James Forten Playground Renovation | Parham Playground Renovation | PS 241 Schoolyard Upgrade | Jackie Robinson Playground Sprinkler Upgrade | PS 46 Playground Upgrade | New Bridges Elementary Experiential Learning Lab | PS 11 Schoolyard Upgrade | Classon Playground Upgrades | Ebbets Field Middle School Community Garden Upgrade | Nostrand Avenue Bioswales | Sterling Place Bioswales | PS 270 Library Upgrade
James Forten Playground Renovation ($500,000)
Let’s build a playground that reflects the spirit and diversity of Prospect Heights, where children of all ages can play, learn, and grow in a safe and inclusive space.
District 35 Resident
Prospect Heights is home to many young families: 42% of family households have children under 18 years old and nearly 4,000 residents are under the age of 14. This well-utilized playground is strewn with dangerous water features and unsafe play structures. By allocating $500,000 to renovate this playground, we can make an investment in a new playground that’s safe, inspires creativity, addresses accessibility concerns, and complements the growing number of successful businesses along nearby Vanderbilt Avenue.
Parham Playground Renovation ($500,000)
By prioritizing inclusion and accessibility, we not only improve the lives of those with disabilities, but also create a stronger and more resilient District 35 for all.
District 35 Resident
Parham Playground is adjacent to P.S. 20, a public elementary school serving nearly 500 students. The school is in the process of installing an elevator to allow it to serve a more diverse population with varied accessibility needs. Currently, the playground’s equipment and water structures are not accessible for all children, and the lighting and basketball courts need safety improvements. A $500,000 allocation can help the city take one step closer to making a deep investment in enhancing accessibility and improving this playground for all children.
PS 241 Schoolyard Upgrade ($500,000)
This project will help the school achieve the goal of serving the whole child.
District 35 Resident
PS 241 is a 350-student public elementary school with a student population that is 80% economically disadvantaged and 80% Black. Currently, the schoolyard is an unsafe, concrete surface, replete with cracks; insufficient drainage infrastructure; and fading, hand-painted play courts. With an upgrade, students can have a safe playground where they can not only play and relax but also extend their education outdoors, including extended STEM lessons that incorporate the playground. This project will help the school achieve its primary goal of serving the whole child.
Jackie Robinson Playground Sprinkler Upgrade ($400,000)
Better accommodations for everyone, less water waste, overall safety for everyone.
District 35 Resident
Currently, the sprinkler system at Jackie Robinson Playground, located near Ebbets Field Apartments and Tivoli Towers, are leaking, posing safety hazards for children and contributing to mold outbreaks near the water source. A $400,000 investment would contribute toward the redesign and upgrade of the sprinkler system and help ensure playground users are safe and water is not wasted.
PS 46 Playground Upgrade ($400,000)
We serve students who come from challenging backgrounds of housing insecurity and low-income families so the playground is an opportunity for our families to have fun and enjoy time together.
District 35 Resident
PS 46 is a 190-student public elementary school with a student population that is 94% Black or Latinx and 89% economically disadvantaged. And Fort Greene Prep is a co-located 187-student public middle school with a student population that is 62% Black and 87% economically disadvantaged. The schools’ playground and yard have been in disrepair for years. This project would work in coordination with the Parks Department’s planned renovation of Oracle Playground to create a safe, and accessible playground for students and residents.
New Bridges Elementary (PS 532) Experiential Learning Lab ($250,000)
By engaging and including families and the broader community, we see the school growing as a hub of the neighborhood – not seen as just educating students, but as a resource for all – allowing the learning to continue and flourish inside and outside of the building.
District 35 Resident
New Bridges Elementary is a 383-student public elementary school with a student population that is 72% Black, 20% Latinx, and 86% economically disadvantaged. Currently, the school does not have sufficient resources for students to have hands-on learning experiences, a particularly acute challenge for a school in which nearly one-in-four students have a learning challenge or disability. By installing an experiential learning lab, students can engage in hands-on learning activities that are linked to the prioritized learning they’re doing in their own classrooms.
PS 11 Schoolyard Upgrade ($350,000)
Sports and play areas inspire imaginative play, hone cognitive skills, promote teamwork, and help children perfect their social and emotional skills.
District 35 Resident
PS 11 is a 793-student elementary school with a student population that is 60% Black and 14% Latinx located in Clinton Hill. The school yard, which is a concrete play area, has been damaged from years of construction equipment storage and scaffolding, rendering it unsafe for use by students. This project would create a safer schoolyard for students, including a small race track and basketball court, and the surrounding community to promote imaginative play, hone cognitive skills, and help children perfect their social and emotional skills.
Classon Playground Upgrades ($300,000)
Play and playground activities will do wonders for the children, especially in this neighborhood.
District 35 Resident
Classon Playground, located near the NYCHA Lafayette Gardens development, is one of the more neglected playgrounds in the area. The playground serves the NYCHA community, the local public elementary school (PS 270), and residents of nearby Ryerson Towers, Pratt Towers & St. James Towers. A playground upgrade — including a renovation of play areas, installation of swings for older children, and new seating — would promote open-air socializing for young children and provide this part of the district with a much needed public space upgrade.
Ebbets Field Middle School Community Garden Upgrade ($250,000)
Safer space for youth and community to engage, sustainability awareness, education, food insecurity.
District 35 Resident
The community garden at Ebbets Field Middle School, a 129-student public middle school with a student body that is 73% Black and 15% Latinx, has lain dormant since the Covid-19 pandemic. By reviving this garden, the school will once again have a space for the students and community to come together, learn how to grow food sustainably, and positively contribute to our city’s environmental well-being.
Nostrand Avenue Bioswales ($200,000)
This benefits everyone in the vicinity with added greenery, everyone in the neighborhood with reduced flood risk, and everyone in the city with cleaner waterways.
District 35 Resident
As climate change exacerbates the severity of storms, our City faces the specter of more frequent flooding and an overtaxed sewer system. This stretch of Nostrand Avenue is a popular local retail strip with high volumes of pedestrians and many transit options. The installation of bioswales along the avenue would add greenery, beautify the streetscape, and further define Nostrand Avenue as a destination. These bioswales will also reduce flood risk in the corridor and ensure fewer New Yorkers face the costly process of removing flood water from their homes.
Sterling Place Bioswales ($200,000)
By keeping the excess water out of the sewers, this should help mitigate some of the flooding that we have experienced.
District 35 Resident
In recent years, Prospect Heights residents have faced frequent flooding, as the City’s sewer system remains overtaxed by heavy rainfall exacerbated by climate change. Flooding costs homeowners and renters alike who must remove the unsafe, dirty water from their homes and replace damaged items. By installing bioswales along Sterling Place, the City can reduce the amount of water that goes into sewers and beautify this part of Prospect Heights.
PS 270 Library Upgrade ($150,000)
The goal of the library renovation project is to create a beautiful learning space that allows students to explore and deepen their knowledge of topics that interest them.
District 35 Resident
PS 270 is an 84-student, public elementary school with a student body that is entirely students of color (62% Black, 30% Latinx, and 8% AAPI) and is 95% economically disadvantaged. The students at PS 270 are among those with the greatest need in our district, and their existing library does not have the technology needed to ensure students can succeed from elementary school to high school and beyond. This project would provide new technology and materials to upgrade PS 270’s library.