The Ciudad Deportiva Millito Navarro (Millito Navarro Sports City) is a multi-sport complex currently under construction in

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

. The complex is to consist of a

soccer stadium Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada to refer to a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi-pu ...

, a

baseball field A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...

, three

tennis courts A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be u ...

, a track for

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

, a covered

basketball court In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor, with baskets at each end. Indoor basketball courts are almost always made of polished wood, usually maple, with -high rims on each basket. Outdoor sur ...

, and a covered

gym A gymnasium, also known as a gym, is an indoor location for athletics. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasium". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learning spaces in educational ins ...

nasium. It is also planned to have schooling, physical training, and medical facilities on the premises. Its projected cost is 32.3 million

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

. The complex is named after Ponce's Millito Navarro, the first Puerto Rican to play baseball in the

Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

and who, living until age 105, was also the oldest living professional baseball player to have played in the Negro leagues.

Description and location

Ciudad Deportiva is being built in an area of over 1 million square feet of land, between Urbanizacion Los Caobos and Caminos del Sur. It is to consist of a

, a baseball field, three

, a track for

sports, a covered gymnasium, and covered

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

courts. In addition it is planned to have a sports academy, the first one of its kind in Puerto Rico. Other facilities are to include a central

plaza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

, a medical sports clinic, and facilities for

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

. Ciudad Deportiva will be located in Ponce's Barrio Bucana, next to Polideportivo Frankie Colón at Urbanizacion Los Caobos.

History

The idea for Ciudad Deportiva was one of five ideas that Mayor Maria Melendez Altieri had for permanent structures for Ponce during her administration. She called the five ideas the "emblematic" projects of her administration and dubbed the overall plan "Ponce Avanza" (Ponce Moves Forward). The original plan judged the initial cost of the ''Ciudad Deportiva'' at $4.5 million initially. In 2010, the mayor's plan for Ciudad Deportiva was presented before the

Puerto Rico Senate The Senate of Puerto Rico ( es, Senado de Puerto Rico) is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate, together with the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, control t ...

. In early 2012 the first payment of $1,050,000 was made to CGC Builders to start construction work.

Purpose

The purpose of the complex is to "provide ... sports facilities in the city of Ponce for the celebration of sporting events lasting more than one day".

Funding

In February 2012, the sports campus has an initial projected total cost of $20 million

. The municipality has secured US$6.3 million to start construction. In January 2012, the municipality of Ponce adjudicated US$1.05 million to GCG Builders to level the ground to commence the first phase of construction. This was revised in May 2012 to $32.3 million

Construction phases

The Sports City will be developed in phases. Phase I will include construction of the three tennis courts and an area for

extreme sports Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear. Extreme tourism overl ...

, including

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a ...

. Phase II will encompass the baseball field, the track and field area, soccer field, and the central plaza. A future phase yet would include the soccer stadium. The skateboarding facility opened on 23 March 2013. By October 2013, building of the soccer field (Spanish: cancha de fútbol) had already started.''Reclama logros a pesar de la crisis fiscal.''
Reinaldo Millán . La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 31. Issue 1559. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.

References

External links

{{Coord, 18.00363, -66.58462, type:landmark, display=title Football venues in Puerto Rico Athletics (track and field) venues in Puerto Rico Baseball venues in Puerto Rico 2012 establishments in Puerto Rico Sports venues in Ponce, Puerto Rico Sports venues completed in 2012