Officials at the groundbreaking said the complex was the result of collaborative efforts between city, county and federal agencies, including the City of San Antonio, Bexar County, the San Antonio River Authority, the National Parks Service and Archdiocese of San Antonio who owns the land. Private developers were said to have contacted the Archdiocese “with ideas to transform raw land near Mission Concepcion” but the church declined all offers, waiting for an appropriate plan that would benefit the Southside community.
The complex overlooks the second mile of the Mission River Reach project and is the latest project for the county’s Community Venues Program, approved by voters in May 2008 with the extension of the visitor tax. The Southside sports complex is one of 13 amateur sports facilities funded by the program. The sports park is hoped to provide what the Southside has traditionally lacked, state-of-the-art facilities to serve the community and its youth, officials said.
District 3 City Council Jennifer Ramos said the complex was a great investment in the Southside of the city and its local residents. Known by community members as “Don Bosco Fields,” the area is just east of the second mile of the Mission Reach project.
“It means a lot more activity. It means a place for kids to come and explore their abilities, ambitions and goals and to pursue sports activities,” Ramos said.
“We think it’s a great opportunity for this part of the city to finally reach its zenith and to move forward in a very progressive manner,” County Judge Nelson Wolff added. “All of us working together, I think, is bringing a new day to the Southside of San Antonio.”
Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller said the project connects Mission Concepcion back to its original mission to serve “the spiritual, as well as the physical and social needs” of the community.
“Today, once again these lands will be serving the people of this area and beyond. Activities at the park will help youth build leadership and sportsmanship skills as well as support healthy families, Garcia-Siller said. “This morning I imagine that our ancestors, who built and maintained the early missions, are smiling down on us as we keep their spirit alive. They built community, and they had at the core of their community, faith and family.”
