The Memorial Grove was originally established with thirty-nine plaques planted at the base of thirty-nine trees. These plaques memorialized the thirty-nine fallen soldiers from our neighborhood. Due to vandalism and poor maintenance, less than half of the original thirty-nine commemorative plaques remain intact. When our Group was first founded, the Memorial Grove was littered and the landscape was in disarray. This left the Memorial Grove unrecognizable and in no condition to honor our fallen soldiers. Although our Group has effected some change - removal of trash and installation of a perimeter fence – much more needs to be accomplished. Our mission is to restore the Memorial Grove to its original condition. We are working with our local politicians and the NYC Parks Department to allocate funds that are needed for a total restoration of the Grove. Oliver Koppell for $250,000 to cover the restoration of the grounds. Although this is a great start, funding is still needed to restore the actual monuments. The Group has been successful in raising awareness among our local politicians and has been fortunate to be recognized with news coverage by the Riverdale Press, the Riverdale Review, Bronx Channel 12 and WCBS News Channel 2. You Can Help
You can help by dialing 311 to complain about the existing, deplorable conditions. When you file this complaint, you will be assigned a complaint number which you should email to the Group ([email protected]). The Group will log these complaints to be used as leverage with the Parks Department and our politicians.
