Photo by David Cruz
An underused play area in Norwood is finally getting its $2 million makeover it was promised seven years ago.
Officials from the New York City Parks Department and Bronx Borough President’s Office will break ground for the revamping of Whalen Park tomorrow. The park found off Perry Avenue between 205th and 206th streets and abutting the Mosholu Public Library, houses nothing but public benches surrounded by a perimeter fence. At the moment, the park seems neglected, with mounds of unpicked trash spotted pile high on its trash cans.
Photo by David Cruz
By next year, residents can expect a playhouse, spray shower and a bicycle rack to occupy the small park.
Funding for the project was made piecemeal, with then Norwood Councilman Oliver Koppell funding the bulk of the project alongside Parks and the Mayor’s Office. It’s unclear why the project has stood delayed for years.
“I’m delighted,” Barbara Stronczer, chair of Community Board 7’s Parks Committee, said of the project. The committee had approved the revitalization of the project some seven years ago.
On Facebook, Elizabeth Quaranta, president of Friends of Mosholu Parkland who also started Friends of Whalen Park, said it’s time to reactivate the latter. “We can plant with the kids in this area yearly,” Quaranta wrote. “So many good events could happen here keeping it smaller.”
Reconstruction of the park adds to a list of park projects in Norwood, including a skateboard park for Williamsbridge Oval Park, and updated playground for Tracey Towers.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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So sad for the elderly who do use this park that you chose to close it in June. If it took seven years to do, it could have been started in September! With ctine against the elderly, now there is nowhere safe for them. CAnd don’t tell me the Oval! I’m sick of Community Board Seven thinking everything is so wonderful in this neighborhood! It
Teresa — The Community Board are volunteers and its very unlikely that they had any say in the timing here.
Is this Mrs. Cremins who was my teacher in 7th grade? If so I hope you are doing well.