After being closed for almost a week due to damage from Superstorm Sandy, Prospect Park will reopen to the public tomorrow at 8AM.
Some areas will still be off limits to the public while cleanup continues. The Lincoln Road Playground, Stewart Playground (at the Parade Ground), the area around Nellie’s Lawn, and most of the Woodlands remain closed until further notices. Other area will be marked by caution-tape and the public must avoid these areas.
Sad to say, the damage to Prospect Park exceeds what any storm has done to the Park in 25 years (as long as the Prospect Park Alliance has existed).
Over 300 hundred trees are down or so badly damaged that they will be taken down for safety. There were over 100 hanging limbs and almost 1,000 large branches and limbs are down or damaged.
“Alliance and Parks Department staffs have been working long hours to prepare the Park for its reopening to the public on Saturday,” said Emily Lloyd, Prospect Park Alliance President and Park Administrator. She added, “NYC Service brought over 170 volunteers into Prospect Park today to help clean up and they will be bringing many more on Saturday and Sunday. We also had 50 Army recruiters who were attending a meeting at Fort Hamilton and members of the United States Forest Service helping clear damaged areas. We are grateful for everyone’s support and service to the Park.”
Here’s a way you can help:
On Saturday, November 3rd at 9 a.m. there’s the Alliance’s Third Annual Walk-a-thon for Prospect Park and First Annual Run for Prospect Park (www.prospectpark.org/walkathon). All proceeds from the Walk-a-thon will be directed to help with the cleanup and restoration of the Park.