The portion of the field that will be renovated is the College Point Baseball Field near Ulmer Street and 26th Avenue in College Point (Google Maps)
Oct. 22, 2021 By Allie Griffin
A sports field in College Point will get a $4.5 million facelift — including the conversion of a baseball field into a soccer field — via council funding secured by Council Member Paul Vallone.
The money will fund the conversion of a portion of College Point Fields baseball diamond into a grass soccer field, the reconstruction of sidewalks adjacent to the park and upgrades to drainage in the area. It will also be used to plant new grass and prune trees in the park.
Demand for soccer fields in the area and the city as a whole has grown significantly in recent years, Vallone said. He hopes the new field will make College Point a destination for soccer clubs throughout Queens, he added.
The project is the latest in a number of renovations to upgrade College Point Fields, located on 130th Street between 23rd and 26th Avenues, into a premier community sports center.
Vallone previously secured more than $7 million in conjunction with the mayor to construct a state-of-the-art American football field that is set to be completed later this year. He and the borough president’s office also secured $2.8 million to construct sports and security lighting at the park.
“I am grateful to the Speaker and the Borough President for their generous investments in College Point,” Vallone said. “This new field will alleviate the current long waits for soccer field permits in our district, and all investments made during my term have transformed the park for decades to come. ”
The project received high praise from a local environmental nonprofit.
“These football and soccer fields will be a wonderful addition to the community at a time when there’s a huge and growing demand for open space,” said Kat Cervino of the Coastal Preservation Network. “The fields at this site were terrible dustbowls — little more than dirt — back in the ’70s. It is fantastic to see the dramatic improvements that continue to take place!”
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