Murray Park in Long Island City is about to get a major overhaul (Photo: Michael Dorgan, Queens Post)
Sept. 28, 2022 By Michael Dorgan – Updated
A public park in the heart of Long Island City is about to get a major overhaul.
The athletic field at Murray Park, located between 11th Street and 21st Street, is set to be completely resurfaced while the dog run at the park will be upgraded.
Councilmember Julie Won, who represents the 26th council district in western Queens, made the announcement at the park Tuesday after her office secured $5.3 million in city funds for the project.
Won presented Queens Borough Parks Commissioner Michael Dockett with a check to pay for the upcoming makeover. They were joined yesterday by a number of Parks Dept. officials and local residents.
The revamp will consist of ripping up the dated synthetic grass that covers the field and replacing it with a new, high-quality surface.
The park’s athletic field is situated on the western side of the park and is around 180 feet long and 150 feet wide. It consists of two small soccer pitches, and it also has markings for baseball. It has not been replaced in around 15 years and is in need of repairs, according to Won.
The revamp will consist of ripping up the dated synthetic grass that covers the field and replacing it with a new, high-quality surface (Photo: Michael Dorgan, Queens Post)
The dog run at Murray Park will also be revamped (Photo: Michael Dorgan, Queens Post)
Meanwhile, the park’s dog run, which is situated on the southeastern corner of the park, will also be revamped. The run currently consists of a large wood-chipped area for dogs to exercise and a number of benches for dog owners to sit down.
The cost to replace the surface on the athletic field will be $4.1 million while the tab for the new dog run will come to $1.2 million, Won said.
Residents will be able to weigh in on the designs of the project at a future community input meeting with the Parks Dept. Once the designs have been finalized, a timeline for the construction of the project will be released, a spokesperson for the Parks Dept. told the Queens Post.
Won said the Parks Dept. has also agreed to repair broken tiles at the children’s sprinklers system — inside the park’s playground area — and improve security lighting throughout the park.
Furthermore, she said, the agency pledged to implement a regular gardening and cleaning schedule throughout the entire park — while also cleaning excess sand from the playground every day.
“Since my first day in office, I heard from parents about capital investments needed to renovate Murray Playground,” Won said.
“As a mom, I want to make sure that our parks are clean, safe, and fun for our children so I’m happy to announce that through our advocacy, we secured $5.3 million from the City Council for much-needed improvements to the park.”
Won (C) presented Queens Borough Parks Commissioner Michael Dockett, pictured second from the left, with a check for the project. They were joined by a number of Parks Dept. officials and local residents (Photo: Julie Won via Twitter)
The announcement comes just weeks after the two basketball courts at the park were resurfaced.
The two courts, which are situated on the westernmost side of Murray Park and adjacent to the athletic field, were painted in blue and green-colored tones while the backboards on the courts were also replaced.
The total cost of the transformation was $140,000 and was funded entirely by Five Star Basketball, a Westchester county-based organization that organizes basketball camps for youths throughout the state.
The dog run at Murray Park will also be revamped (Photo: Michael Dorgan, Queens Post)
The park’s athletic field is situated on the western side of the park. It consists of two small soccer pitches and it also has markings for baseball (Photo: Michael Dorgan, Queens Post)
An aerial view of Murray Park (Google Maps)
The park’s athletic field is situated on the western side of the park. It consists of two small soccer pitches and it also has markings for baseball (Photo: Michael Dorgan, Queens Post)
Murray Park in Long Island City is about to get a major overhaul (Photo: Michael Dorgan, Queens Post)
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