Funded by allocations of $2.3 million from Mayor Bloomberg and $425,000 from Council Member Rivera, the playground features new recreation and fitness facilities, enhanced security and lighting, extensive landscaping, and newly installed utilities in the comfort station.

Ciccarone Playground has been redesigned into a unified space with a central spray shower and seating area. The park also features new play equipment for toddlers and pre-teens as well as a fitness unit, a bocce court, and game tables for adults. Plantings and landscaping around the playgrounds perimeter soften the parks edge and present an appealing image to the surrounding community, while four new entrance gates provide greater access to the playground.

"Ciccarone Playground has been the centerpiece of the Belmont neighborhood for decades," said Commissioner Benepe. "Now, it has received a complete makeover, thanks to Mayor Bloomberg and Council Member Rivera, improving the quality of life for residents young and old. Over the past five and a half years, Mayor Bloomberg has provided dramatically increased funding for rebuilding and maintaining parks and the direct result is that our Citys parks and greenspaces are flourishing like never before."

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 Bloombergs 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 Bronxs next great, regional parks. Current major capital projects also include Ferry Point Park, Bronx Terminal Waterfront Park, and Story Playground.

Ciccarone Playground is named in honor of Italian igrand New Yorker Vincent Ciccarone who gave his life in combat, having died on January 10, 1920 from wounds received in the Argonne Forest in 1918. It is one of nine playgrounds that were funded by the War Memorial Fund, which was established in 1921 by the New York City Police Department, and opened on July 15, 1934 under Commissioner Robert Moses.

"I always wanted to be somebody. If I made it, it's half because I was game enough to take a lot of punishment along the way and half because there were a lot of people who cared enough to help me."

(1927 2003)

Historic playground on Arthur Avenue receives $2.7 million in renovations

Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, State Senator Jeffrey Klein, State Assemblyman Jose Rivera, Council Member Joel Rivera, and kids from Lady of Mt. Carmel today cut the ribbon on $2.7 million in renovations at Ciccarone Playground located at East 188th Street and Arthur Avenue in the Belmont section of the Bronx. Funded by allocations of $2.3 million from Mayor Bloomberg and $425,000 from Council Member Joel Rivera, the playground features new recreation and fitness facilities, enhanced security and lighting, extensive landscaping, and newly-installed utilities in the comfort station.

"Ciccarone Playground has been the centerpiece of the Belmont neighborhood for decades," said Commissioner Benepe. "Now, it has received a complete makeover, thanks to Mayor Bloomberg and Council Member Rivera, improving the quality of life for residents young and old. Over the past five and a half years, Mayor Bloomberg has provided dramatically increased funding for rebuilding and maintaining parks, and the direct result is that our Citys parks and greenspaces are flourishing like never before."

Ciccarone Playground has been redesigned into a unified space with a central spray shower and seating area. The park also features new play equipment for toddlers and pre-teens as well as a fitness unit, a bocce court, and game tables for adults. Plantings and landscaping around the playgrounds perimeter soften the parks edge and present an appealing image to the surrounding community, while four new entrance gates provide greater access to the playground.

Ciccarone Playground is named in honor of Italian igrand New Yorker Vincent Ciccarone who gave his life in combat, having died on January 10, 1920 from wounds received in the Argonne Forest in 1918. It is one of nine playgrounds that were funded by the War Memorial Fund, which was established in 1921 by the New York City Police Department, and opened on July 15, 1934 under Commissioner Robert Moses. The playground underwent a major reconstruction in 1984.

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 Bloombergs 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 Bronxs next great, regional parks. Current major capital projects also include Ferry Point Park, Bronx Terminal Waterfront Park, and Story Playground.

Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe helped kick off the day at Manhattans High Bridge Park with City Parks Foundation Executive Director David Rivel and over a hundred volunteers from the New York Junior League, Friends of Highbridge, and New York Cares. Friends of Highbridge Park and New York Cares continued to restore the meadow behind the High Bridge Tower, planting native species and sprucing up the park. The New York Junior League has been revitalizing the park for the past two months as part of their annual Playground Improvement Project, painting murals, restoring grassy areas, and planting flowers in front of the Recreation Center. On Saturday, they completed their projects and painted near the pool deck.

As Commissioner Benepe made his rounds throughout the city, he also visited Brooklyns Monsignor McGolrick Park, the Bronxs Ciccarone Playground, and Queens Travers Park.

Parks & Recreation, City Parks Foundation, and Partnerships for Parks staff made the day run smoothly by supporting the efforts of over 160 community groupsgetting supplies out to sites, coordinating projects, and hosting events. A number of Council Members participated in Saturdays events as well. Letitia James stopped by Crispus Attucks, Dennis P. Gallagher volunteered at Juniper Valley Park, Helen Sears at Travers Park, and Joseph Addabbo at Veterans Circle, and at Rockaway, Lefferts and Joseph Addabbo Playgrounds. Assembly Member Michael Gianaris volunteered his time at Ralph DeMarco Park.

At Staten Islands Eibs Pond Park, nearly 175 New Yorkers joined the Friends of Eibs Pond Park to clean up the park and wood-chip its trails. At Brooklyns Monsignor McGolrick Park, the D.O.G. Association cleaned-up the dog run, and at Kaiser Park, 75 people from Friends of Kaiser Park and the Urban Divers cleaned up the waterfront. At Sunset Park, volunteers from Friends of Sunset Park and the Sunset Park Garden Club spruced up the park and planted flowers.

In the Bronxs Ciccarone Playground, students and teachers from Middle School 45 painted games on the asphalt and mended benches. In Queens Travers Park, 40 volunteers from Friends of Travers Park painted fences and planted perennials. At Queensbridge Park, volunteers from the Queensbridge Park Committee and the Center for Court Innovation pruned shrubs and painted benches.

Crotona Park also had its share of support. "Its My Park! Day is a remarkable event," said Crotona Park Administrator Steve Cain. "Part of my job is to generate community support and interest in the park. Its My Park! Day provides a great opportunity for neighborhood residents to come out and show their commitment to the park through volunteering, with the bonus of seeing the fruits of their labor at the end of the day. Crotona Park was noticeably cleaner and brighter with the addition of many new plants and flowers. My staff and I were grateful for their help and hope even more people turn out for a repeat appearance this fall."

It's My Park! Day is part of a nationwide celebration of urban parks, including Philadelphia Cares About Fairmount Park Day on May 15 and Plant Yourself in the Park in Boston on June 5. These celebrations are designed to highlight the importance of urban parks. Each year, the number of participantsas well as the diversity of projectscontinues to expand. Its My Park! Days success can be attributed, in part, to a growing interest in volunteerism, to the many divisions of Parks & Recreation and City Parks Foundation that provided opportunities to get involved, and to more effective community outreach that has tapped into established volunteer groups, supported the development of new groups, and reached out to individuals interested in volunteering. Across the city, people of all ages demonstrated their love of parks. In addition to cleaning and caring for parks, Its My Park! Day encourages New Yorkers to celebrate their parks and offers events from City Parks Foundations Puppets in the Parks, free tennis lessons, and a host of Recreation and Urban Park Ranger activities.

"It's My Park! Day is a chance for volunteers in all five boroughs to get involved in the life of their neighborhood park," remarked David Rivel. "We had nearly 4,500 people come out to over 150 sites across the city, so it was one of the biggest spring days we have ever had."

For more information about Its My Park! Day, please visit www.itsmypark.org.

"I do not condemn the cult of pleasure;
I lament the general vulgarity."

Octavio Paz
In Light of India, 1995