BRONX WEEKLY S www.BXTimes.com eptember 8, 2019 4
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
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MEMBER:
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
.T
he 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 transitionalstyle
skating which mimics skating
in an empty swimming-pool and
street-style 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.
Williamsbridge Oval Skate
Park opens after 16-year wait
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