Coral Gables advances Rotary Centennial Park improvements, seeks FRDAP grant for $200,000

City of Coral Gables recreation staff updated residents on designs and budget estimates for Rotary Centennial Park and requested community support for a Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP) grant application. Community Recreation Director Fred Cucero said the city will request the program’s $200,000 maximum and provide a local match toward a larger project estimated at roughly $1.3 million.

Cucero described the park as a corner site the city acquired in 2002 and said the park was named in 2005 for the Rotary Club of Coral Gables; a city resolution in 2006 formalized funding through a Building Better Communities general obligation bond program. The current design keeps a split footprint with a playground on one side and a passive/open area on the other. Planned upgrades include a new playground system (climbing structure, coaster slide, swings and interactive musical elements), a decorative round accessible entrance with new signage, accessible picnic tables, FlexiPave walkways, perimeter picket fencing with oolite columns, low‑level landscape lighting, a drinking fountain with bottle filler and a push‑activated mister.

Cucero said the city is piloting security infrastructure in parks and plans to include CCTV and a Code Blue security pole that combines a blue‑light emergency button, an AED and two‑way communication to the police station; if pilot installations prove effective the city expects to expand the program to additional parks over time.

On costs, Cucero said the estimated construction budget is $1,200,000 and the total project budget is $1,300,000; he said the increase from earlier estimates reflected higher market prices. He added that the project is shovel‑ready, that community input occurred Oct. 1 through Oct. 31, 2024, and that the city will submit permit drawings and pursue procurement once financing is in place.

Residents raised concerns at the public meeting. Al Caro, who identified himself as a longtime nearby resident, said the neighborhood has many elderly residents and suggested a fitness circuit (a "Vita course") might suit the site better than a playground: "I think it's good that you're doing a kiddie park, but you understand that most of the people that live in that area are elderly." Another resident questioned maintenance of existing landscaping and the inclusion of interactive musical instruments because of potential noise; Cucero said the city has a maintenance plan and will consider resident feedback on features.

A teenager who said she formerly attended the nearby middle school told staff she uses the park daily to meet friends and warned that school‑hour traffic already creates hazards at the site. Cucero said the renovated playground would be fenced to create a controlled entrance and that the city cannot change school traffic patterns but will design the park to be safe for children.

Cucero closed the presentation saying the city will record the meeting comments for the FRDAP application and continue permit and procurement work when financing is secured.