'Vital' Upper West Side Playground To Get $1.55M Upgrade

UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN — A playground parents have called a "vital community resource" will be getting a $1.55-million makeover.

Officials with the city's Parks Department gave Community Board 7's Parks and Environment Committee a first look at their plan to renovate Matthew P. Sapolin Playground, a play area on West 70th Street that is used by neighboring P.S. 199 and other Lincoln Square families.

The playground, which some parents started a petition to have fixed last year, will be getting new pavement, fences, drainage and other upgrades as part of a Parks project funded by local elected officials.

"We are so glad that through City Council and Borough President funding, we will be able to reconstruct the asphalt multi-purpose play area at Matthew P. Sapolin Playground," a Parks spokesperson said.

City Council Member Helen Rosenthal's office chipped in $1.45 million for the project and Borough President Gale Brewer's office contributed $105,000 to the project.

The goals for the project include replacing the fences, drainage, trash receptacles and drinking fountain. It will also reconstruct the current ramp to make it compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act — an fitting upgrade given that the park is named for the former commissioner of the New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities.

Matthew P. Sapolin Playground is outfitted for children of all abilities and currently includes a children's garden with accessible bridges, musical instruments, a basketball courts with adjustable basketball backstops that can be lowered for athletes in wheelchairs and a comfort station with accessible picnic tables.

Parents and community members who said the play area is in disrepair contended that it had uneven surfacing, sharp exposed fences, outdated equipment, open trash cans that attract rodents and other problems.

Community Board 7 is scheduled to hear about the presentation parks officials made to their committee at their next full board meeting on Tuesday.

The presentation outlines the schematic designs for the playground, officials said. The final designs for the renovation will be ready by next January.