(DNAINFO)  Jeanmarie Evelly — A brand new playground has finally opened at P.S./I.S. 78where parents and local leaders have been pushing to build an outdoor recess space for years.

The $35,000 playground is located in front of the school on the ground floor of Citylights Building on Center Boulevard and 49th Avenue. In previous years, students spent their recess at nearby parks or taking a walk around the neighborhood, parents said.

“It’s amazing,” PTA co-president Leslie Costa said, adding that having a space in front of the school was preferable to sending the children toGantry Plaza State Park across the street.

“They don’t have to cross Center Boulevard, which has always been a little frightening.”

The playground will be used by students from pre-k to second grade who are enrolled in P.S./I.S. 78’s early childhood center. Older students are housed in another building nearby.

Source: Long-Awaited Playground Opens at P.S. 78 in Hunters Point – Long Island City – DNAinfo.com New York