absorb 1.2 million gallons of stormwater each year and help to improve the health of Flushing Creek,” said DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza.

The playground's design also includes up to 30 new trees to create a "beautiful, new green space" for the more than 17,000 residents within a 10-mile radius of the park, said Carter Strickland, New York director of The Trust for Public Land.

"Today's groundbreaking is a significant investment in the future of Flushing, providing a new state-of-the-art playground for use by schoolchildren and the entire neighborhood," said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, who also helped fund the project.

Students who helped design the park got hands-on lessons from The Trust for Public Land on the science, math and architecture involved in designing a playground while they voiced their thoughts on the one going into their school needs most, Strickland said.

All of the nearly 400 students that attend the middle school - along with parents, neighbors and staff members - had a voice in the playground's design process, said I.S. 250 Principal Tara Mrwik.

"Today is a monumental day for the Parsons Complex," Mrwik said. "We are very excited for the groundbreaking event, as the playground has been a long time coming."

The playground is slated to open in Fall 2018, joining nearly 200 other playgrounds built by The Trust for Public Land across the city's five boroughs.

(Lead photos courtesy of The Trust for Public Land)