New York City Parks And NYPD Celebrate Renovated Basketball Courts And New

November 13, 2021

NYC Parks Commissioner Gabrielle Fialkoff and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea joined Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit Roberto Perez, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, Assembly Member Al Taylor, NYCFC Head of Community Development Prospero Herrera, Executive Board Member of Black Women’s Player Collective Jasmyne Spencer, Community Board 10 Parks Committee Chair Karen Horry, and community members on Friday to celebrate completed and upcoming improvements to Colonel Charles Young Playground in Harlem. The event included sports activities for kids.

“Colonel Charles Young Playground is a Harlem anchor, and we are proud to work with the NYPD and our partners to activate this neighborhood park. These new improvements provide outstanding recreational opportunities for kids in the community,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Fialkoff. “The park is on its way to getting the renovation it deserves–the basketball court upgrades and new soccer pitch are building momentum as we look forward to the baseball field transformation, expanded sports opportunities, and upgraded comfort station.”

“From my first day as police commissioner, we have worked to build trust and provide opportunities for young people across New York City. One of the key cornerstones of that ongoing work has been investing NYPD assets seized in major criminal investigations into transforming public spaces across New York City for our most precious commodity: Our kids. Over the past year, we have transformed 15 broken basketball courts in public housing and turned these open spaces into vibrant areas where kids can play and learn. This announcement is one more reflection of this effort, of our investment – in time, resources, and energy – into our kids. I want to thank all of our partners involved in this important project for their collaboration in this shared vision of creating places and opportunities for our youngest New Yorkers,” said Police Commissioner Dermot Shea.

The playground now features refurbished basketball courts and a new soccer pitch. The renovations were partially funded by a partnership with the NYPD and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to use asset forfeiture funding to make community improvements. Projects are planned to renovate the ballfields and comfort station.

Phase One: Completed Work
The main basketball court has been reconstructed with new asphalt, fencing, backboards, and a scoreboard. New bleachers will also be arriving shortly. The $500,000 renovation was funded by the NYPD in partnership with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and federal law enforcement partners and with support from the New York City Police Foundation, First Responders Children’s Foundation and Mandela Foundation. Parks made repairs and added new sports coating to the playground’s three other basketball courts, with new backboards also funded by the NYPD.

A fifth court has been converted into a brand new mini-soccer pitch, thanks to $60,000 in funding from the New York City Soccer Initiative partners – the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, the New York…