City Plans $1.4M Renovation Of Inwood Ballfield

INWOOD, NY — The city Parks Department presented plans to renovate an Inwood Hill Park ballfield for $1.4 million and gained the support of Community Board 12's parks committee during a Tuesday night meeting.

The Parks Department project, funded by local City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, will result in a resurfaced and re-graded playing field, a taller outfield fence and will make the field and bleachers section ADA accessible, according to a department presentation given Tuesday.

The existing ballfield, located near the Seaman Avenue and Isham Street entrance to the park, is limited by poor conditions and drainage issues, parks officials said. The field's dugouts are not up-to-code, the infield has suffered erosion and the outfield is uneven. Several spots along the field's fence are in need of patching up and the bleachers section is inaccessible and in need of repairs, according a Parks Department presentation.

Proposed improvements for the ballfield include:

• A brand-new turf and clay infield;
• A taller fence in the outfield to prevent balls from landing in the street;
• Improved catch basins to better drain the field;
• New tree and shrub plantings near the field;
• Improved paths to and from the field;
• Upgraded dugouts;
• A pitching cage;
• ADA-accessible ramps and ADA cutouts in bleachers;
• Water bottle filling stations;
• Big Belly trash cans to cut down on pests.

Community Board 12's parks and cultural affairs committee voted to approve the plan Tuesday, and a resolution will be voted on by the full board later this month. The board is expected to meet on April 23.