At a special meeting of Community Board 8 on Jan. 8, the Parks Department unveiled its preliminary design plans for a $4.5 million renovation to green areas and parts around the Jerome Park Reservoir.

Though the Parks Department presented a complete design, the $4.5 million will only cover the costs for improvements to the northern and western areas of the park — to restore green spaces, plant new trees and create a jogging path outside the 8-foot high security fence that encloses the reservoir.

The renovation funds are part of the $200 million that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) provided for Bronx park projects in exchange for building a water filtration plant at Van Cortlandt Park.

The plans have received mixed reviews from the community. 
Bob Bender, chair of Community Board 8’s Parks Committee was pleased with the results. “I think that [the design] got a good reception [from the community],” he said.

But the plan does not sit well with the Jerome Park Conservancy, which has pushed for nearly 15 years, with support from community leaders, residents and politicians, to transform the reservoir into a 125-acre public park with a path at the water’s edge.

“You can’t build a pathway outside of the fence because there is no room and there’s no place for it,” said Anne Marie Garti, president of the conservancy.

The Conservancy would like to see the Parks Department remove the jogging path from the design proposal and spend the $4.5 million more equitably throughout all areas of the reservoir.

For years, the DEP has prevented public access to the reservoir, citing safety concerns, but the DEP is now reconsidering this option. If access is granted, Garti would love to see the path back in the fold.

Bender believes that the partial pathway is a positive compromise between Community District 8 and the Parks Department, but wants to make sure it gets completed.

“We want to see [the jogging path completed], and we hope that it won’t be put off,” said Bender. “It makes no sense to have a path around the reservoir that goes halfway.”

The DEP is convening a task force regarding public access to the reservoir and will announce its conclusion by the end of the year.

The Parks Department plans to integrate comments and suggestions from the community as it revises its design. Construction may begin as soon as fall 2009.