JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Yancey Park reopened Wednesday after undergoing major renovations.
To celebrate the park’s makeover, officials from LISC Jacksonville, Northwest Jacksonville CDC, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville attended a ribbon cutting ceremony at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The public was invited to attend.
From the basketball courts to the sidelines, great memories have been made at Yancey Park. Now that the renovations are complete, a new set of memories are about to be made.
The park’s recent improvements were funded in part by a $100,000 grant from the NFL’s Grassroots initiative. The renovation project includes:
- A new scoreboard
- New Bermuda grass turf fields
- Laser grading on the field
- A new irrigation system
Coach Hayward Bullard has been involved with the park for decades and has said with crime in the area, the park is a safe-haven for children. He said they couldn't be happier.
"The children are excited. They walk by there every day looking at it and smiling- happy that they got a new field and a scoreboard," Bullard said.
Rev. Aaron Flagg echoed those words and said the football field has been a field of dreams, producing positive memories for those such as NFL Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins and former Jaguars safety Reggie Nelson.
Yancey Park is one of twelve parks that LISC Jacksonville has helped revitalize in the city.
The renovations are reflective of the agency’s dedication to enabling urban neighborhoods and communities to thrive, said Janet Owens, president of LISC Jacksonville.
