Soundview Park

Parks Cuts the Ribbon on the new $5.7 million Soundview Park Field House

Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe today joined Assembly Member Marcos Crespo, members of Community Board 9, students from PS 107, members of the Friends of Soundview Park and neighborhood residents to cut the ribbon on the $5.7 million Soundview Park Field House. Before the event, attendees were treated to performances by the Friends on Soundview Park, including an original poem by Shelley Olson entitled “What is a parkΑ” and a vocal and guitar performance by Randy Niles.

“The new Soundview Park Field House will act as a base of operations for maintenance of neighborhood parks, and also provide much-needed bathrooms for users of the adjacent ballfields and nearby Soundview greenway,” said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “This new facility comes at a historic time for the Soundview Park. As part of the Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC program this local gem, long known for its great views of the Long Island Sound, will be transformed into a regional destination that will attract visitors from the neighborhood, the Bronx, New York City and beyond.”

Thanks to $4.015 million allocated by Mayor Bloomberg and $1.72 million in federal transportation grant funding the new Soundview Park Field House will be the headquarters of Parks Department operations in Bronx Community Board 9. It includes a garage, offices, locker room, and storage space. The facility also contains public restrooms and a multipurpose meeting room.

Soundview Park is one of the eight parks being re-envisioned as a regional park as part the PlaNYC, the City’s long-term plan for a greener, greater New York. The regional parks address the need for open space and more recreational facilities for an expanding population. As part of this initiative, construction will soon begin on a new playground and comfort station, a rubberized running track and artificial turf field, and an amphitheater for community events and performances.

Called the “Gateway to the Bronx River,” Soundview Park is situated where the Bronx River opens into the East River. When the City of New York acquired the original 93 acres of land for this park in 1937, the entire area was composed of marshland.