JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Northwest Jacksonville's Yancey Park has received a $100,000 grant from the NFL Grassroots Program.
“If you notice, crime is all around this area. This park is a safe haven," Hayward Bullard, a coach with the Forest View Athletic Association said.
He said park improvements will improve the neighborhood. In the last 5 and a half months, at least 44 crimes have been reported within a half-mile radius of Yancey Park, according to a crime-mapping program utilized by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, City of Jacksonville officials and LISC Jacksonville hosted a groundbreaking event at the park on Friday.
Among the renovations planned for Yancey Park:
- Replacing the irrigation system
- Adding a new scoreboard
- Laser grading to provide a crown on the field
- Installing 419 Bermuda playing surface
“It will keep the kids off the street and out of trouble," Bullard said. "It will keep them participating in sports."
Off-the-field projects are in the works as well. Councilman Reggie Brown said the city is considering adding cameras to Yancey Park.
“Our job is to make sure our parks are safe," Brown said. "Having the amenities in the park coupled with safety is just wonderful for the community and Jacksonville."
“It will make us feel real great so we can see who is doing it," Bullard said. "Then sometimes the neighbors can get some sleep. The neighbors ask us to leave the lights on and everything but we can’t because of the city budget says we have to cut them off at a certain time."
The renovations are expected be completed by the end of May or early June.
Yancey Park is the second park revitalized by LISC Jacksonville this year and 12th park overall. Northwest Jacksonville CDC will lead the park renovations and Forestview Athletic Association will provide sports programming for local kids.
Founded in 1999 through the efforts of the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund, the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation, the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida and the City of Jacksonville, LISC Jacksonville is a leader in community revitalization. LISC partners with residents and community-based organizations to spark neighborhood transformation and build healthy sustainable communities, according to a release about the event.