New York City Joins Trust for Public Land to Open new Green Infrastructure Playground at I.S. 145 in Jackson Heights

September 16, 2024

New Playground will Absorb more than 640,000 Gallons of Stormwater Annually, Helping to Reduce Flooding, Backups into Homes and Businesses, and Polluted Overflows into the East River and Long Island Sound; Photos Available Here

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today joined with the Trust for Public Land (TPL), Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Council Member Shekar Krishnan, staff, students, and others to celebrate the opening of the newly renovated Green Infrastructure playground at I.S. 145, the Joseph Pulitzer Magnet School of Innovation and Applied Learning, in Jackson Heights, Queens. By replacing the formerly asphalt playground with new green infrastructure, the new schoolyard will absorb more than 640,000 gallons of stormwater annually, helping to combat flooding in the neighborhood.

"Climate change is bringing more intense rainstorms that can overwhelm our sewers, and Green Infrastructure playgrounds like the one at I.S. 145 are crucial to our efforts to reduce flooding around the five boroughs," said New York City Chief Climate Officer and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. "Thank you to our partners at The Trust for Public Land for their hard work, to Borough President Richards and Council Member Krishnan for their leadership, and to all the students who helped design this wonderful new playground."

"This new school playground was designed by the students and community through TPL's unique participatory design process. We are thrilled that this space will serve over 40,000 residents as a place for kids and families to get out and play in their neighborhood," said Mary Alice Lee, NYC Playgrounds Director for Trust for Public Land. "We are grateful for support from Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and New York City Council Member Shekar Krishnan to make this schoolyard a reality."

"I'm so glad to see the new, beautiful I.S. 145 playground open for the Jackson Heights community," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "This is a significant addition for the school and the neighborhood, as kids and their families will have a great new place to enjoy the outdoors. Thank you to all our partners for making this a reality."

"As a dad, and as the Chair of the City Council's Parks Committee, one of my top priorities has been to create public, green, open space for New York City families," said Shekar Krishnan, NYC Council Member (25th District). "That's why I was so proud to unveil our re-imagined, environmentally resilient schoolyard at I.S. 145, alongside the Trust for Public Land and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. This schoolyard shows that we can build beautiful public spaces when we have the right leaders with the right vision. And we can build them quickly!"

The new schoolyard was designed by students, staff, and community members, and took just 10 months to complete. It features new trees, colorful student murals, and a turf soccer pitch. The bricks surrounding the trees are permeable to manage millions of gallons of stormwater to infiltrate and water the trees that provide shade for those using the playground.

Also attending the event was Principal Ivan Rodriguez, who partnered with Council Member Krishnan and the Trust for Public Land to lead community visioning sessions. Additional project funders Amelia Shapiro, Vice President at the Dalio Center for Health Justice at New York-Presbyterian, and Lillit Genovesi, Outreach Coordinator for New York City and Westchester County at the Long Island Sound Study, also participated in the ribbon cutting.

Since 1996, TPL's NYC Playgrounds Program has helped design and build 229 school and community playgrounds across the five boroughs.

DEP's nation-leading green infrastructure program has constructed nearly 14,000 green infrastructure installations including curbside rain gardens, green roofs, subsurface detention, permeable pavers and green medians. All of these green installations intercept stormwater before it can drain into the sewer system, thereby creating additional capacity in the sewers, which helps to reduce flooding and any overflows into local waterways. Over the last 10 years DEP has invested $5.7 billion to upgrade all drainage systems, including sewers, across the city and is planning to invest more than $10 billion for similar upgrades over the next decade.

About the NYC Department of Environmental Protection

DEP manages New York City's water supply, providing approximately 1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water each day to nearly 10 million residents, including 8.5 million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. DEP also protects the health and safety of New Yorkers by enforcing the Air and Noise Codes and asbestos rules. DEP has a robust capital program, with a planned $29 billion in investments over the next 10 years. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us X, formerly known as Twitter.