Dome Park Entering Phase II of Planned Upgrade

Infamously known as one of “Brooklyn’s worst basketball courts,” the court, located in Dome Playground between Kensington and Williamsburg, is about to lose its negative title.

As Phase II of the park’s renovations gets underway, both the basketball and handball courts on the eastern side of the park are getting complete makeovers.

The Parks Department timeline expects the work to be done by April 2018. The park’s eastern side is near the intersection of Dahill and Courtelyou Roads.

The decrepit nature of the basketball court was first revealed citywide when Wall Street Journal reporter Stu Woo biked around town for two weeks in 2015 checking out the state of Brooklyn’s courts. Ranking them best to worst, Dome Park’s courts came in number 143 out of 172 total courts in the borough, known for its rapid gentrification and general improvement of facilities.

"This triangular-shaped park has a full court and two half courts, all filled with bad paint and worse cracks," wrote Woo in his article.

Phase II, which is also the last phase of the renovations, also includes the addition of accessible ramps, an adult fitness zone, a rebuilt park entrance, new benches, better lighting, improved gardens, and an easy to reach water fountain.

Community Board Encourages Working Together on New Park

Community leaders and Community Board Representatives met on February 24 for a Listening Session to discuss each group’s vision for a redesigned Dome Playground which will be built at 38^th Street and Dahill Road.

Also in attendance were representatives from the NYC Parks and Recreation Department, on hand to listen to the various ideas which were presented.

Maggie Tobin, the Kensington representative to Community Board 12 said that the meeting was composed of an “incredibly diverse group of people, a real cross-section of Kensington.”

The Brooklyn Deputy Parks Commissioner, Martin Maher welcomed the group.

“The vision comes from you. “Everyone here is of different ages, religions, boys, girls, young, old.  We will build upon this so the community can share Brooklyn together.”

The meeting was organized by Councilmember Brad Lander in conjunction with the Brooklyn Parks’ office and the Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. The 60 members of the audience were divided into four teams each of which were given an enlargement of the ground plan of the Dome Playground as a reference from which to better discuss the issues of how to best develop and utilize the new park.

CB 12 will not be meeting during the summer, from the end of June until September 27. Then there is Ramadan which will take place this year from July 31 until August 30, and then soon to follow are the Jewish holidays beginning September 28 and ending in mid-October. Review of the plans for the park will have to navigate through these obstacles, but there is good-will to make sure all the constituency has a park they can live with in the end.