The groundbreaking for the Bagdouma Park expansion was attended by city officials, community leaders, and the residents who hope to benefit from the additional recreational space. The first phase of the construction will add 14 acres to the park and should be completed by November 2012. PHOTO: Johnny Flores/Coachella Unincorporated
By Johnny Flores, Jr.
Coachella Unincorporated
COACHELLA, Calif. – In this Eastern Coachella Valley city with over 2,000 registered soccer players there are only three regulation-size soccer fields.
Residents hope that the forthcoming expansion to Bagdouma Park will change this.
“The expansion to Bagdouma Park is going to help our team because there’ll be more space to play games on and practice,” said Johnny Ortiz, a member of the Little Arabs team.
Ortiz will be among the many residents who will enjoy the expansion, which will include three soccer fields, football field, sand volleyball courts, parking lot, bathrooms, sports lighting, playgrounds, walking paths, and a water play area.
Coachella Unincorporated is a Youth Media Startup in the East Coachella Valley, funded by the Building Healthy Communities Initiative of The California Endowment and operated by New America Media in San Francisco. The purpose of the project is to report on issues in the community that can bring about change. Coachella Unincorporated refers to the region youth journalists cover but also to the unincorporated communities of the Eastern Valley with the idea to “incorporate” the East Valley into the mainstream Coachella Valley mindset.
