Granite Park to reopen this weekend!

Fresno, Calif – After nearly a decade, an abandoned and financially troubled Fresno park is reopening as a state-of-the-art facility.

Granite Park will re-open Saturday, March 4th. Crews are now working on the finishing touches, including new paint and astroturf.

The park that was gated up and empty for nearly a decade will now be a premiere sports complex.

Starting in March, the park will host adult co-ed and mens softball during the week and tournaments for kids and little league on the weekend.

If you’re not a big ball player, there will be other events on Friday nights.

“We’re going to do homerun derbys, we’re going to do a bingo night, we’re going to do movie nights where it’ll be free to come in,” Granite Park General Manager Dalene Bash said.

Phase two includes a two-story restaurant and phase three, a facility for indoor basketball, soccer and volleyball.

“This is a way we can keep our family here, we can bring other people into our city,” Central Valley Community Sports Foundation President Terance Frazier said.

Nearby businesses like Yosemite Falls say the reopening is great news for business.

“We’re already planning menus for them, we’re looking forward to having them,” Yosemite Falls Manager Rocio Alcantar said.

Frazier hopes the park will serve as a positive outlet for kids from disadvantaged neighborhoods.

“We need to do things that are more preventative, we need to start touching these kids at an early age,” Frazier said.

The City of Fresno still owns the land and will allocate $150,000 a year for  maintenance and services.

There was be a prayer breakfast held Saturday to mark a new start for what’s now being called Cedar Sports Park.

“Pray over this park so that way it will be successful,” Frazier said.