Miami-Dade Commissioner Dennis C. Moss of District 9, Park and Recreation Director Jack Kardys and staff joined hundreds of residents April 9 forx a ceremony showcasing major improvements at Southridge Park, 19598 SW 112th Ave.
The ceremony included a field day complete with a series of youth relay races, including the Commissioner Moss 100 Yard Relay.
Kardys gave an overview of the new park stadium project which comprises a 5,232-square-foot field building with ticket counters, a concession area and restrooms, bleacher seating for 1,512, a lighted parking area with connecting walkways and a perimeter fence.
A new electronic scoreboard with video display and a public address system were also part of the upgrades completed in conjunction with the second phase of development of the project.
The total cost for Phase II was $3,632,000 and was made possible with funds from the Building Better Communities Bond Program, Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond Program, the Quality Neighborhood Improvement Program and Park Impact Fees.
“This facility was a promise we made to the community back in 1993 through The Moss Plan and today we are realizing a part of that promise,” Moss told the gathering at the opening ceremony. “Today we are proud and pleased to have a complete stadium where we can enjoy the fine football games and teams in this community.”
Moss said the project came out of a desire to put a public stadium in the region because the others, at Harris Field in Homestead and at Tropical Park in South Miami were far off.
“We wanted to make sure there was a stadium in this region that would serve the schools, the children and the community in this area,” Moss said.
The16.1-acre park with a lighted baseball field, a lighted football/soccer field, a running track and a similar field building and bleachers on the west side of the complex were part of the first phase of the project, a county statement said.
Future plans include a family aquatics facility to be installed on the east side of the park, just south of the new parking lot.
The Park Stadium project is one of several projects in District 9 included in the Moss Plan, named for the commissioner. It was originally referred to as the South Dade Neighborhood Development Concept Plans but renamed by a unanimous vote by the Miami-Dade County Commission.
The county statement said many of the benefits from the plan include business expansion and development, street paving and road improvements, low-income housing, community centers and recreation facilities, gateway signs, redevelopment and expansion of parks, beautification projects, crime prevention and homebuyer counseling.
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