Bronx park renovation to cost the city $5.2M more than originally planned

Rebuilding Harris Field, a 15-acre park in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx, is going to cost the city almost $14 million, the Post reported. The city’s renovation of the park and its six playing fields was announced in 2007 with an estimated cost of $6.6 million, which was later upped to $8.7 million. The latest price increase — which represents a 110 percent cost overrun — is due to high levels of lead, found by workers who were trying to install tanks for drainage at the site. The Department of Parks & Recreation said it needs the additional $5.2 million to remove the contamination before replacing grass with artificial turf on two of the fields. According to the city’s Web site, the Harris Field project is slated for completion in the spring, but it was not immediately clear whether the contamination would delay the end date. [Post]