Final week, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani gave a speech asserting his transition crew in Flushing Meadows Corona Park instantly in entrance of the Unisphere: the long-lasting image of Queens. But the backdrop wasn’t practically as dynamic because it might need been for the event.
The centerpiece of the 1964-65 World’s Honest has suffered from a scarcity of modernized infrastructure and frequent flooding throughout the park. The Unisphere’s water options and the Fountain of the Festivals, a misting fountain for residents to chill off in through the summer season, are each at present out of operation.
Nonetheless, Mamdani selected to face in entrance of the Unisphere a day after his election as town’s 111th mayor — and the primary ever to hail from Queens.
“We chose this location as a representation of the borough I serve and the fact that we are proud to be known as the ‘World’s Borough,’” Mamdani mentioned in entrance of the fountain.
Whether or not the brand new mayor will be capable of restore the Unisphere to its former glory, nevertheless, is a unique story.
Whereas Mamdani has not introduced any plans on the park itself, a spokesperson has confirmed his administration will work with the Metropolis Council to just about double the NYC Parks price range within the coming years.
Nonetheless, his workplace didn’t reply for remark with any present plans devoted to restoring the fountains or Flushing Meadows Corona Park specifically.
Symbols of price range shortfalls
A panorama view of the Unisphere on the 2024 Queens Marathon in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Picture by Marek Antoniuk
The Unisphere and Fountain of the Festivals went offline within the spring when the underground electrical system flooded because of a leak within the water line, and a NYC Parks spokesperson mentioned the division continues to be attempting to safe the funding to repair it.
After Hurricane Sandy hit Queens and Flushing Meadows onerous in 2012, round $7 million was allotted to revive the fountain’s plumbing, add extra jets and repave the realm just like the art-deco model of the Nineteen Thirties when the park was first constructed.
“Flushing Meadows Corona Park stands as one of the crown jewels of New York City’s park system, a magnificent green space that serves as a cultural and recreational beacon for our diverse communities,” mentioned an NYC Parks spokesperson.
Throughout his 2021 marketing campaign, Mayor Eric Adams pledged to dedicate 1% of town’s price range to DPR, however fell wanting this objective yearly all through his time period. In reality, Adams lowered the division’s price range yearly he was in workplace, the place DPR receives .55% of the annual price range.
Though 2026 will elevate DPR’s funding nearer to its pre-Adams administration stage, his unique promise of practically doubling the price range for our parks by no means got here to fruition.
Mamdani’s platform centered largely on town’s affordability, however when requested about NYC Parks and the Division of Sanitation (DSNY) throughout a press convention asserting Dean Fuleihan as First Deputy Mayor and Elle Bisgaard-Church as Chief of Employees, he affirmed his incoming administration will attempt to make town extra “livable” in methods past prices.
“There is no concern too small to be of importance to those of us within City Hall,” Mamdani mentioned. “Whether public goods are functioning well across the city; be it a clean park that is fully staffed and has people looking to it as a place to find joy and rest or be it sanitation, where we are not spending an entire budget process debating whether to remove trash cans from street corners, as opposed to increasing trash collection.”
Flushing Meadows in want of TLC, and metropolis funding
The Alliance of Flushing Meadows Corona Park (AFMCP) is a non-profit group that works with DPR to keep up the park for residents as part of the stewardship program. Each main park within the metropolis has its personal group, however in comparison with the others of equally sized parks, equivalent to Central Park or Prospect Park, the AFMCP is way newer and receives a lot much less funding.
AFMCP fashioned in 2015 and have become a devoted non-profit in 2023. The Central Park Conservancy receives 277 occasions the quantity of personal funding as AFMCP as of 2024.
“NYC Parks remains steadfastly dedicated to preserving and enhancing this treasured landscape, recognizing it as one of our most beloved and heavily utilized parks that deserves our unwavering commitment to excellence in stewardship and care,” mentioned the NYC Parks spokesperson.
Flushing Meadows at present solely receives 35% of the $15 million required for correct park upkeep, in accordance with AFMCP Govt Director Anthony Sama. Program Director Rob Carson says many usually use the time period “chronic neglect” when referring to the park, which he finds notably disconcerting.
Nonetheless, Carson emphasised that NYC Parks does its greatest with its present price range and that the park itself is uniquely difficult to keep up in comparison with others.
The monuments have been constructed with out longevity in thoughts, as they’re usually both dismantled or offered to personal homeowners as soon as the occasion ends. However the Unisphere, the Fountain of the Festivals and different landmarks are what give Flushing Meadows its distinctive look amongst New York Metropolis’s parks and are price sustaining for the park’s stewards.
Particularly since attendance of the US Open tennis event grows yearly and the development of the Etihad Park soccer stadium can be accomplished in 2027, drawing much more guests from the world over.
“When you fly into either of the two airports in Queens, JFK or LaGuardia, usually the first thing you see is a big picture of the Unisphere when you’re getting off your plane,” Carson mentioned. “It’s a symbol of Queens. It’s a symbol of the city.”
Carson says the practically 900 acres are maintained by a crew of solely 14 folks, and the AFMCP hopes Mamdani’s administration follows by means of with the NYC Parks price range enhance so it may well focus much less on upkeep and start so as to add extra options to serve the neighborhood.
Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless unknown how a lot of the funding will go to Flushing Meadows $10 million upkeep price range deficit. Sooner or later, Carson hopes the pavilion corridor will be restored to its former glory to be a usable area for occasions or neighborhood conferences, and that the incoming mayor acknowledges the standing of the park sufficient to put money into the admittedly giant tab that may make its infrastructure on-par with the opposite boroughs’ symbolic inexperienced areas.
“Flushing Meadows Corona Park is one of the city’s most dynamic and vibrant green spaces. Not only is it steeped in a rich history that is so integral to the story of New York City, but it still serves as a melting pot of new culture, ideas, and opportunity to this day,” mentioned Sama. “It’s time the city fully invests in these vital public spaces so we can ensure they are here to serve future generations of New Yorkers.”
