Windmuller Park Gets $1.7 M Facelift

Windmuller Park, at 52nd Street and 39th Drive in Woodside, is receiving a $1.7 million facelift, with some of the funding coming from the city and some from the state. City

City Councilmember Eric Gioia joined Assemblymember Margaret Markey (l.), Queens Borough Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski (c.) and area residents at Windmuller Park in Woodside to break ground on a $1.7 million renovation project that will bring several dramatic capital improvements to the bedraggled park. Gioia spoke of the many hours he spent at the park as a youth playing basketball and baseball with his family, friends and neighbors. Councilmember Eric Gioia, Assemblymember Margaret Markey, Queens Borough Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski and Woodside residents and local leaders gathered at the park last week to formally break ground for the project, although the improvements began on February 13. When the renovations are completed, the park will feature a new amphitheater, a refurbished track, new exercise equipment, improved drainage and new landscaping. The renovations will take approximately eight to nine months to complete; residents will use a smaller park adjacent to Windmuller Park while the renovations are going on.

In the course of the passing years, the park's landscaping has become sparse, the drainage has deteriorated and the track has cracked and slumped. The $1.7 million investment will alleviate the problems and revitalize the facility. "With this investment, we not only enhance the quality of life for Woodsiders, but we reclaim Windmuller Park as a true gem in our neighborhood," Gioia declared at the groundbreaking ceremonies. "Soon, the people of our neighborhood and our entire borough will be able to jog on a new track, work out with the latest exercise equipment, or simply relax to the sounds of a delightful band on a sunny summer day."

"Working together as a community, I believe that we have come up with a wonderful redesign of Windmuller Park that will serve the Woodside and Sunnyside communities for generations to come," Markey said.