Proclaiming that New York City was back open, after an almost 18-month long shutdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday, Sept. 13, that recreation centers across the city were once again open. However, at least one center in the Bronx has remained closed to the public as of Friday, Oct. 1.

 

Speaking at the Sept. 13 press conference, De Blasio told New Yorkers, “We’re coming back, and we’re coming back in so many ways, and it’s not just about work.” He added, “It’s about the ways we have fun, and the ways that we enjoy this City, the ways that we appreciate everything great, and one of the great things about this City is our recreation centers; our Parks’ department does a great job.”

 

The mayor continued, saying there was more good news. “As part of our comeback, as of today, all of our recreation centers are open: 25 locations in all five boroughs,” he said, adding that any New York City resident could get a free, one-year membership at the centers until the end of the year if they were vaccinated. Parks’ department recreation centers offer a variety of athletic and educational programs for both children and adults.

 

 

In early August, a source at the Poe Park Visitors’ Center, located at 2640 Grand Concourse in Fordham Manor, reported a break-in, during which the personal belongings of two workers were stolen. After three weeks of placing calls and emails, a Parks’ department official, who declined to be identified, confirmed to Norwood News that the break-in occurred on Wednesday, July 28.

 

On Aug. 25, the official said, “On 7/28, NYPD were called to respond at the Poe Park Visitor Center.” The official requested that we reach out to the police department for additional details. When contacted, the NYPD said they had no record of a break-in at the location, based on the date and time provided.

 

Even though, citywide, the various recreational centers, which are run by the City Parks’ department, had been closed since March 2020, prior to their recent, official reopening, once again, for indoor courses and events, the centers had, nonetheless, been offering outdoor programming in the City’s parks, including Dance Fitness classes at Poe Park. A Halloween event at Poe Park Visitors Center, scheduled for Oct. 23, was recently advertised by the Parks’ department. However, it was unknown if the event would be held outside or indoors.

 

Norwood News reached out to the Parks’ department for confirmation. A representative responded on Monday, Oct. 11, saying, “I’m pretty sure it’s going on outside.”

 

On Monday, Sept. 13, a supervisor at Poe Park was asked when the visitor center itself would reopen. The female supervisor responded, “Probably, like, in October.” Asked if the delay was due to damage caused by the break-in, she replied, “Nope.”

On the same day, Parks’ department commissioner, Margaret Nelson, told NY1 News that nearly a dozen of the 25 centers that the mayor had stated were open, would remain closed, as some would continue as COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites, some were currently under renovation, and at least two had suffered damage from Tropical Storm Ida.

 

As Poe Park Visitors Center was not on the City’s published list of venues being used for vaccinations or testing, and as an employee at the center said there were no renovations underway at the center, Norwood News reached out to the Parks’ department once again for further comment.

 

On Monday, Oct. 11, a Parks’ representative provided the following explanation, “The Poe Park Visitor Center closed at the beginning of the pandemic for health and safety concerns, and has remained closed as several of our spaces continue to be utilized for COVID related services, including vaccinations and testing.’

 

When informed that the center was not on the City’s list of designated testing sites, on Tuesday, Oct. 12, the representative confirmed that Poe Park Visitor Center is currently housing equipment from the Kwame Ture Recreation Center, located at 1527 Jesup Avenue in the Mt Eden section of the Bronx, which has been repurposed as a vaccination site. Therefore both centers remain closed to the general public.

 

The Parks’ representative added, “We are proud that programming has been ongoing at the Poe Park, despite the fact that the visitor center has been closed due to the pandemic, with outdoor activities and virtual classes and galleries having resumed in the spring of 2020.”

 

He added, “We are hopeful that as more New Yorkers are vaccinated the center will reopen to the general public, and we invite Bronxites to take advantage of the upcoming free, Dance Fitness classes in the park, and view the current Hispanic Heritage Month virtual gallery.”

 

Today, across the borough, only 58 percent of Bronxites are fully vaccinated as of Oct. 10, compared to 73 percent of Manhattanites, according to data from the City’s health department. Meanwhile, medical experts say a 90 percent vaccination rate is now needed to curb the Delta variant threat.

 

For details on both centers outdoor programming, if any, please refer to their websites as follows:

https://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/recreationcenters/X999

https://www.nycgovparks.org/events/poe-park-visitor-center

 

Twitter user, @Kwasibility, later advised that St. James Recreation Center is also closed. A message on its website reads, “St. James Recreation Center remains closed to the public until further notice. Some recreation centers are being used for COVID-19 testing and vaccination services, the Learning Bridges program, and critical seasonal training. Please visit our Recreation Centers page to find an alternate recreation center.”

At the Bronx Community Board 7 Parks committee meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 10, a representative from Poe Park center said officials are aiming to have the center reopened some time in December.

 

Meanwhile, in response to a question about the status of the St. James Park recreation center, another Parks’ representative said the center is still dealing with issues relating to flooding and no reopening date is yet known.

 

Click on the below links to access the City’s vaccination and testing sites:

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/coronavirus/get-tested/covid-19-testing.page

https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/locations

 

Get the facts about the COVID-19 vaccines at these sites:

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccine-facts.page

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/facts.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/about-covid-19/caring-for-children/families.html

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.