Community Calls On City To Quickly Replace Parkland Taken By Yanks Stadium
November 15, 2007
As the Yankees move full speed ahead with construction of their new stadium, community leaders say they want the city to build parkland just as quickly to replace what was taken to make way for the ball field. NY1’s Dean Meminger has been following the stadium story and filed this report.
The Parks Department broke ground Thursday on some of the parkland that is supposed to replace Macombs Dam Park, which was destroyed to make way for the Yankees new stadium.
“Bit by bit we are keeping the promises of building the replacement parks,? said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. ?Also, this is well ahead of schedule compared to the original plans.”
Three million dollars will be spent to put in a synthetic field for baseball and soccer, along with a few other pieces of playground equipment. This new development is happening behind the West Bronx Recreation Center on Jessup Avenue.
But not everyone thinks this new park is actually a good replacement for the parkland taken by the Yankees.
“It is very far, and it is not centrally located like Macombs Dam was,” said City Councilwoman Helen Foster.
The Jessup Avenue parkland is about a mile a way from the old Macombs Dam track and field.
Park advocates say this new field is not really new. They say kids have played here for decades.
“We are obviously happy that this park is being redone, but this has been used for parkland for many years,? said Geoffrey Croft of NYC Park Advocates. ?It is disgraceful the city is trying to pass it over as replacement parkland.”
The Parks Commissioner says he is working hard to create as much parkland as possible to replace the 25 acres lost to the new stadium.
“We are going to building three baseball fields adjacent to Yankees Stadium and a soccer field adjacent to the stadium, a baseball field here and a baseball field at P.S. 29,? said Benepe. ?So, in fact, we are getting more fields than we originally had as a part of the project.”
However, residents will have to deal with fewer parks for now. Last week, the Yanks took over the softball field, basketball and paddleball courts on the side of the old stadium to make room for an underground parking garage. A new park will be built on top of it.
Community leaders say they hope the new parks are completed before the new stadium opens in the spring of 2009.
- Dean Meminger
Source: NY1 / Bronx
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