Councilmember Rafael Salamanca, Jr. partnered with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to hold collaboration sessions with local youth regarding continued revitalization efforts of the Julio Carballo Fields Playground at the Hunts Point Recreation Center.
As a continuation of the nearly $9.2 million that Salamanca has allocated toward upgrading and renovating the Hunts Point Rec Center and Julio Carballo Fields, the session offered Bronx youth the opportunity to share their ideas for improving and utilizing the fields.
“As the revitalization efforts for the Julio Carballo Fields Playground continue, it is important to hear the input of the community to ensure that this new space can best serve our community’s needs,” Salamanca said. “The inspiration for today’s youth collaboration sessions on the future of the playground was the shared understanding of who better to tell the Parks Department how to design the playground than those individuals that will actually use it — our youth?”
In hopes of being a great outdoor space for the utilization of residents, constituents and students, the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation has been working with Salamanca’s office to obtain ideas from members of the community to ensure it turns out with fulfilled expectations.
The March 1 session followed an information session that was held last month, with this one highlighting specifically the voices of local students in the area from St. Ignatius School and The Bronx Academy for Multi Media.
“Bronx Academy for Multi Media (BAMM) was thankful to have our students participate in the design discussion for the new playground,” said Marissa Marquez, vice principal of BAMM. “Today’s event demonstrates Council Member Salamanca’s dedication to the youth of his district and shows the students that their voices are valued.”
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