Author: Cornershop

c. Paul Martinka

PPA Profiles: Paul Curtin

April 13, 2015

Paul Curtin is Head Pro and Junior Development Director at the Prospect Park Tennis Center. A Florida native, he started working at the Tennis Center in 2003. “We have a community here that is very tennis friendly,” says Paul, “I love the diversity we see on the courts and the shared enthusiasm for the game.”

As Junior Development Director, Paul leads the Summer Youth Program, which is designed for youth ages 6 to 16 to learn the game and improve their serve, stroke and confidence on the court. Paul was a relative latecomer to tennis. He didn’t pick up a racquet until age 12 but then went on to become a very accomplished player. He loves working with the youth at the Tennis Center. He finds it rewarding to introduce children to tennis and watch their games develop. He also enjoys the challenge of teaching and finding new ways to express tennis techniques. “It takes patience and persistence,” Paul says, “but it’s great to see players mature.”

Registration for the Summer Youth Program is now open. Youth engage in drills and match play for both individualized tips and experience working in groups. Beginners will gain a thorough understanding of the game, as well as basic skills and strategies. Experienced players can hone their game with individualized instruction geared toward match play. Learn more about the Summer Youth Program and sign up today.

c. Paul Martinka

PPA Profiles: Volunteers

March 16, 2015

Volunteers are essential to the Alliance’s maintenance efforts. This month we had a chat with a few of our most committed members. 

Prospect Park has never looked better. The Prospect Park Alliance couldn’t have done it without the help of our amazing Volunteer Corps. Each week hundreds of people donate their time and efforts to making Brooklyn’s urban treasure clean and healthy. The annual Volunteer Appreciate Awards is our way of recognizing some of the most committed volunteers. This month we profiled a few members of the Prospect Park volunteer family. Read the full profiles here.

c. Paul Martinka

Brooklyn Ice

This winter, Brooklyn Ice, a nonprofit organization that provides free afterschool figure skating lessons to community youth, returned to Prospect Park after a several year absence with the first full winter season of ice skating at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside.

Brooklyn Ice was founded over ten years ago in Prospect Park by Violet Eagan, a longtime figure skating coach, with the mission of making figure skating an accessible sport for underserved youth. The program launched in 2004 with just 12 neighborhood youth, and has grown to support over 60 youth, providing not only skating instruction but also academic tutoring and special workshops on nutrition, college preparation and more.

“Encouraging personal growth through sport and community is our goal,” says Eagan. “It’s a great opportunity for the kids to meet new friends outside of their regular school day while improving skate skills and becoming better members of the community.”

Participants in the program are recruited from schools neighboring Prospect Park, and the program brings together a diverse group over the course of several years, enabling youth to form long-term friendships. “My favorite thing about Brooklyn Ice is that it gets you moving,” said Lucero, a fifth grader at PS 10. “Your not just sitting in the house, you are having fun working with people.”

The program will run through March 23, when students will present their skills to the public at the Brooklyn Ice Annual Skating Show at 6 pm at the LeFrak Center. The ice show not only showcases the progress and efforts of the students participating in the program, but features guest performers including Jimmy Ma, a figure skating senior national competitor. Prospect Park Alliance members receive a $5 discount on advance ticket purchases using the code PPA15.

 

Let it Rain

As regular cyclists, joggers and walkers in Prospect Park know, heavy storms can cause flooding along the Park Drive and pathways as runoff makes its way through the Park’s drainage system, which is nearly 150 years old. Stormwater management has become one of the biggest priorities for the Alliance’s Design and Construction team. Flooding not only hinders use of the Park, but also can have harmful consequences on the Park’s landscapes and ecosystems.

Nearly all new construction projects in Prospect Park, including the LeFrak Center at Lakeside  and the major renovation of the Long Meadow Ballfields, include sustainable stormwater systems. In addition, the Alliance’s Design and Construction team is exploring other ecologically minded improvements that can be implemented around the Park. New rain gardens that were recently installed along the Park Drive near Park Circle are examples of sustainable stormwater management. This project was made possible by residents of the 39th New York City Council District who voted in participatory budgeting in 2012, which was organized through the office of New York City Council Member Brad Lander.

Rain gardens are landscaped areas intended to collect stormwater runoff and allow it to slowly infiltrate the soil. A small trench is dug into the landscape and surrounded by native water-tolerant plants, such as New York Aster, Inkberry Holly, Bearberry and several native grasses. The gardens are not only beautiful additions to the Park, they also serve several important functions.

