March 19, 2009

Still more delays for Bronx parks

The New York Yankees have started removing the outfield turf at the old Yankee Stadium, but that doesn't necessarily mean that demolition is around the corner for the House That Ruth Built. As New York City mayoral spokesperson Andrew Brent told me yesterday, the city can't start tearing down the stadium until it's reached an agreement with the Yankees over who owns what pieces of it: "Part of the demolition process involves removing the seats. And obviously if you're going to sell the seats, you're going to remove them in a different way than if you're demolishing them." (The turf, if you're wondering, both belongs to and is being removed by the Yankees, not the city.)

Bronx residents are eagerly awaiting the demolition, as new public ballfields to replace those destroyed for the Yanks' new stadium can't be built until the old building is gone. Already, the ballfields' opening has been delayed from 2010 to 2011; meanwhile, the cable news station NY1 reports that new tennis courts on the other side of the Major Deegan Expressway, originally supposed to open next month, now won't be ready until December at the earliest. And a running track and soccer field atop a Yankees garage has been pushed back until next spring, though a "temporary" park there is now scheduled to open at the end of this April, according to the Parks Department.

On the bright side, Bronx locals who don't have to be at work on a Thursday afternoon (and who have an in with their local community board) will get a chance to watch batting practice for free on April 2, courtesy of the Yankees. Maybe climbing the steps to the top of the upper deck can count as aerobic exercise.