Clark Playground

Parks Cuts Ribbon On Renovated Clark Playground

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 15, 2008
No. 97
http://www.nyc.gov/parks

Commissioner Adrian Benepe today joined representatives for DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd and Assembly Member Carmen E. Arroyo, Chair of Community Board 1 George Rodriguez, and students from M.S. 223 and the South Bronx Preparatory School to cut the ribbon on $1.4 million in renovations to Clark Playground.

“We are thrilled to open the newly renovated Clark Playground, which features great, new play equipment to meet the needs of this community,” said Commissioner Benepe. “Thanks to $1.4 million in DEP Croton Filtration Plant Mitigation funds, we were able to upgrade and expand the existing play area, install safety surfacing, add popular play elements such as swings, game tables, and new basketball backstops, improve drainage, and provide new landscaping.”

The existing playground was expanded with new, updated play equipment, swings, a spray shower area, and safety surfacing to support the number of users in the surrounding neighborhood. Other site improvements included the reconstruction of the existing seating area to include new benches and game tables, the installation of a new bicycle rack and new basketball backstops in the multi-use active area, and new site furnishings, pavements, and plantings. The new playground is ADA compliant.

The projects were funded as part of a $200 million investment in Bronx parks, financed by mitigation funds from the construction of the Croton Water Filtration Plant through the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and the Municipal Water Finance Authority.

Croton-funded projects are improving neighborhood parks, renovating regional recreation facilities, developing the Bronx Greenway, improving and expanding access to the Bronx waterfront, and “greening” the borough. To date, Parks has completed 22 Croton projects, totaling more than $37 million and 21 more projects totaling more than $60 million are in construction. There are also 32 additional projects in design totaling more than $97 million.

- 30 -