Phase three of the Brookline Park development began in the fall of 1980. The land that contained the original baseball fields and the Community Center upper plateau was extensively excavated and reshaped, forming the gently sloping terrain that would soon be home to a new baseball complex, swimming pool, tennis courts and more. By the late-spring of 1981, the park had a dramatically new look.

  
Brookline Park in the Spring of 1981 during the park expansion.

It wasn't to be had without a fight, and much credit goes to then Little League President Angelo Masullo Sr and then Community Council president Elva McGibbeny, without whose persistence this stage of the renaissance would surely have been shelved by the city due to a shortage of funds.

Fall 1980 - Before Extensive Excavation

Above is a snapshot of the Community Center before excavation began in the fall of 1980. The light standards have been removed and most of the field structure is gone, but the landscape is still as it originally stood. An important part of our community past was about to take a giant leap into the future.