Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. spent his childhood at C.S. 150 in Longwood, running on the hard concrete playground. On Thursday, Nov. 14, he returned to his childhood school to cut the ribbon for a new $1 million outdoor space that includes four basketball courts, a track, soccer nets, playground equipment and more for students and the community to enjoy.
“This means the world to me,” he said.
Salamanca Jr. said that when he visited C.S. 150 after his election to the City Council in 2016, he was struck by how little had changed since he and his sister were students. The auditorium was still hot, and the playground was still a field of concrete.
Since then, Salamanca Jr. said he has allocated over $30.5 million to District 17 schools, with $3.9 million to C.S. 150 for a hydroponic lab, school technology upgrades and an air conditioning system and other improvements for the auditorium.
Being able to secure funding for these projects — and to show his 10-year-old son the tangible difference he has made in the community — has been very meaningful, said Salamanca Jr.
“I wanted to make sure I took care of home,” he said.
The South Bronx will see more of these kinds of investments in the coming years as the School Construction Authority focuses not only on buildings but also on the outdoor spaces that contribute to students’ health and well-being, said SCA President Nina Kubota.
Kubota called Salamanca Jr. “a tireless advocate” for school equity and said the SCA is investing more than in the last capital plan for new and existing swimming pools, athletic fields and playgrounds throughout the Bronx.
State Senator Luis Sepúlveda, who spoke at the ribbon cutting, said it is frustrating to see affluent schools with music and dance studios while South Bronx schools fight for basic upgrades.
A high-quality education is about more than just classrooms, he said. “I will continue to invest the bulk of my discretionary dollars in the schools I represent,” said Sepúlveda.
The new playground at C.S. 150 is just one of many improvements coming to the immediate area, Salamanca Jr. said. Pointing just beyond the play yard fence, he said the now-empty lot is slated to become a senior housing building with a ground-floor community center to replace the historic Fort Apache Youth Center that helped bring kids off the streets and into a boxing gym throughout the 1980s and 90s.
“This playground is part of the redevelopment of the South Bronx,” Salamanca Jr. said.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
