Take a look at improvements to Malcolm X Park in City of Poughkeepsie

Chris Potter, Poughkeepsie Journal
·2 min read

Malcolm X Park will officially reopen in the 3rd Ward on Thursday with a 4:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the City of Poughkeepsie, New City Parks and Scenic Hudson.

The event, open to the public, will cap a three-year project to improve the city park next to Fall Kill Creek. The city hired New City Parks in 2020 to kickstart the revitalization effort. New City Parks engaged community stakeholders to re-design and restore the park’s recreational facilities, which had suffered from years of neglect.

Malcolm X Park in the City of Poughkeepsie features new benches, tables and landscaping, among other improvements.
Malcolm X Park in the City of Poughkeepsie features new benches, tables and landscaping, among other improvements.

The city noted that the park’s position at the edge of the Fall Kill also presented environmental challenges. Funding provided by New York state, though, supported efforts to mitigate stormwater run-off while adding new green infrastructure to provide shade and cooler temperatures.

Upgrades to Malcolm X Park include new playground equipment, a new pavilion, freshly resurfaced basketball courts with new hoops, backboards and bleachers, plus a new walking path, benches and tables. Changes to the landscape include newly planted trees and native shrubs. The park also features a new mural honoring Malcolm X’s legacy, designed and painted by the community.

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Malcolm X Park in the City of Poughkeepsie features new playground equipment, among other improvements.
Malcolm X Park in the City of Poughkeepsie features new playground equipment, among other improvements.
Malcolm X Park in the City of Poughkeepsie features freshly resurfaced basketball courts with new hoops, backboards and bleachers, among other improvements.
Malcolm X Park in the City of Poughkeepsie features freshly resurfaced basketball courts with new hoops, backboards and bleachers, among other improvements.

Poughkeepsie Mayor Marc Nelson, New City Parks Executive Director Rose Harvey, and Scenic Hudson Land Trust and Land Programs Executive Director Seth McKee are all scheduled to speak at the event.

Community partners contributing to the park's revitalization include Northside residents, Nubian Directions, the Art Effect, MASS Design Group, the Poughkeepsie Farm Project, Ecological Citizens, and the Northside Collaborative, “a group of community leaders, municipal representatives, and local organizations created to focus on how to improve access to open space in the Northside of Poughkeepsie.”

Poughkeepsie’s Department of Engineering oversaw the reconstruction project.

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Malcolm X Park in Poughkeepsie set to reopen, highlight improvements