The park at 1808 S. Laramie will include two baseball fields and a soccer field as well as a perimeter walking path and a parking lot right of Laramie Avenue. The park will be managed by Clyde Park District upon its completion. The fields are expected to be substantially complete by the end of summer 2007 and available to be utilized by Cicero residents in conjunction with park district programming and general leisure by the fall 2007.
Town President Larry Dominick is keeping his word to Cicero families. In the coming weeks, the baseball and soccer fields at 1808 S. Laramie will be completed. As passers-by have surely noticed, the field lighting is up as is the superstructure of the utility house (with bathrooms). The town awaits the delivery of the field turf (for soccer) and backstops (for baseball). There is also some landscaping work President Dominick has requested be completed before the park is officially opened and turned over to the Clyde Park District to administer. Spring 2008 will kickoff years of athletics and other family-friendly programming for the children of Cicero.
Final touches being put on new park at 1808 S. Laramie Ave.
The construction team is busy finishing up the final touches on new pavilion building and baseball diamond backstops as work nears completion on the new park at 1808. S Laramie Ave. The sports field lighting is now fully installed, as is the artificial soccer field turf and the bike path around the perimeter of the park. Once the final tasks have been completed, Town President Larry Dominick and the Town will turn administration of the park over the Clyde Park District.
Grand Kickoff for "The Park" at 1808 S. Laramie
More than 600 Cicero residents turned out to mark the official opening of "The Park", the new recreational sports facility that features two baseball fields and a professional grade soccer field at 1808 S. Laramie.
The day also marked the official opening of the Clyde Park District summer soccer league in which more than 600 Cicero children registered to play. The opening celebration featured representatives from the Chicago Fire, Chicago's professional soccer team. Andy Herron of the Fire was on hand to represent the team. Herron was very generous with his time signing autographs for Cicero soccer fans of all ages and even showing Town President Larry Dominick some moves.
"Where once we had a blighted property, now we have a beautiful outdoor facility for kids to play baseball and soccer," said Dominick, who encouraged more kids to sign up for park district programs.
Dominick added, "I want to offer a special thanks to the Chicago Fire for their support of our efforts and their shared interest in seeing kids get involved in soccer and not street gangs. Andy Herron and the other Fire players are terrific athletes and important role models for our kids."
Dominick thanked Cicero state legislators, State Sen. Martin Sandoval and State Rep. Lisa Hernandez, for their support. Hernandez was instrumental in getting the Town a state grant to pay for the professional field turf for the soccer field. Dominick also thanked the Town's Department of Housing for their work through HUD in obtaining critical community development block grant (CDBG) funds that were instrumental in completing the $1.9 million facility.
Joining Dominick for the ribbon cutting to signal the official opening of The Park were (from left to right): State Rep. Hernandez, Town Supervisor Joe Virruso, Town grant consultant Barry Cannizzo, and Andy Herron.
VIDEO UPDATE: Opening of The Park at 1808 S. Laramie
On Saturday, April 5, another milestone for "The New Cicero" was reached with the grand opening of "The Park" at 1808 S. Laramie.
Larry Dominick often says that his personal goal as Town President is to improve the life of at least one child for each day he is in office.
Suffice it to say, Dominick is well ahead of the standard he set for himself.
The 600 children in the park district soccer league who now have the benefit of playing on state-of-the-art field turf and the hundreds more who will utilize the baseball fields for little league games are testament both to Dominick's personal credo and to his vision for translating promise into reality.
A site that was a blighted brownfield is now vibrant green fields-for soccer and baseball, for the children and families of Cicero.
The occasion of the park's grand opening was punctuated by the presence of town officials, state legislators, Andy Herron of the Chicago Fire, and hundreds of Cicero families.
"Getting our kids involved in sports gives them a healthy activity to concentrate on and keeps them away from unhealthy activities like gangs and drugs," Dominick told the assembled crowd. "These are not just athletic fields; they are pathways to safer, more productive lives."
"The Park" at 1808 S. Laramie joins a growing list of family-friends developments that have marked the Dominick administration including: a 40,000 square foot community center that opened in December 2007; the redevelopment of North Clyde Park; and a new, 22-acre park featuring an outdoor concert area at 34th& Laramie that is scheduled for completion by Labor Day 2008.
"When I was growing up in Cicero, kids had no place to play," said Dominick. "That has permanently changed. We have created public green space to be enjoyed for many generations of Cicero families to come."
In the 'New Cicero', by planning and by working together, residents are beginning to realize that the town's past does not have to be its future.
