Queens officials push for new era at Flushing Meadows Corona Park

Queens officials are renewing efforts to address decades of underfunding at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.  Eagle photo by Ryan Schwach

By Ryan Schwach

Officials in Queens said this week that they want to reverse decades of underfunding of the borough’s largest and most well-known green space, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Elected officials, community leaders, private and nonprofit organizations in and around Flushing Meadows Corona Park are hoping to completely overhaul the 900-acre park with the help of a new task force and a refocus on funding efforts.

For decades the park has been known for its history with the United Nations, the World’s Fair and as a destination for the U.S. Open, the Mets and, more recently, Governor’s Ball. But despite the large-scale events that have locals and tourists alike flocking to the park each year, Flushing Meadows Corona Park has continued to be underfunded.

A report published by the Center for Urban Future last year found that FMCP’s total funding going back more than a decade is about equal to $100 million – the same amount of money in private funds the Central Park Conservancy raised to renovate the park’s famed ice rink and pool.

Officials want to change that dynamic.

“We all call Flushing Meadows the best place to be,” said Borough President Donovan Richards. “If that were true, then why do we continue to shortchange this park? Why do we accept chronic flooding, crumbling playgrounds and bare bones maintenance? Queens is tired of it…This is our fight back.”

On Thursday, Richards announced the formation of a task force to address the park’s shortcomings and take a holistic look at what can be done to increase funding and make long-needed improvements to the park.

The renewed focus on the park comes as several major nearby developments will likely bring it more visibility. Not only has the city begun constructing a new neighborhood in Willets Point, which neighbors the park, but Mets owner Steve Cohen has begun building a casino and entertainment complex in Citi Field’s parking lot, which technically is a part of the park.

“With one voice, we will advocate as a collective for more investment in Flushing Meadows,” the BP said, adding he has taken the issue up with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and intends to bring a tin cup to Washington, as well. “Everybody has a step up to make this park fulfills its full potential.”

The task force includes local elected officials, like Councilmembers Shanel Thomas-Henry and Shekar Krishnan, city agencies, community boards and groups that call FMCP home, like Gov Ball, the Hall of Science, the United States Tennis Association and the Queens Night Market.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and other community leaders and officials announced $22.5 million for the Playground for All Children on Thursday.  Eagle photo by Ryan Schwach

“[FMCP] is at sort of an inflection point,” said John Wang, the founder of the Queens Night Market. “You got the casino development, and then you've also got the soccer stadium. That only brings more eyes to the park.”

“I think sometimes the park seems siloed,” he added. “I'd love to see a unified effort to get all the stakeholders on the same page with unified messaging.”

The renewed funding efforts began on Thursday with the allocation of $22.5 million – $17.5 million from the BP and $5 million from Thomas-Henry – to overhaul the Playground for All Children. The playground was the first in the United States to be built for both able-bodied and disabled children, and predates the Americans with Disabilities Act. Despite it’s historical significance, it hasn’t seen new funding since it was built, officials said.

“To every parent raising a child with a disability, I hope today's investment sends a clear message: your family belongs here, and this community will continue working to ensure every public space reflects that truth,” Thomas-Henry said.

Funding for the playground is just a drop in the bucket of what officials want to do at FMCP, which they estimate would need as much as $100 million just to get the ball rolling.

“There's so much work to do in this park,” said Anthony Sama, the executive director of the Alliance for Flushing Meadows Corona Park, who is also on the task force. “After years of disinvestment and disinvestment in these marginalized communities, it is so encouraging to see so many people here today representing the task force.”

The history of the park’s funding has been troubled.

In 2012, Estelle Cooper, the leader of Unisphere Inc., a nonprofit that raised funds for the park for maintenance and programming, was arrested for stealing $50,000 from the organization.

Cooper, who was once credited for revitalizing the park, died while the theft charges were pending against her.

In their report, the Center for Urban Future laid out 20 ideas for the park, which included redesigning the Playground for All Children, as well as addressing flooding, reducing the amount of asphalt in the park and reimagining the entrances to the park.

Richards said addressing the flooding and infrastructure is a major priority, as is returning the famous Unisphere to its former glory with working lights and sprinklers.

“There's low-hanging fruit that we can address right now,” he said.

Thomas-Henry said she is thinking more holistically about the 900-acre green space.

“We want to start with a master plan of the entire park to see what it's going to take,” she said. “The reimagining of the entire 900 acres is going to take a lot of time, and as the borough president said, it's going to take resources from Washington.”

“There are a lot of infrastructure, climate resiliency things that are going to need to be tackled, and we're going to need all of our partners from the federals on down,” she added.