According to the Advance's count, the closure of Mahoney Park, above, along with the crumbling Cromwell Center, cut almost in half the number of basketball courts available in the densely populated ZIP code, 10301. Even before the closures, limited real estate and unspoken playground rules saw smaller children in New Brighton frequently ceding basketball court space to the big kids. Cromwell had 12 hoops, Mahoney, two. STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE FILE PHOTOStaten Island
When residents of New Brighton learned last week that local Mahoney Playground was closed until September for renovations, they were thrilled for the makeover but appalled over its timing, according to the Staten Island Advance.
The $1.8 million renovation of Mahoney will turn a terraced asphalt park into a central recreation hub with a multi-purpose field, two new basketball courts, two handball courts, new spray showers, drinking fountains, and a new layer of landscaping.
But just as students unload the burden of their backpacks and set out for the long days of play that define summer, two popular recreation spots within a mile of the Staten Island Ferry terminal have fallen out of commission.
By the Advance’s count, the closure of Mahoney and the crumbling Cromwell Center cut almost in half the number of basketball courts available in the densely populated ZIP code, 10301.
Even before the closures, limited real estate and unspoken playground rules saw smaller children in New Brighton frequently ceding basketball court space to the big kids.
The $1.8 million renovation of Mahoney will turn a terraced asphalt park into a central recreation hub with a multi-purpose field, two new basketball courts, two handball courts, new spray showers, drinking fountains, and a new layer of landscaping.
But just as students unload the burden of their backpacks and set out for the long days of play that define summer, two popular recreation spots within a mile of the Staten Island Ferry terminal have fallen out of commission.
By the Advance’s count, the closure of Mahoney and the crumbling Cromwell Center cut almost in half the number of basketball courts available in the densely populated ZIP code, 10301.
Even before the closures, limited real estate and unspoken playground rules saw smaller children in New Brighton frequently ceding basketball court space to the big kids.
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Staten Island Advance - June 10, 2010 - By Tevah Platt
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