Williamsburg Playground to Undergo $2.6 Million Makeover

Pictured: Epiphany Playground. Image via Google Maps

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — The planned $2.6 million renovation of Epiphany Playground on Berry Street in southwest Williamsburg got underway Monday, when the NYC Parks Department hosted a public meeting to learn what community members want the refurbished space to look like.

Epiphany, located at 462 Berry, is one of the parks being redone under the city’s $285 million Community Parks Initiative, which aims to improve small, community parks overdue for a makeover.

The playground hasn't received any capital repairs since 1997, when the city took it over, Parks spokeswoman Maeri Ferguson said Friday.

At Monday's meeting, community members called for better play equipment, improved lighting and more greenery, among other changes, Ferguson said.

But locals may have to wait several years to see the final product.

The design process will take 10 to 16 months, Ferguson said, followed by a nine-month procurement process — during which contracts are awarded to companies who submit bids — and a construction period that could last 12 to 18 months.

That means the new Epiphany might not be unveiled until the end of 2019. However, Ferguson said its completion date is difficult to predict at this stage of the work.

The Parks Department will still be taking public comment on the park's makeover online through the end of this month.

Blueprints for the park's new design are being drawn up for free by the Prospect Park Alliance. The Alliance has already completed designs for the Stroud Playground in Crown Heights; as reported by DNAinfo, that $4.4 million project will include new basketball courts, new playground equipment, a jogging track and more.

Ferguson said the Crown Heights project is currently in the procurement phase. Work should be finished in 2018.

The city's Community Parks Initiative could also be eyeing another local park you care about. You can sign up here to get involved in one of the city's upcoming meetings on public-park improvement.