Parque Familiar Julio Enrique Monagas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Parque Familiar Julio Enrique Monagas |
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|---|---|
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Barrio Bucana, Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Area | 125 acres |
| Created | 1994 |
| Operated by | Government of the Municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Visitors | 200,000/yr (peak) 25,000 - 30,000/yr |
| Status | open |
Parque Familiar Julio Enrique Monagas (which means Julio Enrique Monagas Family Park in English) is the biggest park of its kind in Puerto Rico. It's located in a place called Bucaná in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The park sits right next to the Bucaná and Portugués rivers. It was named after Julio Enrique Monagas, who is known as "the father of Puerto Rican Olympic sports." Sadly, a big storm called Hurricane Maria badly damaged the park in 2017, and it's been closed since then.
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Where is the Park Located?
This large park is found in the barrio (a type of neighborhood) called Bucana. It's right where the Rio Portugues and Rio Bucana rivers meet. You can find it just off PR-2, which is also known as the Ponce By-pass. Building this park cost more than $3 million.
History of the Park
The idea for the park came from the mayor of Ponce, Rafael Cordero Santiago. When it first opened, it covered about 80 acres of land and included some lakes. Later, the park grew even bigger to 125 acres.
The park first opened its doors in 1994, still under Mayor Rafael Cordero Santiago. It was made even larger in October 2008 when Francisco Zayas Seijo was mayor. When it first opened in 1994, it was the largest park of its kind in the entire Caribbean region!
Hurricane Maria Damage and Repairs
In September 2017, a very strong storm called Hurricane Maria caused a lot of damage to the park. Because of this, the park had to close.
In April 2019, the United States Army Corps of Engineers helped by clearing away a lot of the debris. After they finished, the local government of Ponce started cleaning up the park. In late September 2019, the mayor at the time, Mayita, announced that money would be set aside to help rebuild the park. This money was also used to help fix other important places in Ponce, like Teatro La Perla and Complejo Recreativo y Cultural La Guancha.
Fun Things to Do at the Park
This park was designed for families to enjoy. It used to have many fun activities and features, including:
- Paddle boats for enjoying the water
- Picnic areas with special covered spots called gazebos
- Different kinds of interesting birds
- A skate park for skateboarding
- Several playgrounds for children to play on
- A small train that people could ride