“In addition to absorbing stormwater so it doesn’t overwhelm the Park’s aging drainage system, rain gardens create an environmentally friendly method for filtering water and reducing erosion, which can have a devastating impact on the grass, shrubs and trees,” said Justine Heilner, the Alliance’s Senior Landscape Architect. “The rain gardens were planted this fall, and we already have seen a significant reduction in flooding. We are excited to see how they evolve this spring, and hope to install more throughout the Park.”

Elizabeth Keegin Colley

8 Things to Enjoy this Spring

From family hikes with expert naturalists to performances by chart-topping entertainers, Prospect Park has you covered this spring. We’ve compiled our top eight concerts, programs and events not to miss this season. What are you looking forward to this spring? Share with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with #ProspectParkSpring

1. Spring Break

You don’t have to go to the beach to have fun during this annual school break. Join the Alliance at some of your favorite Park destinations, which will have special programming throughout the week. Take a first spin of the season on the Park’s 1912 Carousel, enjoy nature programs at the Audubon Center, plant spring sprouts at the Lefferts Historic House and enjoy the start of the rollerskating season at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside.

2. Opening Day

Join us April 11 for the Alliance’s annual Opening Day celebration with the Prospect Park Baseball Association. Thousands of players march up Seventh Avenue accompanied by a marching band and other special guests to the Bandshell for the ceremonial first pitch of the season. Play ball!

3. Pop-up Audubon

On April 16, the Prospect Park Alliance introduces twice the Pop-Up Audubon fun with a second tent that explores the aquatic habitats of Prospect Park as well as Discovery Packs, ready-to-go kits filled with fun nature activities for families to explore the Park. April’s theme, Animal Clues, will investigate the birds and wildlife that make their home in the Park near water.

4. Party for the Park

Help support the Park you love on May 14 at the second annual Party for the Park, an unforgettable night of dancing, cocktails and small bites from some of Brooklyn’s favorite chefs and mixologists.

5. Celebrate Brooklyn!

Now in its 37th season, Celebrate Brooklyn! will rock the Bandshell starting June 3 with a free performance by the Queen of Funk, Chaka Khan. Other favorites in this year’s line up are Willie Nelson, Interpol and more. Check our website soon for the full calendar.

6. Lola Star’s Dreamland Disco 

Lola Star’s Dreamland Disco will return to the LeFrak Center at Lakeside for another season of weekly themed rollerskating dance parties featuring your favorite hits from the 1970s and ‘80s. 

7. New York Philharmonic

There are few experiences more peaceful than listening to the sounds of the New York Philharmonic as you’re stretched out on a blanket in the Long Meadow. Help celebrate the 50th anniversary of Concerts in the Park at this annual event, taking place this year on June 19. Members at the Arborist level and above will receive special access. Become a member today. 

8. Pop Up Dinner Brooklyn

Keep an eye out for the announcement of the second annual Pop-Up Dinner Brooklyn, an evening where thousands of Park lovers, dressed in white, picnic under the stars at secret location in Prospect Park.  See photos from last years’s event. Members will receive early access to presale tickets. Become a member today. 

 

PPA Profiles: Joani Akpan

March 15, 2015

Joani Akpan has been a dedicated member of the Prospect Park Tennis Center community for over 15 years and is a strong advocate of youth tennis. She has loved the game since the age of ten.

A native of Seattle, Washington, she moved to New York in 1990 and currently lives in Old Mill Basin in South Brooklyn.  Approximately fifteen years ago she became more involved in the sport and started playing at the Prospect Park Tennis Center. A player and teacher, Joani is the Metro coordinator for Junior Team Tennis, a USTA league for youth ages 8-18. She also is the Director of Youth Tennis Leagues, another youth program that uses drills and match play to introduce strategy and game basics.

“Both of my children are in college now, so it’s great to work with the 300-plus kids in the Junior Team Tennis and Youth Tennis Leagues,” Joani said. 

For Joani, tennis is a family affair. Her husband Obong Akpan has been a longtime player at the Center, and their two children volunteered throughout high school for Special Aces, the Alliance’s skills and confidence-boosting program for developmentally disabled children. Joani enjoys the Center’s Har-Tru courts, as well as the comfortable, convenient and friendly atmosphere. When she’s not on the court, she loves to ride her bike and walk her dog around Prospect Park.

c. Martin Seck

Splash Pad Named Best of New York

March 10, 2015

New York Magazine has named the Splash Pad at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside as Best Kids’ Cool Down in its 2015 Best of New York issue.  This is the second year in a row that the Alliance has been featured in Best of New York, with the Donald and Barbara Zucker Natural Exploration Area named Best Playground last year.

