

After years of sitting empty, the baseball fields at Granite Park will re-open this year.

The park was built back in 2005 but closed after falling into abandonment and bankruptcy.

The city of Fresno owns the park and is now partnering with a local devolper to revive it.

“We will have four baseball facilities out there, an indoor and outdoor basketball facility, a locker room, gym and a restaurant,” said Terance Frazier.

Frazier is leading the multi-million dollar revitalization project.

“I’ve been playing since I was 4-years-old and when I saw the park going down in despair I decided I have to get involved,” said Terance Frazier.

Frazier runs the Central Cal Baseball Academy.

He hopes the park will be a “home run” in his effort to help at risk youth.

“There are going to people competing for your kids. “The druggies, the gangsters, they are all competing. My job is to try to bring back the park to do positive things,” said Frazier.

Frazier is leasing the property from the city.

Bruce Rudd, Fresno City Manager says they’re contributing up to $180,000 annually for the entire 25 year lease.

“Granite Park has been an eyesore for that neighborhood and i’m just actually glad to have driven by the other day and saw there was activity going on,” said Rudd.

Workers in restaurants that neighbor the park are excited too.

“When the park is up you get family and friends all gathering then afterwards you go out for dinner. So it’s going to help us out as a business,” said Kannitha Soukaseum, General Manager of Yosemite Falls Café & Sports Bar.

Frazier hopes to have the park up and running by Labor Day.

“It’s important that we get kids back playing in parks,” said Frazier.

Frazier says the entire cost of revitalizing the park is $4-million.