Westchester Square merchants and residents are insisting that a cement spire be removed from a rehabbed Owen Dolen Recreation Center, despite concerns from the city Public Design Commission.
In a meeting on Monday, December 14, the Parks Department presented plans for Phase II of an Owen Dolen Park renovation to Public Design Commission.
The plans, screened by Community Board 10 in October, include a paved plaza, increased accessibility to green spaces and an ADA-compliant ramp, as well as new landscaping, fences and benches.
Although the Public Design Commission approved most of the Parks Department’s, several of commissioners expressed concerned with regard to the proposed removal of the cement spire that tops the rec center. The commissioners would rather the Parks Department preserve the spire, an original piece of art designed by John Ciardullo in 1980.
The Parks Department will plead its case against the spire and offer additional information to the Public Design Commission on Monday, January 11, a Parks Department spokeswoman said.
John Bonizio, president of the Association of Merchant and Business Professionals of Westchester Square, described the removal of the spire as an essential component of the community’s vision for Westchester Square. Specifically, merchants and residents think the roof of the rec center could host community activities.
“All of the stakeholders who have any interest in the development of the park are in favor of the removal of the spire,” Bonizio said. “[The commissioners], none of whom reside in the community, have opinions that have nothing to do with local use of the park. It’s the people of the community whose desires should be adhered to.”
Bonizio further explained that the spire has sheltered illegal activities in the past. The roof of the recent center could host holiday displays in the winter and concerts in the summer, he said.
Westchester Square merchants and residents, Community Board 10, Councilman Jimmy Vacca and the Bronx Council on the Arts have mailed letters urging the Public Design Commission to okay the spire’s removal. The Parks Department hopes to begin its Owen Dolen Park renovation by the summer of 2010 and has estimated it will last about one year.
Vacca allocated $4.5 million towards Phase II of the renovation; Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. allocated $500,000.
“Removing the spire…[would] open the upper terrace for greater use by the community,” Vacca noted in a letter to the Public Design Commission.
Reach reporter Amanda Marinaccio at 718 742-3394 or [email protected]