The Splash Pad, offically known as the Matilda Raffa Cuomo Water Playground, is the LeFrak Center’s free water play area for kids 12 and under. Open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the water feature welcomed over 30,000 visitors last summer. Featuring 47 water spray jets and covering 16,000 square feet, Splash Pad is largest water play area in Prospect Park. In addition, the LeFrak Center offers roller skating, the Bluestone Café, and surrounding landscapes for picnicking and relaxation. 

 

Winter Wonderland

February 12, 2015

While Winter Storm Juno was not the predicted storm of the century, it did transform Prospect Park into a scenic winter wonderland. Keeping the Park safe and ready for thousands of visitors is not a small feat, and crews worked tirelessly around the clock, contributing from start to end nearly 900 hours to shoveling, plowing, salting and other forms of snow removal.

The Alliance maintains a very small fleet of plows and salt spreaders, which requires an “all hands on deck” approach, as staff do everything possible to stay ahead of storms. Mowers were converted with special brooms into high-powered snow removal devices, but much of the work involved manual labor with staff on the ground operating blowers, shoveling and spreading salt.

The team’s first priority is clearing the Park Drive, entrances and perimeter sidewalks, an operation that took place throughout the night of the storm. The next day, crews focused on shoveling out fire hydrants, bus stops, staircases and crosswalks, with over 40 crosswalks at Grand Army Plaza alone. Even volunteers got into the effort, with a group from the Church of the Latter Day Saints who shoveled staircases in the Vale of Cashmere.

The result of these efforts could be seen in the sheer number of visitors who descended on the Park to enjoy the snow. Prospect Park became the symbol of a New York winter wonderland, thanks to a video posted by Mayor de Blasio, and photographs of the Park in publications around the world. 

Enjoy our photo gallery from Winter Storm Juno, and continue to share your photos with us by posting to our Facebook page or to Instagram with #prospectpark.

 

c. Martin Seck

PPA Profiles: Steven DiFalco

Many New Yorkers are surprised to learn that there is a thriving forest in the heart of Brooklyn. When the Alliance was first founded in the 1987, the woodlands were in a dire state, and in the mid-1990s the Alliance began an ambitious restoration of the heart of the Park’s woodlands, the Ravine. Monitoring the ecological health of the woodlands is an ongoing process, and is spearheaded by the Alliance’s Forest Ecologist Steven DiFalco. Steven joined the Alliance this past June, and continues the work of a long line of committed ecologists in this role.

Steven’s primary role is to monitor the health, height and growth of Prospect Park’s woodlands, which include trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. It is a precarious balancing act of selecting the right native species to plant, and deciding exactly where to plant them to maintain a delicate ecosystem. This means choosing plants, shrubs and trees that will attract birds, repel invasive species and resist harmful insects. In the winter months, Steven analyzes data collected throughout the year, which helps the Landscape Management team decide what to plant and where, as well as spot early signs of disease.

“Some of the trees alone are more than a century old,” said Steven. “It’s extremely important that they receive proper care so they might be there for future generations.”

Steven recently settled into an apartment in Ditmas Park. He has always wanted to live and work in New York. His heart was set on working for an ecologically friendly non-profit organization, which to some sounded unlikely. Like many visitors who come to Prospect Park, Steven was astounded by what he found in Brooklyn’s 585-acre oasis.

“I was shocked by the number of ways that people used the Park,” he said, “I didn’t expect to see so many cyclists, joggers, hikers, soccer players and kids. Prospect Park is beautiful, but it’s the people that make it really special.”

c. Michael Moran/OTTO

Valentine Date Ideas

What better way to spend your Valentine’s weekend than with your loved ones in Prospect Park.

LeFrak Center at Lakeside
Enjoy a date night on ice, with romantic jazz music to accompany a glide around the rinks, and small bites or dinner at the Bluestone Cafe. On Sunday, families can meet Clifford the Big Red Dog at the Figure 8 Play Date and make Valentine-themed arts and crafts. 

Winter Walk
Take in nature and some of the most scenic vistas in Prospect Park on a winter walk to Lookout Hill, one of the highest points in Brooklyn, with unparalleled views of the Park, City and beyond. Take a walk >