Nestled between Lehman College and the Bronx High School of Science is a 15.32-acre plot large enough to hold four baseball fields. But what should be a park bustling with little leaguers and baseball practices is now a giant half-done construction site.

Construction began in 2008, and was supposed to wrap up last year. But that hasn’t happened. The discovery of contamination, including high levels of lead, has derailed the project. With an original budget of $5.9 million, the discovery of lead more than doubled the price tag to $13 million and delayed the opening of the park indefinitely.

Local baseball players have been hit especially hard. With only two completed fields and piles of contaminated dirt, the field is unusable. But that hasn’t stopped some eager sportsmen, who sneak in to play.

The field is already starting to look forlorn. Empty soda bottles and crumpled chip wrappers line its edge. The fence that gates the contaminated dirt has been torn down. A mangled, graffitied “Danger” sign now hangs from that torn fence.

Sandy Rivera, a resident of Bedford Park since the ‘80s, doesn’t understand why the construction of the park has taken so long. Like many other residents interviewed, Rivera feels that the city isn’t making their park a priority. To them, Yankee Stadium, only a few miles away, seemed to have been built in a day compared to Harris Field.