Williamsbridge Oval Skate Park opens after 16-year wait
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, S BTR EPTEMBER 6-12, 2019 9
BY ROBERT WIRSING
Norwood skaters and residents
have fallen ‘head over
wheels’ in love with a brand
new park.
On Tuesday, August 27, NYC
Parks Commissioner Mitchell
Silver joined Councilman Andrew
Cohen; Assemblyman
Jeffrey Dinowitz; Community
Board 7 Parks, Recreation &
Cultural Affairs Committee
chairwoman Barbara Stronczer
and residents to cut the
ribbon for the brand new Williamsbridge
Oval Skate Park.
The skate park located at
Holt Place and Reservoir Oval
was designed with input from
members of Norwood’s skateboarding
community to serve
users with a wide array of
skills.
“This idea was proposed to
me by a group of young local
skateboarders that had a need
and saw the perfect space,” Cohen
explained.
The $977,000 project features
stairs with quarter pipes
on either side, half-bowls, a
manual pad, a wedge with rail,
a series of steep banks and
mounds for skateboarding.
The park was funded via a
$227,000 allocation from Mayor
de Blasio and $750,000 from Cohen.
“Thanks to a generous investment
from Mayor de Blasio
and Councilman Cohen,
the Williamsbridge Oval now
has a beautiful new skate park
which will be enjoyed by the
community for many years to
come,” Mitchell said.
Following the ribbon-cutting
ceremony, skaters tested
their skills on the skate park’s
various skateboarding amenities.
The amenities provide both
standard skate features and
the opportunity for both transitional
style skating which
mimics skating in an empty
swimming-pool and streetstyle
skating which involves
objects found in urban life.
The skate park was slightly
sunken to accommodate all of
the features and blend into the
surrounding topography, according
to Parks.
“I am very excited that the
new skate park in Williamsbridge
Oval is fi nally open and
ready for use by local residents
who have been clamoring for a
place to skate for many years,”
Dinowitz expressed.
Williamsbridge Oval Skate
Park’s construction commenced
on June 5, 2018 following
a groundbreaking ceremony.
The skate park was originally
planned in 2003 after
money for captial improvements
in Bronx parks were
made available as part of the
Croton Filtration Plant mitigation
funding which funded
borough parks in exchange
for allowing authorities to site
a water fi ltration plant under
Van Cortlandt Park.
However in 2013, eventhough
the mitigation funds
had depleted, Cohen was able
to secure funding in 2014.
Williamsbridge Oval Skate
Park was delayed when the
$750,000 allocated was not
enough to cover the winning
bid in the procurement process.
The mayor’s offi ce contributed
additional funding toward
the project.
In addition to its new skate
park, the 19.75 acre Williamsbridge
Oval includes basketball
and boccee courts, football
and soccer fi elds, running
tracks, tennis courts, playgrounds,
spray showers, a media
lab and Wi-Fi Hot Spots.
NYC Parks Commissioner Silver (front, c), elected offi cials, CB 7 members and skaters participated in the grand
opening of the Williamsbridge Oval Skate Park. Photo by Silvio Pacifi co