POUGHKEEPSIE – Malcolm X Park in Poughkeepsie’s Third Ward alongside Fall Kill Creek, has been reopened after being redesigned and restored.
The park’s recreational facilities had suffered from years of deferred maintenance and its location on the edge of the Fall Kill posed environmental challenges.
In 2020, the city committed to restoring and revitalizing the park by partnering with New City Parks and Scenic Hudson to work with community partners to redesign and restore the park.
New City Parks Executive Director Rose Harvey said along with Scenic Hudson and the community, they were able to “translate the vision of all the users into a buildable park, raising public dollars for its construction and providing seed funding to program and steward the part for the future.”
The city also received funding from the State’s Environmental Facilities Corporation to add new green infrastructure elements into the newly restored park.
Visitors to the park can now enjoy newly installed playground equipment, a new pavilion, newly resurfaced basketball courts with new hoops, backboards and bleachers, many new trees and native shrubs, a new walking path, benches, tables, and grills, and a new community designed and painted mural honoring Malcolm X’s legacy.
