The Brief
- Local and state officials broke ground Tuesday on Bradenton’s $30 million City Park project near LECOM Park.
- The massive development will feature a community center, a splash pad and athletic facilities for the regional police athletic league.
- State and federal appropriations funded the initial construction phase, which is scheduled for completion before next year’s spring training.
BRADENTON, Fla. – Local and state leaders broke ground Tuesday on a $30 million project aimed at transforming the area around LECOM Park while providing long-awaited resources to an underserved neighborhood.
Bradenton community development
The backstory:
The new development, named City Park, sits adjacent to the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the home of the Bradenton Marauders. While the project expands athletic facilities, officials emphasized that its primary goal is to support the local community.
“This may end up being a great baseball facility, but it’s going to be a great human nature facility that’s going to make a difference for, like I said, generations that aren’t even born yet,” Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown said.…