Ruppert Park Beautification Day Returns To Upper East Side

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A long-awaited overhaul to repair and renovate Ruppert Park is still awaiting the first shovel in the ground.

In the meantime, neighbors can come together and help beautify the park at the semi-annual Environmental Stewardship Day at Ruppert Park on Oct. 21.

The free event, hosted by a partnering steward of Ruppert Park since 2017, the Muslim Volunteers for New York, looks to bring neighbors together to get their hands dirty and to have some family fun.

Volunteers looking to help fix up the park, which one person at Thursday's Community Board 8 meeting called "abandoned," can expect to help mulch the fields and plant bulbs in addition to generally cleaning and beatifying the park.

There will also be refreshments, music, giveaways and arts & crafts for children to enjoy.

Mubeen Siddiqui, a founding member of Muslim Volunteers for New York, thanked City Council Member Julie Menin for helping to fund the twice-annual cleanup.

"We do a wide variety of activities to keep everyone engaged and, at the same time, do a day of wonderful service for the neighborhood," said Siddiqui.

A long-awaited $8.9 million redesign of the park is still resolving legal issues, said Parks Department representative Shena Kaufman, who responded to a frustrated neighbor complaining about the delays.

"I feel like the Parks Department over the past five years has literally given up on this park," the neighbor, who only gave her name as Jenny, said.

The neighbor also called the park "dangerous" and said that a friend had tripped on an exposed root and sprained his toe in the park just the other day.

When first announced in 2021, the work was said to begin the following year.

While Kaufman said Parks had not "given up" on Ruppert Park, she confirmed that all the money for the redesign was still there, and that once the unspecified issues were resolved, the work would begin.

"The park is going to get done," Kaufman said, "and the outcome is going to be beautiful."

But for people who want to start work now — or on Oct. 21 — the group ask those interested to please register online by clicking here.

Update: The beautification day has been moved to Sunday, Oct. 22 due to weather concerns.