Volunteers Beautify Neglected Section Of Highbridge Park

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Hundreds of volunteers worked to beautify and restore a five-acre section of Highbridge Park near West 155th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue on Thursday in an effort to make the green space accessible to residents of the nearby Polo Grounds Towers housing development.

Volunteers cleared overgrown vegetation, removed trash, planted native trees and plants and helped install tree guards at a nearby community garden, according to a press release. The volunteer effort was organized by liquor company Pernod Ricard USA in partnership with the New York Restoration Project. Local politicians such as State Senator Marisol Alcantara, State Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa and Deputy Borough President Matthew Washington participated in the cleanup effort.

"Clearing that site, having people be able to use it, and the kind of conviviality and togetherness and community that brings, that's a home run," Deborah Marton, executive director of the New York Restoration Project, said in a statement.

Before the site was cleared the green space was not useable due to invasive vegetation and "mounds of trash" Pernod Ricard representatives said.

The volunteer effort was part of Pernod Ricard's company-wide "Responsib'all Day," when the company's nearly 18,000 employees partake in local community service projects. Last year Pernod Ricard worked to restore a section on the northern end of Highbridge Park.

Check out some photos from the cleanup effort:

Photos courtesy Pernod Ricard USA