On Friday, December 13, the grand opening of the renovated park along Plimpton Avenue was held with NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J Silver.
Other officials in attendance were Community Board 4 district manager Paul A. Philps and Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson. Students and staff from the Bronx-Manhattan Seventh Day Adventist School were also present.
Mayor de Blasio through his ‘Community Park Initiative’ made the $4.43 million reconstruction of the park possible.
“Plimpton Playground, a space that has seen minimal improvements over the past 20 years, has been completely re-envisioned and revitalized, with wonderful upgrades made to the entire park.” Commissioner Silver said in the press release.
Philps is a big fan of the renovations and the work CPI does for communities like his.
“The renovations are amazing, new playground equipment, work out equipment for adults and nice benches and seating areas for the older crowd,” Philps said. “It has both very well done active and passive spaces.”
Philps mentioned the park is located conveniently across the street from two senior buildings and a school so the park can always be enjoyed by people of all ages. He added the park is very accessible, within walking distance, for everyone in the Highbridge neighborhood.
The park not only has completely new features such as the playground, the fitness area, the benches, the game tables, but also multiple sustainability features.
Parks worked with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection on giving the park more ‘green’ infrastructure such as a rain garden, permeable surfaces and a storm water capture system.
“The newly revamped Plimpton Playground utilizes an innovative green infrastructure system that will manage nearly 300,000 gallons of storm water every year to help improve the health of the nearby Harlem River,” DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza said in the press release.
The park also was outfitted with new lights for added safety during the darker hours of the day and evening.
“Thanks to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Community Parks Initiative and a $4.43 million investment in this park, the west Bronx now has a beautiful brand new playground for all to enjoy,” Commissioner Silver said in the release.
