$2M Bathroom Tops Off Renovations To 18th Avenue Park

The long-awaited, $7.5 million renovations to the heavily-used 18th Avenue/Gravesend Park were finally completed this weekend with the opening of a shiny and spacious public restroom, said City Council Member David Greenfield.

“Took 7.5 years and $2 million but this completes the ENTIRE park as new!” writes Greenfield on twitter — to which one commenter responded: “We’re [sic] is the gold plated bathroom? Everyone was excepting [sic] them for $2M” (Greenfield’s office confirmed to BKLYNER that the total renovation cost $7.5 million, and $2 million of that funding went to the restrooms).

The 18th Avenue Park, a 6.3-acre park which stretches from 55th to 58th Street, serves thousands in Boro Park, Gravesend, and Bensonhurst. Greenfield has secured a total of $35 million in funding to renovate every park in his district but says that the 18th Avenue Park may be his most ambitious project yet.

The park re-opened last year after upgrades that included new playgrounds, basketball and handball courts, baseball fields, hundreds of new trees, 50 benches, and now a renovated public bathroom.

The neighborhood Park has also been called out for the many injured sustained on its playgrounds, it’s one of NYC’s top parks for the most playground injury lawsuits within a ten year period.

“I spent years playing at this park when I was a kid,” said Greenfield. “Unfortunately, I spent much of my time waiting for the play equipment to be available because the park was so poorly designed.”

In June, the Council Member told a Crain’s NY real estate conference that the high cost of this 400-square-foot public bathroom, and the 7 plus years it took to complete, was a sign that “Government sucks at development,” reports Crain’s. Greenfield, chair of the city’s land-use committee, used this example to advocate for more private-sector engagement for building municipal infrastructure.

A lack of public bathrooms has been an issue for park-goers all across Brooklyn, but the list of ‘open’ signs is growing. Check out another $2 million restroom that recently opened in Prospect Park — one that carries historical and environmental significance!