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. |