Parks Department officials outlined a series of renovation projects planned for Calvert Vaux Park in Gravesend as two local lawmakers continued their push to get the de Blasio administration to pump $80 million into the park to turn the sprawling recreation spot into a regional destination for recreation seekers.
City Councilmembers Justin Brannan and Mark Treyger are working together to try and get at least some of the funding included in the new city budget going into effect on July 1.
The 85.5-acre Calvert Vaux Park, which boasts lush meadows and is home to pheasants, songbirds, turtles, frogs and rabbits, is technically located within Brannan’s council district. But Treyger said many of his constituents from Gravesend and Coney Island use the park.
Maeri Ferguson, a spokesperson for the Parks Department, said the park has received a great deal of the agency’s attention in recent years.
“As part of the OneNYC initiative, Calvert Vaux has continued to become a destination for athletics, relaxation, and enjoying nature. In addition to two completed synthetic turf fields, landscaping and lighting, an entry garden, and waterfront restoration, Parks is also building a new maintenance facility which will include a comfort station,” Ferguson told this newspaper.
Construction of the maintenance facility is expected to begin later this year, Ferguson said.
The Parks Department also created a habitat for waterfowl in Calvert Vaux Park, according to the agency’s website, www.nyc.govparks.org. The 3.5-acre habitat, which was built in 2013, also included a new boat launch as well as a new ramp, fence and plantings.
Named for Calvert Vaux (1824-1895), the English architect who worked with Frederick Law Olmsted on the design of Central Park, Calvert Vaux Park is located on Shore Parkway, stretching from Bay 44th Street to Bay 49th Street.
Brannan called the park “a diamond in the rough.”
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