Howard Beach park receives long-awaited upgrades

Volunteers transformed the park’s central pathway earlier this year with 9,000 new plants. Photos courtesy of Alex Zablocki/Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy.

By Victoria Merlino

Howard Beach’s Frank M. Charles Memorial Park has received a major upgrade, with 9,000 new plants, two new patios, and updates to the basketball and handball courts, breathing new life into the park. 

"It is important that we continue to invest in our public parks, which play such a vital role in our communities — especially for our youth,” said local Councilmember Eric Ulrich said. 

The improvements were made in a partnership with Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, the Charles Park Conservation Society, Wildcat and National Park Service and funding from Ulrich.

The next phase of the project, which will continue in the spring, will include more plantings, the beautification of the former horseshoe court and infrastructure improvements.

"This public-private partnership quickly resulted in positive changes for the park, its users and the Howard Beach community,” said Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy Executive Director Alex Zablocki.