ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – A new Little League park is set to have its grand opening on Saturday morning. The county is still looking to expand the $4.7 million complex on Edith near Candelaria NE.
The Edward C. Sandoval North Valley Little League Complex features four new baseball fields, dugouts, batting cages, parking and other amenities, according to the county.
The park is named after a former New Mexico state representative.
“This is going to be a permanent home for the North Valley Little League, and this is something they have been working on for many years,” said Commissioner Debbie O’Malley. “This is just a beautiful facility. It’s going to mean a lot, and it does mean a lot to the people, the children and their families here,” she said.
The park was built on land the county already owns. “Creating something like this isn’t inexpensive,” O’Malley said.
According to the county, funding for the complex came from three primary sources:
- $2 million from Bernalillo County’s general fund
- More than $1.2 million from the 2012 general obligation bonds
- More than $1.5 million in state capital outlay funds
“This is very important to families. If they didn’t have the support, it would be very difficult for them to have really quality fields. This is a big activity. There’s so many families who have their kids in the league, boys and girls. It’s very important to people,” O’Malley said.
The county said it still has some of the money left over, so the concession stand and bathrooms are still in the works, along with more parking. The kids will play on dirt this season, but the grass is coming in the fall.
The grand opening celebration is Saturday at 9 a.m. at the park at 4007 Edith Blvd. NE.
“This is just a beautiful facility. It’s going to mean a lot, and it does mean a lot to the people, the children and their families here,” O’Malley said.
