BUILDING BELDEN POINT PARK

Elected, as well as appointed officials were all chomping at the bit today to praise the idea of a pocket park and take individual credit for spending our hard earned taxpayer dollars on this auspicious Tax Day.

NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver joined Deputy Bronx Borough President Aurelia Greene, NYC Department of Transportation Bronx Borough Commissioner Constance Moran, State Senator Jeffrey Klein, Assembly Member Michael Benedetto, Community Board 10 Chair Virginia Gallagher, along with respected veterans of The City Island American Legion Leonard H. Hawkins Post 156. The group gathered to to break ground on a new pocket park, or street end plaza at the southern most point of City Island's Belden Point.

This public plaza will add a beautiful new green street to The Bronx, complete with shade trees and flowering shrubs where visitors and residents can enjoy views of the Long Island Sound. These small habitats are designed to make the neighborhood beautiful, and more resilient, aiding in storm-water capture and providing a home to countless insects, butterflies, and passing birds.

The construction of Belden Point Park will feature a seaside promenade design that includes decorative pavement, benches and landscaped areas. The $420K beautification project will create a street end plaza along the southern end of City Island Avenue. The design consists of a decorative pavement and landscaped area which will include street trees and flowering shrubs, planting beds, benches, a new bicycle rack and new railings along the waterfront. The plaza will also serve to define a vehicular turn-around. The project is expected to be completed in Spring 2016.

This project was designed by NTC Parks DPR Capital Projects Design Division: http://www.nycgovparks.org/opportunities/capital-projects/about and will be built by FGI Corporation, located here in The Bronx: http://www.fgicorporation.com/

James A. Mullarkey, a native of The Bronx and a longtime City Island resident, as well as a property owner and a proud veteran was skeptical, saying its a waste of money and noting that one big storm will quickly flood the area, wiping out those $420K and hitting NYC tax payers in their pockets. Perhaps that is the reason why they are calling it a pocket park.