NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe will join Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz, Bronx Community Board 12 District Manager Carmen Rosa, and members of the Bronx River Alliance to cut the ribbon on the new 211th Street entrance to Shoelace Park.
This $1.46 million project was funded with $882,000 allocated by Mayor Bloomberg, $250,000 in environmental benefit funds provided by the New York State Attorney General's Bronx River Watershed Initiative through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and $329,000 in Federal grants. The project created a formalized, handicapped-accessible entrance to Shoelace Park, and a connection between Shoelace Park and Bronx Park. The new entrance features seating areas, native trees, plants, and shrubs, as well as green infrastructure elements. Improvements were also made south of the entrance along the western and eastern sides of Bronx Boulevard including a new wooden fence, improvements to the sidewalk, and signage and striping to safely guide greenway users to adjacent parks and amenities.
Bronx Park is a 718 acre park with baseball fields, playgrounds, woodlands, waterfalls, the NY Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo. Shoelace Park, formerly known as Bronx River Park, is a linear park that includes two playgrounds and extends from 211th Street to 231st Street along the east bank of the Bronx River.