After decades of delay, Boca is getting a new park

It has been on the drawing boards since 1988, and finally the Hillsboro El Rio Park II in southeastern Boca Raton is ready to move forward.

Final plans for the park, unveiled Tuesday night, feature a wide variety of recreational options. Among them: a basketball court and four pickleball courts, fitness trail, tennis and sand volleyball courts, picnic pavilions, a playground and a launch spot for non-motorized watercraft onto the nearby El Rio Canal.

The old boardwalk and fishing pier will be removed from the 18-acre site next to the fire station at 400 SW 18th St. The park is expected to open late next year, with hours running from from dawn to dusk.

The first half of the park opened with a baseball diamond and soccer field in 2002. Tweaks were made to the second phase in 2005. The city set aside $220,040 for the design work.

“We want to get this built as quickly as we can without more soil testing,” Recreation Services director Michael Kalvort said. “It’s on an old dump site, so it’s not the easiest place to build or permit. The last thing I want to do is delay this project.”

The city is close to reconstructing 18th Street, which runs between the parks. The improvements could start as early as March. The FEC railroad tracks are nearby at Dixie Highway, which required coordination before work could begin.

“Traffic messaging signs will go up two weeks prior to the start of construction,” said Chrissy Gibson, the city’s communications manager. “The project will take about six months and will extend from Southwest Sixth Terrace to the west side of tracks.”

This will be the city’s 37th park, including partnerships with the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District. The last one was the Spanish River Athletic Facilities/DeHoernle Park, which opened in 2012. the FEC railroad

mshatzman@sun-sentinel .com