Highbridge Park

It’s My Park! Day Celebrates Achievements Of Park Volunteers

Over 6,000 volunteers at locations throughout the city came together today for It’s My Park! Day, a twice-annual event produced by Parks & Recreation and City Parks Foundation. Volunteers cleaned, painted, and planted in over 150 parks and playground sites in all five boroughs. Aside from clean-up and restoration projects, volunteers also celebrated their local parks with cultural and athletic events, including a ribbon cutting for the new BMX – Highbridge Park Mountain Bike Trails—the first in New York City.

"Across the five boroughs, thousands of New Yorkers will roll up their sleeves and donate time and energy to almost 170 projects in local parks and playgrounds for It’s My Park! Day, an event co-sponsored by City Parks Foundation," said Commissioner Benepe. "It’s My Park! Day allows us to recognize the achievements of our volunteers who work year-round improving public parks, including their remarkable contribution to New York City's first-ever mountain bike trail in Highbridge Park. Without the donation of thousands of hours of volunteer time, the trail we opened today would not exist."

City Parks Foundation Executive Director David Rivel said, "City parks are becoming an ever greater resource for neighborhoods each year as a result of the City’s strong investment in parks and incredible contributions from thousands of volunteers who deserve our thanks."

"The Highbridge Park Mountain Bike Trails project is a pivotal one in the history of mountain biking." Said New York City Mountain Biking Association President Jamie Bogner. "Never before has a mix of cross country, freeride and dirt jump trails been built in the middle of a city the size of New York City."

Volunteers at Highbridge Park were joined by Commissioner Adrian Benepe, City Parks Foundation Executive Director David Rivel, representatives from the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA), New York City Mountain Biking Association (NYCMTB), and the Green Apple Corps to cut the ribbon on the BMX – Highbridge Park Mountain Bike Trails. The three-mile trail system was created with help from thousands of volunteer hours, and is unprecedented in an urban center like New York City.

In addition to volunteer efforts, the Highbridge Park Mountain Bike Trails were built through the combined support of Parks & Recreation, NYCMTB, and the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) with $100,000 in funding from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Highbridge Park now offers cross-country, free-ride and dirt jump/BMX trails, all of which will be open for riding throughout the day and offer activities for the entire family.

It’s My Park! Day is an initiative of Partnerships for Parks, a joint program of Parks & Recreation and City Parks Foundation, and is sponsored by H&M and The Home Depot.

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Highbridge Recreation Center