NYC PARKS BRINGS NEW LIFE TO 'CANNONBALL PARK” WITH $1.4 MILLION RENOVATION OF JOHN PAUL JONES PARK IN BAY RIDGE

NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa yesterday joined New York City Councilmember Justin Brannan, representatives from United States Army Garrison Fort Hamilton, and members of the community to celebrate the renovation of John Paul Jones Park in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. With the $1.4 project, which was completed in just ten weeks, Parks completely repaved the paths throughout the park, replaced the benches, and added a new entrance to the park.

"Thanks to this renovation, John Paul Jones Park has gotten a full facelift, with brand new benches, fully redone paths and plaza paving, and even a new entrance. These improvements make 'Cannonball Park,' as it's known in the neighborhood, an even more inviting space for classic events like the Kings County Memorial Day Parade. Best of all, we were able to complete this project far ahead of schedule!" said NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa. "Projects like this are great examples of how investing in our local parks can make our neighborhoods more beautiful and more welcoming, and we're grateful to Councilmember Brannan for his generous support as we refurbished this beloved local space."

In addition to the complete repaving of the park's paths and plaza, the project included much-needed repairs to curbs, a full replacement of all the benches in the park, and reseeding of lawn areas to enhance the park's greenery. The new entrance at 101st Street will allow easy access for the public at this beloved public greenspace, which serves as the final stop on the annual Kings County Memorial Day Parade. Thanks to Parks' Citywide Services team completing the project ahead of schedule, the Bay Ridge community could enjoy the park's improvements significantly sooner than the average public space improvement of its scale.

The park is named for American patriot and naval hero, John Paul Jones (1747-1792), who, through victorious leadership in the American Revolution, became known as "the Father of the Navy." Locally known as "Cannonball Park," the greenspace includes several military monuments, and features a massive 20" bore Parrott cannon that originally stood in Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania, complete with surrounding cannon balls.