5 Neglected NYC Parks to get $150 Million for Upgrades

By Linda DiProperzio August 22, 2016

Five NYC parks in desperate need of repairs and renovations will receive $150 million for upgrades, according to The New York Times.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Thursday announced that the five parks –one in each borough – will each received $30 million in what he called an effort to combat an unequal system in which parks in wealthier neighborhoods of NYC were better financed than those in poorer neighborhoods.

“This is about fairness,” said Mayor de Blasio at a news conference at St. Mary’s Park in the South Bronx. “We talk about fighting inequality. This is one of the basic ways to do it. For a lot of New Yorkers this is where they spend their summer vacation. For a lot of people who can't afford to travel, a park is everything to them."

St. Mary’s Park in the South Bronx, Highbridge Park in Upper Manhattan, Betsy Head Park in Brownsville, Brooklyn, Astoria Park in Queens and Freshkills Park in Staten Island were named the parks receiving the funding. According to the city, close to a tenth of NYC's population lives within walking distance of one of these parks.

The money will be spent over the next four years, with local communities contributing their ideas on how to improve each location. Upgrades will include new soccer fields, bathrooms, hiking trails, sprinklers, and baseball fields and tracks.

"These five parks are finally getting the big support they need. And we will work with the community those plans and visions to make it a reality," said Mitchell Silver, NYC Parks Commissioner.

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Main photo by Costa Constantinides via Flickr Creative Commons