CB 11 to Debut Plaque for Joseph B. Hellman Park This Summer

Community Board 11 will hold a groundbreaking ceremony within the next few weeks for a plaque at a section of parkland along Douglaston Parkway that will be named after late community activist Joseph Hellman, the board's chairman said.

But a project to create an overlook at the site will not likely be completed until next year.

In June 2011, CB 11 , who fought to prevent the construction of a nine-story building at the site.

The city's Department of Parks and Recreation agreed to allow an overlook with a fence, split wood railing and benches bearing Hellman's name at the locale. But the agency .

Iannece said he expected that a plaque for Joseph B. Hellman Park would be up within the next few weeks.

"This was a private piece of property where a developer was looking to put an apartment building," he said. "Hellman kept on plugging away to prevent it."

Hellman convinced the city to create a half-acre park at the site known as Old Oak Pond.

CB 11 will call on local elected officials to obtain funding for the upgrade, but Iannece said he does not believe the board will be able to get ahold of the money in time to build the overlook this year.

He estimated the project's cost at a couple thousand dollars. The overlook's design would be completed by the Parks Department.

"They'll thin up the trees a little bit and spruce up the area by getting out debris and adding benches," Iannece said.

Hellman died at age 70 in May 2010. He was a long-time member of CB 11 and the .