NEW YORK CITY—The redesigned Roberto Clemente State Park with its $100 million improvements including a redesigned waterfront, plaza renovations and new ball fields was unveiled to the public. In addition, the state is providing $44 million to support a summer employment program to provide training to youth from low-income families. The training will include entry-level jobs at parks, nursing homes, summer camps, childcare organizations, senior citizen centers and community recreation facilities. The work on the 50-year-old park began in 2011, with the intention of improving its resiliency and making it more of an inviting destination. Governor Andrew Cuomo notes it is the largest single investment his administration has made in any park. The park has an estimated 1.3 million visitors each year. "This is not just a park, it's a symbol of the new Bronx. For many years progress happened but the Bronx was left behind. Not anymore," says Governor Cuomo. He adds more people are moving to the Bronx, which is getting the best recreational natural facility that the state has renovated since his administration took office. The state completed a $46 million redesign of the waterfront which added flood protection against the Harlem River, storm resilience and green infrastructure. The upgrades replaced a 2,200-foot-long steel bulkhead and esplanade which suffered Superstorm Sandy damage, and incorporated a more resilient design. A rehabilitated esplanade and lower plaza features a pedestrian and bike path, river overlook, boat launch and a new performance space. An intertidal area provides a natural habitat for plants and animals. For $7 million, the state renovated the upper plaza gateway to the park, improving views and landscaping. The new layout relocated the life-size bronze statue of the park's namesake, baseball player Roberto Clemente, to the park's entrance. The initiative spent $8.6 million installing two synthetic turf ball fields and renovating the park's natural turf field. The park plans to expand youth baseball and softball programming to 1,500 youth each year in a partnership with the Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball Players Association Youth Development Foundation, the youth development organization DREAM and other athletic programs. The Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Award from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Governor Cuomo's New York Parks 2020 initiative, and grants from Bronx Borough president Ruben Diaz Jr., New York City council member Vanessa Gibson, state senator Jose Serrano and assembly member Latoya Joyner financed the projects. The MLB, MLBPA and Alex Rodriguez also provided funding for the new athletic fields. The governor's NY Parks 2020 program is a multi-year commitment to invest in park improvements. The 2019-2020 state budget allocates $110 million toward this initiative.