New Skate Park for Williamsbridge Oval

Two and a half years after the project's announcement in 2015, construction began in May 2018 of a new $888,000[1] skate park in a little-used section of the paved and fenced-off area on the southwest side of the park (the rest of it is mainly used as a cricket pitch). "A skate area was originally conceived a decade ago when improvements for the Oval were announced along with other Bronx parks after a water filtration system (the Croton Water Filtration Plant) was put into Van Cortlandt Park by the Department of Environmental Protection. A multi-million dollar budget was put together for these parks. Williamsbridge Oval was to receive $15 million for improvements. So far, the Oval has spent $14.3 million on things other than the skate park, including a recreation center that required renovations, a playground, track, basketball courts, and a dog run instead."[2]

This is an excellent example of how New Deal projects, even 80 years after they were built, continue to create work that improves the lives of ordinary people, both area residents and those working on the site.

1. Williamsbridge Oval Skate Park Construction, NY Parks Department website (accessed 27 June 2018).
2. Plans Unveiled for Oval Skate Park, Norwood News, December 16, 2015.)