Ribbon-cutting for Ragle Park renovation set for Sunday
Oct. 20—It's been years in the making, but the first step in Ragle Park's much-needed facelift is ready to be introduced to the public.
The city will celebrate the completion of a seven-figure renovation project to one of the park's fields with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony Sunday. It's to be held in conjunction with a youth softball game played immediately before the festivities, which are set for 12:30 p.m.
The $1.1 million project focused on replacing the uneven natural grass and dirt surface on Field 2 with artificial turf. Santa Fe Little League also donated two new scoreboards, one of which hangs beyond the 225-foot outfield fence on the renovated field.
"This has been a long time coming and I'm glad it's finally here," said SFLL Pesident Aaron Ortiz. "We started planning this five years ago and to have it ready is exciting."
The initial plan was to have all four of Ragle's fields covered in synthetic turf, as well as a complete renovation to the facility's concessions building not far from the area that once housed the iconic two-story tube slide.
Delays, in part because of the pandemic, were followed by escalating construction costs that forced some tough decisions to limit the scope of the project. Ortiz estimates the remaining fields would require an additional $3.5 million to get done, and said the city had also considered other sites like nearby Franklin Miles Park.
City Parks and Open Space Director Melissa McDonald said future plans for Ragle call for at least some of the other fields to be converted to turf. Such a move will save approximately 2 million gallons of water annually for each field, she said.
"That's a significant environmental impact that we're thrilled to be a part of," she wrote in a statement. "Feedback from the leagues has been overwhelmingly positive. A consistent playing field is invaluable for players, ensuring that each game is played on an even and reliable surface."
Ragle has, for years, been a regular home to youth and adult league softball games as well as youth baseball. The new field has adjustable basepaths that allow for 60- and 70-foot distances, as well as a portable mound that can be taken down to accommodate youth softball.
Ragle will be the primary home to SFLL, which has used the park as its base of operations for the last two years. Its teams will continue to use other city parks, like Alto and Franklin Miles, to practice but will feature Ragle as much as possible.
"The goal is to have all four fields get finished and maybe we can start hosting tournaments that bring in money," Ortiz said.
Youth tournaments for baseball and softball generally draw teams from around the state and surrounding region, generating revenue from families staying overnight for weekend events that require lodging and meals. Using Ragle as a base, Ortiz said, would help the city recoup at least some of the expenses earmarked for upgrading the facility.
For now, one field is a solid start.
Sunday's game and ribbon-cutting will be followed by a movie, The Perfect Game, a film that tells the story of a Little League team from Monterrey, Mexico, that became the first non-U.S. team to win the world championship.
