Borough President Vito Fossella, Council Member Kamillah Hanks Allocate Funds To Improve Walker Park

Borough President Vito Fossella and Council Member Kamillah Hanks were surrounded by excited campers as they announced allocations to improve Walker Park in Randall Manor, which is well-known for its history of hosting the oldest cricket club in the United States.
 
The allocations include $1.9 million in capital grant funding from Borough President Fossella to improve safety service, paving and play units and $2.9 million from Council Member Hanks to refurbish the park’s six basketball courts. Also joining them was Staten Island Parks Commissioner Lynda Ricciardone.
 
“Walker Park has a very rich tradition,” Borough President Fossella said during a press conference.. “Clearly, Walker Park serves a great area here on the North Shore, but as you see people come from across Staten Island to use the tennis courts. And, the good news today is that the Council Member and I decided that we wanted to reinvest in this park and allow more young people and future generations to enjoy it, so we will allocate funding to build a new playground off to my left and new basketball courts off to my right.”

Borough President Fossella and Council Member Hanks said the allocations are a result of answering the call from neighborhood residents to improve Walker Park.

“We respond, we do what we can and we try to our best, because all you can do in life is try your best, but we also try to establish priorities,” Borough President Fossella said. “There are some things you can do and some things you can’t do. When we have to make decisions, this is a reflection of what we think a priority is – to continue to reinvest in parks, to continue to allow younger people and the next generation and the generations thereafter to enjoy and it’s not just right here in Walker Park, we trying to do this across Staten Island.”

The campers stole the show, speaking like future elected officials.

“I would just like to say thank you for building a new basketball court,” said Anthony, who graduated from PS 35 in June. “I am a Boy Scout from Troop 37 and I really understand how parks are very well made, but I think this park can get a little reconstruction. I am very excited for the new improvements of Walker Park.”