Andrews Grove, nicknamed Shady Park because of the large trees that once grew there, in Long Island City opened to a gaggle of happy parents and children last Friday for the first time since Hurricane Sandy.
The storm took down about six of the park’s giant trees. The massive roots ripped up the concrete, fell on the play equipment and damaged the gate between the 108th Precinct and the park on 49th Avenue by Vernon Boulevard.
On Friday a cleanup crew worked for hours removing 20 large garbage bags of debris. The team then reopened the smaller play structure on the west side of the park and a wide strip of asphalt running the length of the front of the park.
Then the LIC residents proceeded to decorate the park for the season. They lined the front gate with garlands and set up a Christmas tree. Elementary school-age children decorated the tree with shiny orb ornaments and tinsel while parents surrounded the base with poinsettias.
The larger playset is still closed to park-goers.
“It’s been a real loss,” said Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside), who helped decorate along with state Sen. Mike Gianaris (D-Astoria) and community residents. “We want to replant, rebuild and do even better.”
“Ultimately we need to come together and get the park back to where it used to be,” Gianaris said.
A friends of the park organization has begun conversations about what it would like to see happen.
“We need to list out all the pros and cons,” of what they want to do in broad terms, a woman who wished to go unnamed said. “It’s still too early for comment.”
“Parents will express what they think should be done to what is now a disaster area,” Van Bramer said.
One idea is to improve the sprinkler system that children run through during the summer months.
The Parks Department is charged with resurfacing the cracked asphalt, filling in the gashes that the large trees made when they fell and planting new trees to replace the fallen ones.
“We would find a way to plant more mature trees — unless we want to wait for 20 years for the trees to grow, but then we would lose a whole generation of children enjoying the park,” Gianaris said.
Van Bramer’s office approached some businesses, which he didn’t want to name yet, about contributing funds to buy larger trees. He hopes the whole park will be reopened by the time the weather warms up.
