Bennett Park Lawn Reopening Ahead Of Schedule

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY – The newly reconstructed Bennett Park lawn is reopening ahead of schedule, according to the Parks Department, and the artificial turf being installed won't contain PFAS, the toxic “forever chemicals” found in many other synthetic fields.

“We’re happy to announce that the Bennett Park central lawn reconstruction will open earlier than expected,” said the Parks Department’s Manhattan Borough Commissioner Tricia Shimamura.

“Thanks to the quick work of our contractors, we expect to complete the project and reopen this fall.”

The $1.1 million reconstruction, which was funded primarily by the Manhattan Borough President’s office, was scheduled to wrap up in March 2025. However, city records indicate that work was once scheduled to be undertaken back in 2022.

Nevertheless, work is nearly finished, and has involved replacing natural grass with synthetic turf, installing proper drainage, rebuilding paths, planting trees where there are currently stumps or empty pits, and adding plantings.

Like almost everything else in New York City, the changes were not without some controversy, and parents concerned about PFAS in the artificial turf set to be installed organized opposition to the new field earlier this year, per a report in The City.

Former parks commissioner Mitchell Silver downplayed concerns, reportedly telling The City that he “never encountered health problems with turf fields” during his time as commissioner.

Community Board 12, which represents Washington Heights and Inwood, voiced nearly unanimous support for the project in 2021.

“Bennett Park’s central lawn is a heavily-used lawn with a decades-long history of attempts to restore it using natural turf but the active use reduces the grass to an unattractive patch of compacted dirt in a short period of time,” the board wrote, in a resolution in support of the project.

The resolution also alluded to the controversy around the park’s namesake, James Gordon Bennett, a noted segregationist. Although there has been some discussion about renaming the park, no decision has been made as of yet, Parks confirmed.

Bennett Park, the highest natural point in Manhattan at 265.05 feet, is bordered by 183rd Street, Pinehurst Avenue, 185th Street, and Fort Washington Avenue in Washington Heights.

EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story cited previous reporting by The City which noted that the turf the Parks Department is installing at Bennett Park contained PFAS. However, as of Sept. 4, 2024, the manufacturer confirmed there are no PFAS chemicals in the Bennett Park turf.