Bronx Man takes it upon himself to clean up New York’s park, but the city says not so fast

New York (CBS New York) – a Bronx The man used his epidemic downtime to clean up a remote section of a New York City park, clear brush, install benches and make plans for major improvements.

Some neighbors applaud his efforts, however City Gardens Department? not much.

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Half-Moon Overlook in the Bronx offers stunning views of the Palisades and the Hudson River. It is a small 28,000 acre parcel of municipal park in the city where a great man dreams.

“I was walking around here one day, and I realized that there was a lot of potential in this park.” Riverdale Victor San Andrés, a CBS2 resident, told Tony Aiello

San Andrés noticed a road that lowered from view and took charge of taking out the garbage and cutting the vegetation. He even installed benches and solar lights.

He also completed a major subsidence, saying that he envisioned adding a floor to the space.

He said, “Where people can go down in the morning and do yoga or meditation or something like that, so that people can do it in nature.” “It’s part of what the epidemic has done to a lot of people. They want to be outside ”.

His unauthorized work in the park has a large following.

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“We all deserve to get to this beautiful place. Why not?” Judy Cardos is a Riverdale resident.

Gene Westling appreciates his neighbor’s love of the garden, but is afraid of removing vines and the effects of brushing on coyotes, especially birds.

“Disturbing their environment during the nesting season was exhausting for the birds,” he said. “I don’t see many birds here anymore.”

There’s also an obvious problem: can you imagine if everyone in New York City decided to claim a public space as their own and return it to their liking?

The Parks Department has asked San Andrés to stop the unauthorized gardening.

We appreciate the volunteer spirit. “It is important for the public to work with our agency when it feels compelled to undertake projects in city parks,” the ministry said in a statement.

To steer the point home, a padlock on the door now prevents access to the newly cleared area.

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But San Andrés does not give up. He’s trying to sell Bronx elected officials on his vision for Half-Moon Overlook. He hopes they will put pressure on the park administration to improve the space.

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