Williamsbridge Oval

The Daily Plant : Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Renovated Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center Reopens

Photo by Daniel Avila

On November 23, NYC Parks cut the ribbon on the newly renovated Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center in the Bronx.

The Recreation Center underwent extensive interior and exterior renovations totaling $5.2 million. NYC Parks and community partner organizations celebrated the center's opening day with a "Kids and Adult Fitness Festival" featuring a variety of free activities, events, and prizes.

"With a beautifully renovated Recreation Center to complement its tree-lined pathways, athletic fields, courts, and running track, Williamsbridge Oval offers active and passive recreational opportunities for every age and ability," said Commissioner White. "I'd like to encourage all New Yorkers to Go Park and see how parks like Williamsbridge Oval are promoting healthy lifestyles for the 21st century!"

Extensive renovations were made to the center, including a new roof, upgrades to the building's façade, and the installation of new windows. The two existing bathrooms in the center were refurbished. In addition, two new public restrooms, which can be accessed from outside the center and are open to park goers during park hours, were constructed. These renovations totaled $4.2 million.

An additional $1 million was invested to improve the interior of the center. These renovations include a new HVAC system; an upgraded Computer Resource Center with 8 PCs; a new fitness room with 28 pieces of cardio and strength equipment; lighting and painting throughout the facility; new locker rooms; new doors; and new tile, cork, and rubberized flooring.

After the ribbon cutting, NYC Parks hosted a free "Kids and Adult Fitness Festival.” The event engaged participants in sports, fitness and outdoor adventure through interactive activities. It also provided a preview of programs that will be offered at Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center and included basketball, double-dutch, arts and crafts, fitness classes, dance performances, and clinics in soccer, golf and tennis. Partners including the NYPD, FDNY, Montefiore Hospital, Friends of Williamsbridge Oval, BuildOn, Corbin Hill Farms, America Group Health Net, New York Red Bulls, New York Road Runners and City Parks Foundation provided support and volunteers.

In the past five years, NYC Parks has completed a total of $14.3 million worth of work throughout Williamsbridge Oval Park. In addition to the renovation of the Recreation Center, completed projects also include a playground with a spray shower and other water features, a basketball court complex with two full-sized courts, tennis courts, a synthetic turf field with a running track, and bleachers and benches. Extensive landscape work was completed throughout the site as well, lining all walkways with trees, shrubs, and flowers.

Most of the renovations of the Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center, as well as past projects in Williamsbridge Oval Park, were funded using Croton mitigation funds. Under the Croton program, NYC Parks has invested $200 million in Bronx parks by renovating dozens of playgrounds, recreational fields and courts, constructing a new skate park and amphitheater, expanding access to the waterfront, and building miles of new greenway.

Since 1910, NYC Parks has provided the most affordable and extensive network of recreational services throughout the five boroughs. NYC Parks Recreation Centers offer various programs in facilities with amenities including indoor pools, cardio and strength rooms, basketball courts, dance studios, art studios, game rooms and libraries. Membership at NYC Parks Recreation Centers costs $100-$150/year for
Adults (aged 25-61), $25/year for Seniors (aged 62 and over), $25/year for Young Adults (aged 18 to 24), and is free for youth under 18.

For more information on Recreation Center membership, please visit http://www.nyc.gov/parks/membership.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

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Mel Brooks
(1926 - )