June 25, 2019

New Green Playground Will Capture 1.1 Million Gallons of Stormwater Each Year, Helping to Improve Health of the East River

$1.35M playground will bring 36,500 residents within a 10-minute walk of a park

Photos Available on DEP’s Flickr Page

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) joined The Trust for Public Land, MetLife Foundation, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., City Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr., School Construction Authority, Accion Academy, The School of Performing Arts, and South Bronx Classical Charter School students and faculty today to cut the ribbon on a new, state-of-the-art green playground. The $1.35 million playground brings more than 36,000 South Bronx residents within a 10-minute walk of a park and includes a running track, basketball hoops, trees, benches, green-roof gazebo, amphitheater, and play equipment. Newly installed green infrastructure, including a turf field and permeable pavers, will capture 1.1 million gallons of stormwater each year and help to improve the health of the nearby East River.

Green infrastructure design elements, made possible in part through a partnership with DEP, are a hallmark of The Trust for Public Land’s playground work. These features reduce stormwater runoff that can flood streets and overwhelm sewer systems, allowing untreated water to end up in rivers and bays. Each playground absorbs hundreds of thousands of gallons of water annually and includes new trees that bring shade and better air quality to their neighborhoods.

“DEP is so proud of our partnership with The Trust for Public Land and the Department of Education, which has resulted in the creation of more than a dozen new state-of-the-art playgrounds citywide,” said DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza. “This reimagined schoolyard now provides a fun and safe place for NYC school students and the South Bronx community, while also helping to improve the ecological health of the East River.”

“I am proud to have such an innovative project come to fruition in The Bronx. By emphasizing green infrastructure and incorporating design input from the next generation, this park looks to the future of what is possible in our public spaces. Thank you to The Trust for Public Land, MetLife Foundation, City Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr., and all of our other community partners who helped to make this playground a reality,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

The new park was created in partnership with The Trust for Public Land’s Playgrounds Program, which serves to create vibrant, educational, and fun playgrounds for New York City’s schoolchildren. All Trust for Public Land playgrounds include student participation in the design process, providing them with hands-on learning of the science, math, and architecture that goes into designing playgrounds while giving them an opportunity to voice their thoughts on what is needed in their school’s playground. Students at the Foxhurst campus, as well as parents and neighbors, got the chance to contribute to the playground design process.

“The Trust for Public Land is proud of our work with the New York City Department of Education, Department of Environmental Protection and local elected officials in turning former asphalt lots into vibrant, green, state-of-the-art play spaces for children across the City,” said Carter Strickland, The Trust for Public Land’s New York State Director. “The creation of this new playground—led with the tremendous assistance of the students—will not only serve the needs of the school, but is a beautiful new park for the entire community to enjoy.”

“This playground is the 25th we have supported in New York City through our long partnership with The Trust for Public Land,” said Dennis White, President and CEO of MetLife Foundation. “We are pleased to join the organization and funders in bringing Foxhurst students’ and neighbors’ ideas to life and creating a community space that increases recreational opportunities while protecting the environment.”

The community playground is funded is part through the Bronx Borough President’s office, Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr., MetLife Foundation, Department of Environmental Protection, and The Trust for Public Land.

Since 1996, working with the City, The Trust for Public Land’s NYC Playgrounds Program has designed and/or built 204 school and community playgrounds across the five boroughs. In addition to serving students, all playgrounds in New York City are open to the public on weekends, after school, and during school breaks, providing opportunities for both children and adults to be physically active. The program has added more than 160 acres of additional playground space serving the nearly 4 million people who live within a 10-minute walk of one of the sites. The need is critical in a city where 73 percent of low-income neighborhoods fail to meet the city’s standard of 2.5 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents.

About the New York City Department of Environmental Protection

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing approximately 1 billion gallons of high-quality drinking water each day to more than 9 million residents, including 8.6 million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 in the upstate watershed. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program, with a planned $20.1 billion in investments over the next 10 years that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

About The Trust for Public Land

The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Nearly ten million people live within a ten-minute walk of a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year. To support The Trust for Public Land and share why nature matters to you, visit www.tpl.org.