Miami-Dade County Parks breaks ground on ballfields at Chapman Field Park

On Friday, August 23 at 10 a.m., Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, District 7 Commissioner Raquel Regalado, and Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces Department Director Maria Nardi will break ground on the final phase of remediation and construction of new fields at Chapman Field Park.

The new ballfields and related improvements are the latest in a series of enhancements to the park that include the already-completed ballfield opened in 2023. Other completed park improvements are a 3.5-acre dog park, roadway and drainage improvements, walkways, tree planting, lighting, restroom, water fountains and ADA parking. The park also features resurfaced sidewalks and roadways, nature trails and a canoe/kayak launch with a recently renovated parking lot – extending from the bridge to the dog park. A storm drainage system was installed to enhance water management. 

The new ballfields will include installation of remediation of clay diamonds and new soil, natural grass, irrigation, lighting, fencing, dugouts, covered bleachers, walkways, ADA parking and drinking fountains. 

All park improvements at Chapman have gone through an extensive environmental permitting review process that includes review from the Army Corp of Engineers, South Florida Water Management District, Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resource Management and Coral Gables Building Department to ensure compliance with environmental regulations that protect the natural resources of the park. 

Environmental highlights of the project include removal of invasive Australian pine trees, which were cut into five-foot sections and recycled/repurposed into playground elements for nature-based playgrounds throughout the park system. The new fields are engineered to withstand sea-level rise with advanced elevation and drainage systems, new sod installation for soil stabilization and beautification, installation of storm water drainage system and proper management of watershed in some of the most sensitive
wetland and mangrove areas. 

Funding sources for this project are General Obligation Bonds (GOB), Community Infrastructure Improvement Plan (CIIP), Florida Inland Navigation (FIND) Grants and the Chapman Field Trust.

Chapman Field Park is named after American aviator Victor Emanuel, the first serviceman to die in battle during World War I. He was shot down on June 24, 1916 while serving in the heroic French Lafeyette Escadrille composed of volunteer American pilots. After his death, the US Army Air Service created Chapman Army Airfield for military aviation training – including by the Aviatrix of the Women’s Air Service Pilots (WASPS) until the end of World War II. Chapman Field became a Miami-Dade Park in 1949, and today, it enjoys a host of public sports activities, exhibits concerning this storied lineage, as well as quieter reflection within nature at this beautiful park, which also provides nature-based outdoor programming, including Miami EcoAdventure kayak trips, opportunities for community involvement in coastal cleanup days and various conservation-focused volunteer experiences.