Surrounded by local families, community leaders and Little Leaguers, State Senate Coalition Co-Leader Jeff Klein and Council Member Andrew Cohen announced $3 million in capital grants secured in this year’s state and city budgets for a comprehensive renovation of the baseball fields in the Woodlawn area of the Bronx.
The grant will be used to establish a new baseball field and completely reconstruct an existing turf area that suffered from chronic flooding, resulting in numerous rained out baseball games. Additionally, this flooding rendered portions of the park unusable to the community for periods of time.
The announcement was held at Indian Field with members of the NYC Parks Department, Woodlean Boys and Girls Club and Woodlawn Taxpayers.
Senate Majority Leader Jeff Klein said, “In recent years, Indian Field has had its share of challenges when it comes to giving our children the Little League season they deserve. The community has had to deal with flooded unusable fields for far too long. That’s why I am thrilled to announce that Councilman Cohen and I have secured $3 million in city and state funding to invest in a total renovation of the baseball fields here in Woodlawn. This investment will mean families will finally be able to fully utilize Indian Field for generations to come.”
“In conjunction with Senator Jeff Klein, I am pleased to allocate $3 million in city and state capital funds for the renovation of Indian Field, as well as the construction of a new field in Van Cortlandt Park. These improvements will bring an end to the frequent flooding issues that have caused cancellations to several community baseball games and allow residents to utilize the park to its full capacity.
“As a member of the Parks committee, I know the importance of providing quality amenities in the community. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the City Council to ensure that parks projects will be completed on time and within their budget. This is a restoration project the residents of Woodlawn have needed for quite some time and I happy to help put the project in motion,” said Council Member Andrew Cohen.
"NYC Parks is appreciative to the elected officials of Woodlawn for allocating the vital resources that will restore the recreational amenities of our neighborhood," said Bronx Borough Commissioner Hector Aponte. Aponte added that there are 7,000 acres of parkland in the Bronx located on 800 different properties, and that staff has been lost over the past years to a question of how the Parks Department could let Indian Field get to the point where it is today. as seen in the photo on the left.
Left - Councilman Cohen is flanked by State Senator Jeff Klein, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Bronx Parks Commissioner Aponte, and some of the kids who hope to play ball on the new fields.
Right - A wider photo showing more of the Woodlean little league players with Senator Klein, Councilman Cohen, Assemblyman Dinowitz, and Bronx Parks Commissioner Aponte.
