Some ball fields and the recreation center reopen in Red Hook after prolonged closures

By Brooklyn Magazine Staff

Four ball fields and the Red Hook Recreation Center has finally reopened following a prolonged and frustrating closure.

After seven years, the Environmental Protection Agency has finished cleaning up ball fields numbered 5 through 8 that had been contaminated with dangerous amounts of lead from a former factory that once stood on the space. The drawn-out repair process began in 2015, when authorities ordered the closure of most of the ball fields to complete a roughly $60 million dollar cleanup.

Repairing the fields included removing and replacing fencing, tress and several layers of the ground that includes soil, drainage and artificial turf. A new barrier system “permanently reduces the chance of people coming into contact with contaminated soil on these fields, and will be inspected routinely,” the EPA said in a release.

Work continues on ball field 9, which began in September 2019, is expected to be completed this summer.

There’s more good news for Red Hookers, as the recreation center restarted programming late last month. The rec center had been closed since the onset of the pandemic in 2020 and was set to reopen in September 2021, however it experienced rain and wind damage from a hurricane. The heating system had taken a beating, but according to the Brooklyn Paper, the center has found a temporary solution.

However, residents should expect further changes to the 86-year-old rec center as it’s currently undergoing a more expansive renovation following damage sustained from Superstorm Sandy. That could take several years, according to The City.
Closures have annoyed neighbors looking for a physical outlet in the small neighborhood.

“It’s a complete loss,” Red Hook resident Tiffiney Davis previously told Brooklyn Magazine. “This is the only other larger space in the community for people to be in and can still social distance.”