Thursday, August 2, 2007

Randall’s Island Sports Foundation (RISF) Chairman Richard Davis joined Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler, Council Member Joel Rivera, New York City Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe and Economic Development Corporation Senior Vice President for Capital Projects David Kane to officially break ground on the 63 new sports fields currently under construction throughout the Island, slated for completion in 2009.

"Although area residents have long been aware of the recreational opportunities available on Randall’s Island, the demand for field time from athletes of all ages has grown exponentially in the past several years," said Randall’s Island Sports Foundation Chairman Richard Davis. "The Randall’s Island Sports Fields project answers that demand with an unparalleled effort, bringing much-needed athletic facilities to the Island for all New Yorkers to enjoy."

"The addition of 63 new sports fields will transform previously underused areas of Randall's Island into an oasis of athletics for millions of New Yorkers," said Commissioner Benepe. "Thanks to our partnership with the Randall’s Island Sports Foundation and the Economic Development Corporation, this Sports Fields project will allow athletes young and old to play a wide variety of sports—from football to soccer, to baseball and lacrosse—all in one location. We are proud to offer dramatically expanded, state-of-the-art facilities on Randall’s Island to encourage thousands of city youngsters to develop lifetime habits of fitness and health."

"EDC is proud to partner with RISF and Parks to help bring about the transformation of this vast urban green space. The construction of the sports fields builds on a history of successful collaboration among our organizations on Randall's Island, including Icahn Stadium, waterfront pathways and the restoration of the wetlands currently in progress."

The Randall’s Island Sports Fields project will create 34 softball/baseball fields and 29 soccer/ football/ lacrosse fields, allowing for a minimum of 112,000 playing hours per year, which is a 75% increase over what the Park offers now. Five of the new fields will be fully lit to provide opportunities for year-round and nighttime games and several of the soccer fields are being created with artificial turf, allowing for year-round play. Upon completion, the additional fields will add nearly 10% of the total available playing fields in New York City. The project will increase total sports fields in Manhattan by 12%, making Randall’s Island the home of about 33% of available fields in the borough.

The project is also bringing new and much-needed public facilities that will accommodate the vast increase in field usage. Five new comfort stations, water fountains, lighting, bleachers, dugouts, backstops, and benches are all being installed. Designated parking and curbed roads will help protect the fields and signage and staffed information booths will notify the park’s patrons where to find specific fields and facilities.

- more -

Randall’s Island Sports Foundation (RISF), founded in 1992, is a public-private partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation that seeks to realize the unique potential of 480 waterfront parkland acres anchoring Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens. RISF strives to empower under-resourced children through sports and recreation with an investment of over $400 million over the next five years in world class facilities, playing fields and programming.

Parks: Warner Johnston/ Cristina DeLuca 212.360.1311