After seven months of silence, the Diamond Sports Park came alive once again with the sounds of cracking baseball bats and cheering fans.

About 2000 people were on hand for the grand reopening of the park on Saturday, March 10. The ceremony included a ribbon-cutting at home plate and remarks from local officials and three very distinguished guests—University of Florida head football coach Urban Meyer and two of his championship team players, Chris Leak and Dallas Baker.

“If every kid had the opportunity to participate in Little League, I can guarantee you we’d eliminate about 50% of our problems,” said Meyer.

Diamond Sports Park was shut down in August of 2006 after fifteen years in operation, and the owners were looking for a buyer. The site was purchased for $2.5 million by the School Board of Alachua County, which contracted with the City of Newberry’s Parks and Recreation Department to run the park.

“The loss of this park would have left a huge void in recreation in one of the most heavily populated areas in the county,” said Richard Blalock, director of the Newberry Parks and Recreation Department. “There’s no way we could have found space for all the events we had here today.”

More than 600 children and about 60 adults spent opening day playing ball at the park. That included players participating in a new middle school baseball league and others playing T-ball, fast-pitch softball and adult softball. Blalock said 50 games were played and all ten fields were put into service, the first time that’s happened since the park was first opened.

“When you look out here and see all of these kids in their uniforms ready to play, it’s so gratifying,” said school board member Tina Pinkoson, who along with Newberry mayor John Glanzer threw out the first pitches. “It’s one of the most exciting things I think we’ve done on the school board.”

The school district is ‘banking’ the 66-acre property—that is, setting it aside as a possible site for a future school, most likely a high school.

“This is an area of the community we know is going to grow significantly,” said Superintendent Dan Boyd. “We’ve been able to purchase the property for much less than it would have cost in the future, which is certainly a benefit for the taxpayers.”

Fortunately, the site is large enough to allow for both the construction of a school and the continued use of the property for community recreation. The park has already been booked for future tournaments, which will bring in additional revenue. Jack Hughes, executive director of the Gainesville Sports Commission, says such tournaments can result in more than half a million dollars in direct spending in the community.

“That generates taxes and helps support all the other services that are needed in our county,” said Hughes, “It’s a win-win for us all.”

Blalock says he expects to expand the programs available to children in the fall to include such activities as soccer, football and cheerleading. In the meantime, school district officials say they’re thrilled to see so many children able to take advantage of the park.

“This is how it should work,” said Pinkoson. “Because the School Board and the City of Newberry worked together for the good of the community, there are 600 kids out here today having a great time.”