Hines Park

Parks & Recreation Cuts Ribbon On The Bronx’s Hines Playground

Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe today joined Council Member Helen Foster, District Manager of Community Board #3 John Dudley, Pastor Fenlon of St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church, local children from Children's Circle Day Care, and members of South Bronx Churches to celebrate completion of a reconstruction of the Hines Park Playground.

The playground underwent $750,000 in renovations, thanks to $650,000 allocated by the City Council and $100,000 allocated by Borough President Adolfo Carrión, Jr. The renovations included the addition of innovative play equipment, a spray shower, a drinking fountain, swings, seating areas, plantings, and new safety surfacing. In addition, the improvements made the park accessible to children of all abilities.

"We celebrate with the surrounding neighborhood the opening of Hines Park’s beautiful new playground. This playground was opened in the 1930s, and with this renovation, is now a modern, accessible, and fun space for children to play," said Commissioner Benepe. "We are thankful to Council Member Foster’s tremendous support for Bronx parks and playgrounds."

In almost five years, Parks & Recreation has spent more than $113 million for Bronx park improvements, with new waterfront parks, greenways, and athletic facilities. There are currently an additional $102 million in active park projects in development, including the creation of a new park at the old concrete plant and Barretto Point Park to expand waterfront access in the South Bronx, while the Bronx River Greenway will connect the South Bronx and Westchester border with a 15-mile multi-use bike and pedestrian path as it is developed over the next decade. In addition, new ballfields and athletic facilities are transforming the borough.

Parks & Recreation is in the midst of a major initiative to improve parks throughout the Bronx funded with more than $220 million from the construction of the Croton Water Filtration Facility. These projects are expected to be completed over the next five years. Forty-three of these projects, totaling $92 million, are in design or construction, and the agency has completed $5.1 million worth of projects to date.