The ribbon cutting on the new bathroom. Image Credit: NYC Parks.

On August 29, 2023, Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue joined Council Members Joseph Borelli and David Carr and Borough President Vito Fossella in recognizing the improvements being made to two Staten Island parks. 

Recently, the agency completed the construction of a public restroom building at Fairview Park in the Charleston section of Staten Island. Parks began to target the area of Fairview Park for development in the early 2000s as the space was part of a larger natural area that was not suited for active recreational use. Construction began in 2019 to develop the baseball and multipurpose fields, a picnic area, and courts for tennis, pickleball, and bocce. The new public restroom building is the first for the park, and features accessible stalls. The project also added two new bocce courts, tree plantings, benches, and a paved plaza. The project cost $4.2 million and was funded by the City Council, the Staten Island Borough President’s Office, and the Mayor’s Office. 

In addition, officials broke ground on a new synthetic turf field adjacent to the Greenbelt Recreation Center in Blood Root Valley. The project is expected to be completed in summer 2024, and will add a new stormwater management system, a new accessible pathway, and four new field lighting towers. The $5.5 million project is funded by the City Council. 

Parks Commissioner Donoghue stated, “We’re thrilled to bring important new enhancements to ‘the borough of parks!’ Visitors to Fairview Park now have access to restroom facilities for the first time as well as new bocce courts to enjoy, while the new synthetic field at Greenbelt will provide community members with a revitalized, accessible, and safe playing area. We’re committed to continually improving our park amenities to better serve residents and visitors for years to come.”

Council Member Borelli stated, “This new park has been seeing more and more visitors using the fields, pickleball, tennis, and bocce ball courts. This new restroom is the final piece of this puzzle and is the second of four new park bathrooms my office has recently funded.”

Council Member Carr stated, “This synthetic turf field project will upgrade a vital amenity and make it an even better place for Staten Islanders. It will also include lighting upgrades so the fields can be used longer each day. Thank you to NYC Parks for getting this started.”

By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the Editor of CityLand and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)