It's been a little bit over two years since Mayor de Blasio announced a $30 million overhaul for Brownsville's Betsy Head Park and after numerous community and planning meetings the renovations are finally slated to begin this November, according to localize.city.
The complete makeover will roll out in two phases and focus on the sports and recreational areas. Portions of the park will remain open throughout the construction.
The first phase is scheduled to begin with the transformation of the park's northern section into a multi-purpose area. North of the playground, the city plans to build a new skate park, two basketball courts and active fitness area. The construction is expected to last at least a year.
The southern section of Betsy Head Park will follow in the summer of 2020 and bring new athletic amenities. The dustbowl fields will be replaced with synthetic turf with football, soccer and lacrosse striping, as well as two new turf softball fields. These sports fields will be surrounded by a new rubberized track.
Along Livonia Avenue, several of the handball courts will be replaced by a second basketball court, as well as seating and an adult fitness equipment section. Additional fitness equipment will be installed along Dumont Avenue. The project is expected to be completed by summer 2021.
By late 2020, the park will also be furnished with new restrooms, built between the playground and the multi-purpose space.
The makeover builds upon the last renovations Betsy Head Park underwent in 2016 when the "Imagination Playground," a state-of-the-art freeform play structure, was installed.
Brooklynites can follow the project's progress here.
