December 18, 2023

Newly renovated schoolyard features green infrastructure to absorb stormwater runoff, reduce neighborhood flooding, and protect local waterways

Photos are available on DEP’s Flickr Page

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection and The Trust for Public Land, in partnership with Council Member Robert Holden and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr., on Monday celebrated the opening of the newly renovated ‘green’ schoolyard at P.S. 153Q, Maspeth Elementary, in Maspeth, Queens. The upgraded playground features green infrastructure that will manage 1.3 million gallons of storm water per year, helping to reduce runoff that can flood streets and overwhelm neighborhood sewer systems, allowing untreated water to pollute New York City waterways, including nearby Newtown Creek and the East River.

“To better manage the extreme rainfall that climate change is bringing to New York City we are looking at every property for opportunities to let the water absorb naturally into the ground and this beautiful playground is a terrific example of what we can do,” said New York City Chief Climate Officer and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “We have now built green infrastructure to absorb stormwater at nearly 200 schools, parks, NYCHA campuses and other public spaces, all in an effort to reduce flooding and protect public safety and property.”

“This new community space is a key part of our work to close the park equity gap and increase climate resiliency,” said Mary Alice Lee, NYC Playgrounds Program Director for Trust for Public Land. “In addition to serving the entire neighborhood with quality park space, this schoolyard will give students the opportunity to learn and play outdoors and its green infrastructure features will absorb millions of gallons of stormwater that would otherwise flood our city streets.”

“I firmly believe that investing in our children and enhancing schoolyards and facilities is essential to our community's future,” said Council Member Robert Holden. “It is great to bring back tax dollars to PS 153Q and collaborate with the Trust for Public Land to develop a stunning new playground for our students and community to enjoy."

“This new playground is truly a state-of-the-art space where children can have fun, which is what they deserve after they underwent so much social isolation during the pandemic,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “This project also help address the need for all city residents to have access to high-quality recreational space. So I’m very proud to have contributed $300,000 in funding for this playground, because the children of Maspeth deserve to both learn and play in modern, first-class facilities that will allow them to reach their fullest potential.”

The schoolyard will give quality park access to nearly 15,000 residents within a 10-minute walk of the school. Since 1996, TPL has helped complete 226 schoolyards across New York City, including 71 in Queens alone.

The schoolyard was designed using The Trust for Public Land’s unique participatory design process where teachers and students contributed ideas and voted on the final plan. In addition to green infrastructure, students from Maspeth Elementary designed the schoolyard space to include a turf field, running track, play equipment, garden space, a Little Library, and an outdoor classroom.

TPL’s goal for every schoolyard is to turn blacktop “playgrounds” into vibrant, verdant spaces that do double duty as neighborhood parks outside of school hours. Opening all the nation’s public schoolyards during non-school hours would put a park within a 10-minute walk of nearly 20 million people—solving the problem of outdoor access for one-fifth of the 100 million people across the country who don’t currently have a park close to home. These Community Schoolyards projects are improving the health, equity, and climate resilience of neighborhoods across the country and transforming the lives of students, families, teachers, and the whole community.

About Trust for Public Land

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 4 million acres of public land, created more than 5,364 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $93 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected nearly 9.4 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.

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 8.8 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 $31 billion in investments over the next 10 years. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter.