Doral Central Park opens its doors

By: Diana Bello Aristizábal

Para leer en Español

 

Doral Central Park has an opening date. On Aug.24, residents will finally get to know the most ambitious and anticipated project in recent years that goes back from 2018 when the city’s voters approved a General Obligations (GO) Bond for $150 million to be allocated for the development of parks and improvements in existing ones.

 

Although since then many projects under the umbrella of the parks bond have been successfully completed, such as the Doral Cultural Arts Center, the city had a strong delivery debt with its residents who had been wondering for years why what promised to be the largest park in the city and one of the largest in the region had not yet been opened.

 

This concern stems from the argument made in 2018 when the council of that administration said the bond funds would help shorten the time to build and open the park. The message back then was that without it, Doral Central Park would not see the light of day sooner than 10 years, since the initial budget was of $110 million.

 

Today, six years later, the park has already exceeded the amount of the bond, according to Mayor Christi Fraga. “The park has cost us $180 million as new additions were included like the amphitheater that I couldn’t cancel because it was too far ahead. Also, since it was delayed for an extended period of time, all costs rose.”

 

Despite that, since the mayor took office in 2022, she has worked to ensure that the park does sees the light of day. “The project was set in motion in 2019 and the original plan was for construction to begin in 2020 with the opening year in its first phase scheduled for 2022. However, construction began in February 2022.”

 

To make that happen, the current mayor’s office began to inquire on the status of the project back then to move forward from there. In that process, two things were discovered: only 10% of the infrastructure had been built and new features had been added that would increase the cost to $190 million. “With the city manager we had to start removing things to save money and open faster, not stopping the project but making decisions that would get us to where we are right now.”

 

On the other hand, upon taking charge, Fraga realized that the bond oversight committee, whose integration had been agreed on from the beginning as part of the GO conditions, had only met once in 2019. The purpose of the committee is to verify that all processes are conducted with total transparency.

 

The mayor decided to make one with five people from the community who had a genuine interest in taking part of it and in being the citizens’ eyes. Since then, they have been meeting up every three months.

 

To add another layer of transparency, she also revived the website www.doralparksbond.org on the parks bond that was created before citizens approved it. “The site was meant to educate the public and help them understand what they were voting on, it included the master plan and all the improvements that have been made. However, in 2020 the website was shut down,” Fraga explains. Today it runs normally and is widely detailed.

A new identity for Doral

Now, although two years late, residents will have at their disposal an 84-acres park, of which around 12 will be taken by a lake, and amenities never seen before in other parks within the region, aimed at all population groups, from babies, children and teenagers to youth and adults.

 

To avoid inconveniences during the first opening phase, residents should first know that the main entrance was moved to 92nd Ave. (except on opening day) and that the western part of the park will remain closed.

 

Visitors will have access to the eastern area which includes for active residents’ multipurpose open fields that can be used for different sports such as hockey or flag football; three courts for sand sports such as beach volleyball; and the Skate Park and Pump Track for skating and cycling, the only one of its kind in West Dade.

 

Soccer lovers will be able to play on the open fields but should keep in mind that unlike other parks such as Legacy that follow a specific schedule, for youth clubs for example, Doral Central Park will house fields for flexible and free use aimed at everyone. “We know people wanted green spaces and that is why we decided not to limit them.”

 

Three parks will also be enabled, a general park for children, a sensory park for kids with disabilities, and a third one next to the amphitheater; gazebos for private parties, a boardwalk that surrounds the lake with a fishing pier and kayaking options; and half of the 900 total parking spaces.

 

The main attraction is the amphitheater with max. capacity of 800 seated people under roof and between 2,500 and 3,000 on the lawn. This structure for concerts was not built with the bond funds, but with $33 million taken from the general reserve and included in the park’s total investment amount. These funds were also allocated for a cafe located in the area closed to the public in the first opening phase.

 

The amphitheater will open on Aug. 24, as the park’ welcoming day will end with a concert scheduled for 5 p.m. Previously, there will be activations in different areas so that the public can get familiar with and enjoy all facilities. Entrance will be through 87 Ave., and it is recommended to arrive early because parking will be limited.

 

Regarding the second opening phase, although there isn’t an expected date yet, it will be most likely around December or January. During that time, the 80,000-square-foot community center will open, hosting a gym with a weight room and cardio area.

 

Within the community center, there will also be an indoor track for running or walking, two indoor courts for basketball or volleyball, a kitchen, multipurpose rooms for yoga, dancing or tai chi, a terrace, a children’s watch center, a room for seniors with a capacity of among 75 and 100 people per day, a room for teenagers and the cafe.

 

During the next phase, the outdoor basketball and tennis courts and the aquatic center will be operating as well. This last portion of the park includes an Olympic pool, a 25-meter teaching pool and another one for kids; two canals, a splash park, locker rooms, gazebos and party rooms for rent. The area, with a separate entrance, will be completely fenced off for the safety of visitors.

 

“Opening the Olympic pool is a great achievement, we had been waiting for it for almost 10 years,” says an emotional Christi as she recalls this facility is part of a promise made many years ago to Valeria, a girl with Down syndrome. “Her dad was an Olympic swimmer, and I told her that the day we opened the Olympic pool, she was going to cut the ribbon with me. We are finally going to fulfill that promise.”

 

The park as it is planned will be fully opened in these two phases with possibilities for growth in the future. “That’s why it was important to have a lot of green space available on which more parking spots or buildings could be built. For now, we are going to do things the responsible way by analyzing what has been done and what will be done, the income or deficit the park will leave and how interested people actually are,” Christi Fraga wraps up.