Six months after its first full renovation in nearly seven decades, Community Board 9 members say they’re still seeking seeking improvements and stricter enforcement at Noble Playground.
Residents in CB9’s coverage area, which also includes members of the Noble Avenue Tenants Association, have expressed complaints regarding Noble Playground’s lack of a consistent closing time at the board’s most recent general meeting on Nov. 16. CB9 encompasses the neighborhoods of Bronx River, Castle Hill, Clason Point, Harding Park, Parkchester, Park Stratton, Soundview, Bruckner and Unionport.
According to CB9 board members, as well as residents, the park is rarely closed by its 7 p.m. cutoff — and circulated pictures have shown people in the park as late as after 10 p.m. CB9 wants like to see the park locked at its specific closing time in order to eliminate the chance of illegal activities, including loitering, taking place after hours.
Noble Playground — located just north of Soundview, west of Parkchester and bordering both the Cross Bronx Expressway and Bronx River Parkway — features basketball courts, a playground area, fitness equipment, a baseball field and public restrooms, among other amenities. The park hours for Noble Playground are Monday to Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The issue stems from a delay due to the influx of green spaces throughout the city that the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation needs to close on a nightly basis, according to the department. NYC Parks operates and maintains nearly 1,000 parks, 5,000 properties and 30,00 acres of land across the city.
Members of CB9 have said that they have since reached out to the Parks Department and requested that Noble Playground be moved to the top of the list of playgrounds in the city that should be locked at their closing times. According to multiple people on CB9, NYC Parks has been very responsive to complaints and requests in the past.
The department has said that it will “advise their night security staff on request for consistent closure times.”
The board has also requested removal of a beehive in the area of the basketball courts, as well as rat mitigation within the park. Another request includes the installation of signage of “No Dogs Allowed” in the areas of the basketball, playground and ball fields. According to CB9 members, dogs are only allowed on the exterior of the park.
From May 2022 to May 2023, the park underwent its first full renovation since the Robert Moses era in the early 1950s, during the construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway, a project that Moses has been highly criticized for by many Bronxites. Construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway, which began in 1948 and lasted until 1972, displaced entire neighborhoods that were in the path of the freeway.
In December, Mayor Eric Adams announced a $2 million initiative with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant program to improve the Cross Bronx Expressway.
Noble Playground, which is named after city engineer Alfred Noble, was constructed in 1939, while Moses held the position of NYC Parks commissioner.
Reach Steven Goodstein at sgoodstein@schnepsmedia.com or (718) 260–8326. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
