Assembly speaker sends $2 mil to Pomonok Houses for new park
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Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie walks through the Pomonok Houses with Tenant Association President Tamika Williams-Moore and Assemblymember Sam Berger on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Photo via Berger’s office
By Noah Powelson
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie on Tuesday made a trip to the World’s Borough to announce his approval of a $2.53 million plan to develop a new park for the New York City Housing Authority’s Pomonok Houses, the first major development at the public housing complex residents say they’ve seen in over 70 years.
Heastie met with Assemblymember Sam Berger and Pomonok Tenant Association President Tamika Williams-Moore in sweltering ninety-degree weather on the grounds of proposed parks, playground and basketball court for residents on Tuesday. Together, they went on a walk through the grounds before the speaker announced that he was ready to approve the proposal for a revamped open space at the NYCHA complex.
“On a hot day like this, we’re reminded that every community should have easy access to outdoor green spaces,” said Heastie. “Assemblymember Berger understands the benefit this park will have on this community and fought hard to ensure the funding was available to make it happen.”
Pomonok Houses was established in 1949, and its current parks and playground equipment was installed in the early 1950s. Over 200 families live near the proposed new park, according to Williams-Moore. The new park would include refurbished outdoor seating areas, public barbecues, a basketball court, new playgrounds and other amenities.
“I’m ecstatic,” Berger said when asked for his reaction to the approved plan. “I believe very much in this project. This is going to make such a big difference for the kids, youth and elderly here. This is really about bringing the community together.”
Berger has been working with NYCHA and the Community Housing Public Fund for the past few months to get approval on the construction project. Berger said he had worked with several Pomonok residents before being elected to office last year and knew the community was in need of assistance. He attributes a great deal of the project’s approval to the work of Williams-Moore.
“When I first assumed office, one of the first community leaders I met with was Tamika,” Berger said. “There are few people as dedicated to the betterment of their community as she is.”
Long-time Pomonok residents attending Tuesday’s also expressed their enthusiasm for the project, and spoke of the general disrepair of the area that made it difficult and sometimes unsafe for families to enjoy.
“I think that’s what we really need in the neighborhood,” said Pomonok resident Veronica Hicks, who has lived in the Pomonok Houses for over thirty years. “It’s long overdue, we have a whole bunch of kids here. It will be a good thing for the children.”
Mildred Mullen, who has lived in Pomonok for nearly 70 years, also said the proposed park would be the biggest development she’s seen in the area since she was a child.
“I’m very happy for it,” Mullen said. “It’s not for me and my children, but for the new tenants. It’s great.”
While a future park is an exciting change for residents, both Hicks and Mullen still have more concerns about their neighborhood. Both expressed safety worries, and concerns that units are in general need of renovation and cleaning. But changes like the new open space are a rare and welcome occurrence, they said, adding that they’re hoping the new park will be the first step in many to address all the needs of Pomonok residents.
