Al Quiñones Playground

NYC PARKS CUTS RIBBON ON $9.5 MILLION TRANSFORMATION OF PLAYGROUND 52

Playground 52 reopens with a new skate park, larger amphitheater, renovated comfort station and more

NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, today joined NYC DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Assembly Member Carmen Arroyo, Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. and Community Board 2 District Manager Ralph Acevedo to cut the ribbon on the reconstructed Playground 52, including a full renovation of the comfort station and a new skate park. This is just one of 18 Bronx parks that will be reconstructed under the Community Parks Initiative (CPI), NYC Parks’ plan for an equitable parks system.

Playground 52 has been transformed with a new skate park, renovated basketball courts, new bleachers and a larger, ADA-accessible amphitheater with an open dance floor. New play equipment and swings have been installed, along with a new spray shower, trees, plantings and security lighting to increase visibility into the park during evening hours. The comfort station has also been completely rebuilt and restored to its original brick face, and is now ADA-accessible.

“For many years, Playground 52 was in major need of repair, and today it looks like a completely new playground,” said Commissioner Silver. “We wanted to make sure we rebuilt the space to fit the needs of the community, so we worked with local residents and 52 People for Progress when creating the new design. I know the community frequently uses this park for concerts and salsa dancing, so we’ve completely rebuilt the amphitheater with an open dance floor and bigger stage.”

“This revitalized playground is not only a wonderful community space, but its new green infrastructure will play an important role in managing stormwater to reduce flooding and improve the environment,” said DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza. “We thank Commissioner Silver and his team at NYC Parks for being such terrific partners in our efforts to make New York City a greener, more resilient place to call home.”

“Playground 52 is a true community amenity and I am proud to have provided $1 million from my own capital budget for these critical renovations. Thanks to strong partnerships with the Department of Parks and Recreation and stakeholders at all levels, this park will be able to entertain even more Bronxites than ever before. I urge everyone to take advantage of what remains of the summer and come check out the new and improved Playground 52,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

“As your elected official and fellow Bronxite it gives me great honor to witness the revitalization of our local parks and playgrounds,” said Assembly Member Carmen Arroyo. “I stand frontline in the tireless fight for a safe modern and more vibrant community. This is one of many projects that brings the Bronx one step further from being forgotten”

“In a district where big parks are hard to come by, smaller parks play an important role in the community, often providing places of refuge for kids in the neighborhood,” said Council Member Salamanca Jr. “Playground 52 is one of these cherished parks in my district, and its $9.5 million transformation is a celebration. I hope that the new basketball courts, seating, ADA-accessible amphitheater and new playground equipment will make Playground 52 an inviting place for the community to truly enjoy.”

This $9.5 million transformation was completed in three phases. The amphitheater and skate park construction were funded with $1 million from Borough President Diaz Jr., $1.7 million from City Council and $311,000 from Mayor Bill de Blasio. The play equipment, planting beds and spray shower were funded by Mayor de Blasio in the amount of nearly $4 million as part of CPI. The Mayor also funded the renovation of the comfort station with $1.98 million. To manage stormwater runoff, DEP contributed more than $774,000 to install new rain gardens with retention basins which will help to capture nearly 780,000 gallons each year.

Launched by Mayor de Blasio in October 2014, CPI strives to make NYC Parks a more equitable and accessible parks system by investing in smaller parks that are located in New York City’s densely-populated neighborhoods with higher-than-average concentrations of poverty. Through CPI, the City is investing $318 million in capital dollars to make renovations to 67 parks citywide that have not undergone significant improvements in decades.

DEP has committed approximately $50 million in funding for the construction of green infrastructure installations at CPI sites citywide. The green infrastructure will manage the precipitation that falls on the parks, and some of the surrounding streets, keeping it out of the combined sewer system and helping to reduce combined sewer overflows that sometimes occur during heavy rainfall. New York City has the most ambitious and aggressive green infrastructure program in the nation, with thousands of installations currently under construction across the city. In addition to managing stormwater, green infrastructure helps to improve air quality while also providing shade and lowering summertime temperatures.