STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Everyone can use a little more magic in their lives, and on Friday, dozens of city officials announced a $92 million project to bring magic to Staten Island for generations to come. A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the highly anticipated new community center.
Mayor Eric Adams led a groundbreaking ceremony in Tompkinsville for the new Mary Kari Dalton Center, named after the island’s former Parks Department recreation director. Once complete, the new 45,000-square-foot center will offer a variety of recreational facilities, including a sports court, four electric vehicle charging stations, an indoor and outdoor running track, and a fitness and cardio room.
In his speech, Adams recalled Kari Dalton’s catchphrase, “Taking charge of the magic,” and talked about how the new center will bring even more benefits to Staten Island residents.
“Magical things happen when you give children and families space,” he said. “This recreation center is a tribute to our leaders and our community, and we know that parks are the great equalizer.”
The new recreation center is part of the city’s North Shore Action Plan, a city investment in the area worth more than $400 million led by Councilwoman Camilla Hanks (D-North Shore).
The daughter of Kari Dalton and her other namesake, Mary Kari, is a story of love, redemption, and honesty about her mother, who joined the Park Service in 1999 at age 45 after a life of hardship and struggle. told a story.
Kali told an audience of about 100 people how her mother rose through the ranks of the Parks Department, became Staten Island Borough’s recreation director, and became a fixture at the George Cromwell Recreation Center, which the city demolished in 2013. He told the story of how it happened.
The new Mary Cali Dalton Center, which city officials expect to be completed by the end of 2025, will replace the old Cromwell Center, which has served the island for more than 70 years.
Kari recalled how former parks director Mitchell Silver called her and her sisters, Valerie and Gina, about the city’s plans to build a new center in honor of their mother. I remembered.
“It was very humbling for our family to receive this honor,” Kari said. “I’ve always told people that my mother sets a very high bar for me, but for me personally, this is the limit.”
After the island became part of the city in 1898, this former recreation center, named for the island’s first borough president, jutted out onto the Tompkinsville shore above Pier 6, but for decades It was officially closed in 2010 after years of neglect and severe disrepair.
Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Secretary Tom Foley, a Staten Island resident, joked that he remembered running on the track at the center and seeing water underneath through the floorboards.
Now, Mr. Foley and Parks Director Sue Donahue will lead construction of the new Mary Cali Dalton Center, which will be located above the parking lot next to Lions Pool, and Mr. Adams said the city It will be the first recreation center built in 14 years.
Comparable city projects typically take more than five years to complete, but officials have set an ambitious goal of completing Dalton Center within two years with a more efficient construction strategy.
Design-build reduces the number of entities responsible for both the design and construction of a project, often eliminating differences that can occur between a designer and a builder, and reducing the total cost required to complete a project. and time is reduced.
“This center is not only a major step forward for the borough’s recreation, but also for the city’s capital plan and the administration’s efforts to improve the delivery of capital projects. The Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center is the city’s first one of our design-build projects,” Foley said. “With design and construction, we expect this project to be completed by the end of next year, saving us two full years.” It highlights the need to be able to deliver facilities to communities faster and at a lower cost.”
Once complete, the new 45,000-square-foot center will offer a variety of recreational facilities, including a sports court, four electric vehicle charging stations, an indoor and outdoor running track, and a fitness and cardio room.
Hanks’ predecessor, former City Council member Debi Rose, said the new Mary Cali Dalton Recreation Center will be more than just a place for local residents, remembering what the Cromwell Center meant to the community. He said it’s more than just a new amenity.
Ms Rose, who led the push to replace Mr Cromwell during her tenure, said her parents attended teen dances there from an early age and that it was central to her own childhood.
“When Cromwell first collapsed into New York Harbor in 2010, it signaled a devastating reality to the North Shore,” she said. “Today is truly a historic day, not only for the North Shore, but for Staten Island. Now we have a center” on the importance of recreation and resources. ”
