West Bronx Recreation Center

Parks Breaks Ground On New Ballfield At West Bronx Recreation Center

Commissioner Adrian Benepe was today joined by Council Member Helen Diane Foster and students from C.S. 199 and the Seventh Day Adventist School to break ground on a new $2.9 million ballfield at West Bronx Recreation Center in the Highbridge section of the Bronx. The new ballfield is funded by the City as part of the Yankee Stadium Redevelopment Project, a plan to bring new jobs, alternate transportation opportunities, and new parkland to the South Bronx. The ballfield is one component of the City’s commitment to redevelop parkland and create new recreational facilities surrounding Yankee Stadium.

“As part of the construction of the new Yankee Stadium, the City was supposed to provide several temporary ballfields until the new park could be built,” said Commissioner Benepe. “Instead, we are adding two new permanent ballfields, including this one. The construction of this new, permanent ballfield at the West Bronx Recreation Center demonstrates how we can transform undeveloped public spaces and maximize their potential to revitalize neighborhoods, promote healthy living, and feature more state-of-the-art recreational amenities, to the benefit of the community.”

The 2.37 acre empty dirt lot adjacent to the West Bronx Recreation Center is being transformed with the construction of a permanent, multi-use synthetic turf ballfield designed for soccer, softball, and little league baseball. The site will also feature new bleachers, a water fountain, a misting station, trees, shrubs, walkways, fencing, storage, and a roadway turnaround. The project is expected to be completed next spring and is being executed by Stantec Consulting on design, The LiRo Group on supervision, and NorthBrook Contracting Corporation, the contractor.

Over the past five years, Parks & Recreation has invested more than $125 million for Bronx park improvements, including new waterfront parks, greenways, and recreational facilities. Over the next five years, Parks will invest an additional $560 million to develop park projects in the Bronx, including more than $200 million from the construction of the Croton Water Filtration Plant and $98 million from Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC initiative to establish the sustainable growth of New York City by the year 2030, which includes developing Soundview and High Bridge Parks into the Bronx’s next great, regional parks. Current major capital projects also include Ferry Point Park, Bronx Terminal Waterfront Park, and Story Playground.

CONTACT: Warner Johnston /Jesslyn Tiao (212) 360-1311