Yorktown to Renovate Parks and Enhance Police Headquarters Accessibility

Railroad Park’s basketball court, the Hanover East Playground and the promenade at police headquarters will soon receive needed upgrades.

The Town Board authorized recreation staff to bid documents for a $70,000 facelift for the basketball court at Railroad Park, a facility that has not been renovated in more than 20 years.

“This project has to happen…I used to live in the apartments on Underhill, and this was the place that we used to go to play basketball,” said parks and recreation Commissioner John Campobasso. “All those kids that live in that area, this is where they can walk. They can’t drive to Granite Knolls.”

Upgrades at the park will include a demolition of the existing court to install new drainage and tree-root barriers. The court will then be repaved, striped, and outfitted with new hoops.

“You have a beautiful, refurbished train station there, why would you not have a beautiful new court there too?” parks and recreation Superintendent James Martorano said to the Town Board on Tuesday.

Martorano also explained to the Town Board that a replacement of the Hanover East Playground is in the final stages of approval. Residents in that neighborhood have approved a $50,000 playground replacement.

“In the last eighteen months we have made significant investments and improvements to our parks,” said Supervisor Matt Slater. “Last year’s initial safety audit of our playgrounds, the first in recent memory, gave us a roadmap for repairs and modernization of our local playgrounds. The improvements to Railroad Park and Hanover East will be terrific for our community.”

The Town Board also agreed to seek proposals for the promenade at police headquarters, which does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.