Design + Construction Updates

Schmul Park, previously a blacktop playground, has been renovated and redesigned by James Corner Field Operations. The asphalt was replaced with colorful rubber-clad play mounds, plantings and other porous surfacing. ...MORE

With the support of a grant from the New York Department of State’s Office of Coastal, Local Government & Community Sustainability, the Department of Parks & Recreation began restoration of two acres of wetland habitat within the Freshkills Park site. This small project will provide guidance for further wetland restoration projects within the park. The restoration created new salt marsh and coastal habitat; stabilized the shoreline to provide additional protection for habitat under potential threat by climate change and sea level rise and improved water quality through greater interface between coastal plants and tidal waters. ...MORE

Owl Hollow is a 20 acre area adjacent to Arden Heights Woods. The playing fields at Owl Hollow include four synthetic turf soccer fields (two of which are lighted), a loop pedestrian path encircling the fields, parking, and landscaped lawn areas. The fields opened in April 2013....MORE

Construction on the 3.2-mile New Springville Greenway was completed in the summer of 2015. This path along the eastern edge of Freshkills Park creates north/south bike access parallel with Richmond Avenue by providing new asphalt pavement, concrete sidewalk reconstruction and improvements, and associated drainage systems, incorporating the most sustainable techniques in bio-swale design and construction....MORE

North Park Phase 1 will be a 21-acre swath of land connecting visitors to spectacular views of Main Creek and the adjacent William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge via divided walking and high speed paths. Park visitors will stroll along seven acres of native seed plots operated by the Department of Parks & Recreation’s Greenbelt Native Plant Center....MORE

The Owl Hollow Park House will enhance the existing Owl Hollow Soccer Fields. Once complete, the Park House will be a LEED certified building with public restrooms, outdoor seating, a small NYC Parks Maintenance & Operation facility, parking, and an electric vehicle charging facility....MORE

In August 2016, as part of the Anchor Parks Initiative, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito, and NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver announced that the City would invest $30 million in Freshkills Park’s South Park...MORE

 

In April 2021, SI Borough President Oddo allocated $2.4 million in funding to reconstruct the playground at Schmul Park. Originally constructed in 2012, the rubber clad mounds were designed to mimic the topography at Freshkills Park.  Over time and after much usage, the safety surface has worn away and much of the equipment needs replacement.

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The 482-acre East Park sits along Richmond Avenue, Staten Island’s major commercial corridor, and is bordered by the New Springville Greenway. This Park will be programmed with trails, wetland overlooks, and educational programming about wetlands, reclamation, and park development....MORE

A publicly accessible transportation system will be a major feature of Freshkills Park. This will provide access to the different areas of the park and create a connection between the West Shore Expressway (Route 440) and Richmond Avenue to open the park, provide site access, and address transportation needs of the community. ...MORE