Patterson Playground gets $4.5M upgrade
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Ground was offi cially broken
on a renovation project for
Patterson Playground in Mott
Haven on Tuesday, August 13.
When completed, the park
off of East 148th Street will feature
refurbished basketball
courts, a new playground, and
handball courts in addition to
crew paths, chain link fences,
concrete curbs, asphalt, concrete
pavements and safety
surfacing will also be added to
the play area.
The reconstructed playground
will provide play units
Bronx Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa; Cedric Loftin, Community Board 1 district manager; Patterson
Houses Tenant Association president Pat Simpson; Councilwoman Diana Ayala, former council speaker Melissa
Mark-Viverito and NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver. Photo by Jewel Webber
Vets’ Day Parade Committee raising funds to replace fl ags
BY STEVEN GOODSTEIN
A veterans organization is
seeking funds so it can appropriately
honor veterans in an
upcoming parade.
The United Veterans’ Day
Parade Committee of Greater
New York is looking for sponsorships
from the community
to purchase new fl ags for this
year’s Veterans’ Day Parade
in Throggs Neck.
The organization’s goal for
the next two months is to raise
enough funds to purchase a total
of 100 fl ags. The fl ags will
consist of a mix of American
and service fl ags to represent
the Army, Marine Corps,
Navy, Air Force and Coast
Guard, as well as a ‘Prisoner
of War/Missing In Action’
fl ags which will be used during
the march and throughout
the parade route.
Each fl ag will cost about
$50, which includes the pole,
bracket and hardware. The
committee encourages that
donations for fl ag sponsors
are made in honor of a loved
one, a family member or even
just to show patriotism.
“It’s very important that
we recognize all that veter-
The conclusion of the 2015 parade at Bicentennial Veterans Memorial Park. Silvio Pacifi co / File photo
ans have done for us - and for
the parade we need the fl ags to
be in pristine condition,” said
Carolyn Engeldrum, president
of the United Veterans’ Day
Parade Committee of Greater
New York, which organizes
and conducts the annual parade
in Throggs Neck. “This
is a very patriotic neighborhood
and the parade is a great
way to give back to our veterans
and show how much we
appreciate them.”
According to Engeldrum,
fl ags along the Veterans’ Day
Parade route are replaced every
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, AUGUST 3 2 0-SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 BTR
few years due to wear and
tear from the weather. However,
due to the severity of
rainstorms in the past year,
many of the fl ags need to be replaced
for the parade.
Engeldrum also stated that
once a fl ag is ripped, torn or
otherwise damaged, it must
be retired, which is done during
a separate ceremony.
This year’s Veterans’ Day
Parade, which will celebrate
its 35th year as well as the 100-
year anniversary of the American
Legion, will be held on
Sunday, November 10 at noon
and will begin at Lafayette
and East Tremont avenues.
The parade will continue
along East Tremont Avenue to
Randall Avenue and conclude
with the annual ceremony at
Bicentennial Veterans’ Memorial
Park.
Chartered and incorporated
by Congress in 1919, the
American Legion is the largest
wartime veterans service
organization in the country.
To support the cause and
make a contribution, which
will be tax deductible, make
all checks payable to United
Veterans’ Day Parade Committee
of Greater New York,
Inc., P.O. Box 835, Bronx,
NY 10465. Checks should be
mailed no later than Friday,
October 25.
Contributors names and/or
businesses will be recognized
in the Bronx Times-Reporter.
and swings for children of all
ages, and feature a decorative
concrete pavement area with
spray showers.
A new community garden
will also be built, featuring
raised beds, trees, shrubs, and
groundcovers, according to
the NYC Parks Department.
Patterson Playground received
$4.53 million for the
revamp project with $2.3 million
coming from the mayor’s
offi ce and $2.2 million from
Councilwoman Diana Ayala.
“This project is a testament
to our city’s commitment
to improving local parks
and I am proud to have offered
my support,” Ayala said while
mentioning all the benefi ts
her community will be receiving
from the renovation.
The playground is also located
near P.S. 18, and it boasts
a junior baseball fi eld, basketball,
tennis and volleyball
courts, and even a straight
running track for those who
feel the need for speed
Currently, Patterson Playground
has swings for young
children, and is surrounded
by decorative fl owers and
plant-beds.
It was named to honor Lester
W. Patterson, a former Bronx
County Judge who was appointed
by President Franklin
D. Roosevelt to become chairPre
construction photos of Patterson Playground. Photo by Jewel Webber man of the National War Fund.