Friday, August 19, 2016

BP DIAZ INVESTS OVER $14 MILLION IN BRONX PARKS



  FY 2017 Funding Includes $10 Million Towards Renovation of Historic Orchard Beach Pavilion

  Today, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced that his office has invested over $14.3 million in FY 2017 capital funds to improve parks throughout The Bronx, including $10 million to restore the historic Orchard Beach pavilion and upgrades to playgrounds and recreation spaces all over the borough.

"As we work to build a healthier Bronx through our ‘#Not62 campaign,’ we must make sure that our shared recreation spaces are in good condition and inviting to the public, so that more and more Bronxites of all ages will take advantage of them,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “I am proud to have provided so much of my capital funding—50 percent—to worthy park projects all over The Bronx this year.”

Borough President Diaz has allocated $500,000 towards improvements at Roberto Clemente State Park; which will soon be home to a baseball academy operated in conjunction with Major League Baseball (MLB), the Major League Baseball Players Association and Harlem RBI; as well as $500,000 for the reconstruction of Garrison Playground, which lies adjacent to the former site of P.S. 31 in Mott Haven. 

Other projects included in the borough president’s capital allocations for FY 2017 are $500,000 for the reconstruction of the basketball courts, including new fencing, backboards, benches, paving, landscaping, adult fitness equipment and general site work at Bridge Playground in Highbridge; $500,000 for the reconstruction of Kossuth Playground on Mosholu Parkway and $500,000 for the reconstruction of Waring Playground on Bronx Park East, which will be used to add new equipment, as well as the addition of safety surfacing, spray shower, fencing, benches and landscaping.

Borough President Diaz has also provided $10 million towards renovations at the historic Orchard Beach pavilion in Pelham Bay Park, an allocation he first announced in his “State of the Borough” address in February. 

“Orchard Beach is one of the jewels of our borough, and it has the potential to be an even greater tourist attraction, drawing in visitors from all over the region if not the world. Orchard Beach is not just a Bronx beach. Orchard Beach is for the entire city. And it could be so much more. It could be an economic engine for our borough and a destination point for visitors across the region. I am hopeful that my $10 million capital commitment will spark considerable interest in this grand vision for a new Orchard Beach from both the public and private sectors,” said Borough President Diaz.

#Not62 The Campaign for a Healthy Bronx
 Background The 2014 Robert Wood Johnson County Health Ranking Report ranked the Bronx 62 out of the New York State’s 62 counties. #Not62 is a collaborative effort led by Bronx Health REACH, the Bronx Borough President’s Office, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Bronx District Public Health Office, Montefiore Medical Center, and the CUNY Institute for Health Equity at Lehman College, in response to that finding.    Mission: The goal of #Not62 is to improve strategic health outcomes for Bronx residents by 2020, around positive health behaviors, access to clinical care, social/economic factors, and the physical environment. This initiative builds on two previous efforts- the Bronx CAN (Changing Attitudes Now) Health Initiative, and the Bronx-wide Campaign to Reduce and Prevent Obesity. 
 Strategies #Not62 will bring together stakeholders from across multiple sectors within City government, the business community, healthcare providers and community-based/faith based organizations to address the determinants of health. In the next 5 years #Not62 will:  Guide key decision makers with interests in the Bronx on ways to integrate a public health framework into existing work; 
 Obtain pledges from all those who live, work, pray, and play in the Bronx i.e. residents, schools, community and faith -based organizations, corporations, public agencies, etc. to sign on to the #Not62 Pledge: “I (entity) pledge to live, work, play and pray in a manner that improves the overall health of Bronx county...” 
 Support related public outreach/public awareness campaigns: 
1 - Produce and disseminate RWJ County Health Ranking video – completed October 2014 2  - “We CAN” bus shelter campaign – launched October 2014 
3 - Bronx Week – May 2015    
4 - Bronx Changing Attitudes Now (Bronx CAN) – an ongoing borough wide initiative of the Bronx Borough President to engage Bronx residents to embrace a healthy lifestyle 
5 - Present We All Want Healthy Children to staff and client base 
6 - Social Media Campaign 
If you are interested in learning more about #Not62, please go to the website of any of the partners listed below: 
Bronx Borough President  www.bronxboropres@nyc.gov#Not62 
The Institute for Family Health/Bronx Health REACH www.bronxhealthreach.org 
Montefiore Medical Center www.montefiore.org 
Bronx District Public Office http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/diseases/dpho-homepage.shtml1 
CUNY Institute for Health Equity at Lehman College www.lehman.edu/cuny-health-equity

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