Multi-million dollar park facelift gets underway.

City officials have announced the beginning of a dramatic reconstruction project--a multi-million dollar face-lift to improve and renovate Battery Bosque in Battery City Park

Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe gathered with Lower Manhattan Development Corporation President Kevin Rampe, Battery Conservancy President Warrie Price, Council Member Alan Gerson, and other local officials to break ground for the $8.5 million renovation of the Bosque Area of Battery Park, a section of the park looted along the waterfront.

Reconstruction of the Bosque--a Spanish word meaning "grove of trees"--will transform the setting into a lush, green destination spot, a place that Benepe hopes will become "a magical space, year-round."

The renovation of the Battery Bosque was funded by the LMDC as part of a broader $25 million project to restore and create 13 parks and green spaces in Lower Manhattan. The Parks & Recreation Department has obtained more than $37 million from the LMDC; federal, state, and city governments; foundations, and corporations to both revitalize and establish new open spaces in the downtown area.

Speaking at the groundbreaking event yesterday, Benepe noted that the project will do more than just refurbish the Battery Bosque.

"It will give it character that it has lacked," he said.

As part of the effort, the area's cracked asphalt and broken cobblestone will be replaced with a new crushed stone surface. There will be 57,000 square feet of gardens, planted with 70,000 bulbs and 33,000 perennials.

Also, there will be two food kiosks built for eating within the gardens and a spiral, granite fountain--the first new fountain built downtown in about three decades, according to Benepe.

Distinctive lighting will be installed to complement the brand-new seating that has been planned to provide patrons of the park with an area to relax in before hopping on a carousel created by sculptor Barbara Broughel. The carousel will feature marine life figures and a view of the harbor.

The Battery Bosque design team includes the Saratoga Associates, Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf, Weisz-Yoes Architects, and Tillett Lighting Design. The project is expected to be completed this fall, with more plantings scheduled for spring 2005.

When finished, city officials hope the reconstruction effort will transform the area into an open, green space where New Yorkers and tourists not only quickly walk through but also come down specifically to visit and enjoy.

"The park will go from a pass-through park," Benepe said, "into a destination park."