A ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony to celebrate the renovation of Reaves Park at 2501 Jenkins Avenue will take place at 10 a.m. on 3/25/23. All are invited to attend. The ceremony will feature music, guest speakers, moon bounces, and a special appearance by the Mayor and City Council, who will throw out the ceremonial first pitches.

The Reaves Park renovation includes construction of four new fields for 5-8U with new concession and restroom facilities, a new park loop road, large new parking lots inside the park, a pond and several upgrades to the 11 other baseball and softball fields in the park. The $10.2 million dollar project managed by Flintco Construction also included the relocation of the old park maintenance facilities from Reaves to their new home on north Flood Avenue, which made way for the new fields and parking. Improvements were also made to the park electrical service to help with hosting special events, including the annual Medieval Fair, set to take place March 31-April 2.

The project was made possible through the Norman Forward initiative, a citizen-initiated proposal to renovate, expand, construct and fund quality of life projects in Norman. The initiative includes the construction of multiple recreational facilities, libraries, parks, athletic venues, public art, trails, swim complexes and other quality of life projects throughout the city. Norman voters approved the program by a 72 percent majority in 2015.

"We are excited to celebrate the completion of the Reaves Park project, which is a great addition to our community," said Parks & Recreation Director, Jason Olsen. “This Norman Forward project is a great example of successfully investing in our quality of life and making Norman a better place to live, work and play. We encourage all Norman residents to join us for this exciting occasion," said Olsen.

The Norman Optimist Club is set to start their regular baseball and softball program operating out of Reaves Park in late March. For more information on their programming, please visit: normanyouthsports.org.

For more information about the Reaves Park ribbon cutting ceremony or the Norman Forward Initiative, please contact the Norman Parks & Recreation Department at 405.366.5472 or parksrec@normanok.gov. To learn more about Norman Forward, visit normanok.gov or follow the latest on Facebook.

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