Several years ago, Dexter Gardiner of The Gardiner Foundation made it his mission to advocate the much needed renovations of local Bronx favorite, St. James Park, to Community District 14 in New York City. Councilman Fernando Cabrera heard Dexter’s plea, also seeing the park in desperate need of the change and as an important community resource to keep youth off the streets.

In 2014, Councilman Cabrera pledged a $1-million grant for park renovations during the 9th Annual Gardiner Memorial Basketball Tournament, and this year, his promise held true. On Friday, October 30, 2015, a ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiled the park’s new renovations.

“It was such a great feeling knowing that Councilman Cabrera and his staff care so much about the St. James Park community and were willing to work with us to clean up the park,” said Mr. Gardiner. “We will be able to host so many more events there knowing that it is now safer and cleaner for the kids in our area to stay active.”

Those that joined The Gardiner Foundation in the monumental celebration were, Commissioner of NYC Parks and Recreation Mitchell J. Silver, Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera, Commissioner of Bronx Parks and Recreation Iris Rosa Rodriguez, and students from the local PS 246 School.

Renovations for the park were originally set to begin in August 2015, the same week that the 10th Annual Gardiner Memorial Basketball Tournament was scheduled for. However, Ms. Rodriguez delayed construction one weekend so that the event could be held without interruptions.

Out of the grant so far, $600,000 has been used to build an artificial turf soccer field, and $150,000 to rehabilitate the basketball courts. The rest of the grant money will be used to reconstruct the handball and tennis courts.

“I am proud that the renovations of the turf field and the basketball court at St. James Park are complete and the community will now be able to take advantage of these amenities,” said Councilman Fernando Cabrera. “I want to extend a special thank you to Dexter Gardiner and The Gardiner Foundation for all of their cooperation and hard work to complete this project. Physical activity and fresh air are crucial to our wellbeing, and many New Yorkers rely on parks and public spaces to get both. Playing a sport is both healthy and fun, but it can be difficult to do so in congested urban areas where conditions are not ideal. I hope that community members will benefit from having the field and the court in their ‘backyard’ for years to come.”

Sponsors Lawyertime.com have worked closely with the Gardiner Foundation since 2009, helping host their annual charity events. Each year, Mr. Gardiner and the team would work tirelessly to clean up the park as much as possible in preparation for the special occasions. Though, no matter how much work was put in, it had become apparent the park needed drastic repairs. -- These new renovations are a major accomplishment for both the Gardiner Foundation and Lawyertime.com.

“There was collaboration by so many different government offices to not only get funding for the renovations of St. James Park, but also to make sure they were done in a way that wouldn’t adversely affect the community,” said Jeff Korek. “We are so thankful to Councilman Cabrera, Commissioner Rodriguez, Senator Gustavo Rivera and all others who stepped up to make St. James Park a safe place.”

Lawyertime.com and The Gardiner Foundation are immensely grateful to those who contributed via generous donations and with the media that raised awareness with coverage. Everyone’s help directly impacted the positive results seen today.

The next event scheduled at St. James Park is the Gardiner Foundation’s 6th Annual Gardiner Memorial Turkey Giveaway on November 21, 2015, where Bronx community members can enjoy 600 Thanksgiving meals.