Park renovations unveiled in Yonkers

Yonkers, which has 82 parks operated by its Department of Parks, Recreation & Conservation unveiled renovations at two of them early in August.

On Aug. 9, there was a ribbon-cutting marking the opening of phase one of renovations at the 25-acre Trevor Park on Ravine Avenue. When all three phases of the work are completed, the park will have new basketball courts, new tennis courts, new benches and walkways and the replacement of the playground surfacing. The restrooms and playing fields will be redone along with a play area designated for dogs. There also will be new fitness equipment installed and new bleachers. The first phase of the work at Trevor Park had an estimated cost of $1.1 million.

Just a week earlier, on Aug. 2, a ribbon-cutting had been held at Pitkin Park, located at 87 Locust Hill Ave., to mark the completion of renovations there.

Parks Commissioner Steve Sansone said that Pitkin Park, adjacent to the Martin Luther King Jr. Academy is heavily used by the community and the school. He described it as being the cornerstone of the neighborhood.

“The Pitkin Estate was the home to a prominent Yonkers family up until the 1930s,” Sansone said. “George Pitkin first purchased the property in 1880, which extended from Locust Hill to North Broadway and included a greenhouse and small buildings used for guests and storage. He was in the dry goods business. He was also vice president of St. John’s Hospital as well as the president of the East New York Boot and Shoe Manufacturing Company.”

Sansone said that George Pitkin died in 1886 but his wife lived on the property until 1930 and left the property to her grandchildren who sold the land for the park to the City of Yonkers. The park and playground were dedicated to the city’s Parks Department in 1947 and later was named for the Pitkin Family.

“The park needed work; we identified the needs,” Sansone said. “Last year we paved the courts and walkways thanks to our friends in the engineering department. We have now spent an additional $415,000 and have added new playground features, rubber matting, site work and improved drainage. The kids were so excited this weekend they broke through the cones and caution tape and have already started using it.”

Mayor Mike Spano said that his administration and the City Council made a commitment to rebuilding the city’s parks, especially the ones on the city’s West Side because those parks had been ignored for far too long. Spano explained that the council was especially interested in renovating parks located next to city schools to make them more inviting for school children.

“Our parks have never looked this good,” Spano said.