LAUDERHILL – The Central Broward Regional Park, a 110-acre multipurpose facility located at Sunrise Boulevard and State Road 7 in Lauderhill, is scheduled to host its official opening ceremony on Friday, November 9, 2007, at 4 p.m.
This 110-acre multipurpose facility, located in the City of Lauderhill, is the first county regional park to be funded through the 2000 Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond. (Additional funding came from a $5 million Florida Forever grant.)
The park is the largest in central Broward County and will serve the communities of Lauderhill, Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale Lakes, Oakland Park, Plantation, Sunrise, and Wilton Manors.
The site, most of which was formerly owned by AT&T, now includes a variety of features: a circular, lighted multipurpose main event field with 5,000 covered seats and additional seating for 15,000 spectators possible; four lighted soccer/football fields that can also be used as two cricket fields; netball, tennis, and basketball courts; an aquatics complex (opening in spring 2008) including two water playgrounds, an instructional swimming pool, and a boat rental facility; seven picnic shelters with grills, water, and electricity; two corporate pavilions with large cooking grills, serving counters, water, electricity, and restrooms; more than two miles of nature trail; and two large, shaded playgrounds. The main event field is expected to host sporting competitions, concerts, and other special events.
The project, which was completed with more than 45 percent minority participation, is a joint venture of Atlanta-based H.J. Russell and the Broward County firm Seawood Builders, with the partnership receiving the more than $40 million contract to design and build the park. H.J. Russell, the largest African American-owned construction management business in the country, previously worked on such projects as the Georgia Dome and Turner Field; Seawood has been involved locally in renovations at T.Y. Park in Hollywood, which reopened its newly upgraded facilities on Saturday, October 27.
Future park amenities will include a waterfall, a public-art feature, and a cultural center, the latter to be operated by the City of Lauderhill. There will also be a branch of the Broward County Library on site.
