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A Brighter Future for University Woods?

November 5, 2008

It was once the worst park in the city. Today, it’s become a symbol of what local residents can achieve with hard work and a little imagination. 

University Woods is set on a hillside off West 180th Street, near Bronx Community College. It’s a beautiful spot, with commanding views of the Harlem River. But from 2003 to 2005, New Yorkers for Parks, an advocacy group, named it the city’s worst park in their annual survey. In 2005, the Woods received just 6 points out of 100, the group’s lowest rating ever.

According to an article in the New York Times that year, hypodermic needles, human feces, and condoms littered the ground. And there were signs – broken animal bones – that the park was used for Santeria sacrifices.

“That park is not a park… it’s a cliff side,” Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe told the Times. “It will never be a park… just because something is in our inventory doesn’t mean it’s worth taking care of.”

With rampant drug use and prostitution, some community leaders began to question University Woods’ future.

Xavier Rodriguez, Community Board 5′s district manager, even looked at the possibility of a “land swap” with Andrew Lasala, a local developer who owns land near the Harlem River by East West Fordham Road. That way, affordable housing could be built in Woods; and a new park on the waterfront land.

But one local resident wasn’t ready to let it go.

Brandy Cochrane, 27, first stumbled upon University Woods in the summer of 2006. “I was shocked,” she said. “I had been living there for four years and didn’t know it was a park.”

Uni Woods Brandy

That year, Cochrane collaborated with the Parks Department for the park’s first ever “It’s My Park! Day.” And she founded “Friends of the Woods,” a group dedicated to restoring and maintaining the 3.4-acre park.

In 2007, the group held monthly cleanups, and today, refuge no longer lines the pathways. The park is now home to Cochrane’s “Wood Walks,” tours of the Woods, which allows residents to experience the park. “Now our focus is on awareness,” she said.

To help publicize their work, Friends of the Woods has a Web site (www.uniwoods.com) which carries details of upcoming events inside the park. Visitors to the site can also sign up for the group’s quarterly newsletter, and even buy “University Woods” clothing, bags, and mugs.

Earlier this year, they received a grant from Partnership for Parks, a joint program of the City Parks Foundation and the Parks Department. The funds helped pay for an Aug. 31 block party on nearby Cedar Avenue, which was cosponsored by University Heights Presbyterian Church and others. It was billed as the first block party in the neighborhood. About 100 people showed up.

“It gave us a chance to meet neighbors, and talk about our group,” said Cochrane.

After neglecting the park for years, the Parks Department has also been busy. They recently completed a capital project to repair some of the damaged walls. New trees and shrubs have also been planted, and earlier this year the park was allocated $500,000. Among other things, the funds will go towards fixing the staircase that leads from Sedgwick Avenue to Cedar Avenue.

“If Friends of the Woods didn’t exist, I don’t think the Woods would have got any of this attention,” says Cochrane, whose group has about nine active members.

She hopes the park’s recovery will motivate others to fight for change, and help improve the Bronx. “The Woods is a beautiful place after we all got together and worked hard for it,” said Cochrane. “I think the same thing [can be done] with the Bronx. We can have a beautiful place by working for it together.”

Next year, when the weather warms up, she’s planning to hold free classes inside the park, so residents can learn how to instigate change in their communities.

Rodriguez says Friends of the Woods is doing admirable work. “The Board is happy Brandy Cochrane has stepped up to the plate,” he said. “She’s the spark of energy needed to bring some sort of conclusion to these woods. She’s brought in community involvement, and that’s what’s important.”

But Rodriguez, whose “land swap” idea didn’t go anyway, still has concerns. “There’s no question it’s beautiful,” he said. “But when you start talking about $500,000, the park has to have a purpose. It’s still pretty dangerous, there’s no lighting, and some are still practicing some religious cult [Santeria]. I’d rather spend the money on playgrounds.”

Uni woods

Still, Rodriguez is “definitely coming around” says Cochrane, who, busy as ever, has continued to mobilize residents. On Oct. 31, she put on a Halloween event inside the park, called Ghost Stories in the Woods. And she’s also already planning next year’s block party.

Meanwhile, the Parks Department is looking at how the park can be improved. A scoping meeting was held on Oct. 29, so residents could voice their thoughts on what renovations should be made a priority in the future.

Cochrane, for her part, wants the park’s crumbling walls secured, the railings re-done, the trails smoothed out and defined, and benches installed, among other things.  She’s hopeful the Parks Department will eventually invest a significant sum of money – perhaps $3 million. 

When this happens, Cochrane says, University Woods will be a “true gem.”

By ROB SGOBBO. Additional reporting by JAMES FERGUSSON

Written by admin · Filed Under News/Features 

Comments

2 Responses to “A Brighter Future for University Woods?”

  1. BLACK COTTON on November 12th, 2008 7:38 am

    Xavier Rodriguez, Community Board 5’s district manager, even looked at the possibility of a “land swap” with Andrew Lasala, a local developer who owns land near the Harlem River by East Fordham Road. That way, affordable housing could be built in Woods; and a new park on the waterfront land.

    The Harlem River is located on West Fordham Road in the West Bronx. Not East!

  2. A Brighter Future for University Woods? « All Bronx News, All the Time ! on November 12th, 2008 8:01 am

    [...] 12, 2008 A Brighter Future for University Woods? : Mount Hope Monitor A Brighter Future for University [...]

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