KENDALL, Fla. – Renovations are in full swing at a popular park in southwest Miami-Dade.
Devon Aire Park, which is home to the Kendall Hammocks Warriors, a local football league for kids ages 4 to 14, is undergoing a major remediation project to remove 12 inches of contaminated soil.
The contamination was first discovered during a countywide screening of parks several years ago.
The Miami Herald reported in 2017 that the Department of Health determined the health risk from arsenic levels in parks with higher concentrations was minimal.
However, four areas at Devon Aire Park required additional attention. The county conducted temporary remediation at the time, but officials say this current project aims to provide a permanent solution.
The renovations have delayed the Warriors’ NFL flag football program, but Mike Pintado, football commissioner and president of the Optimist Club of Kendall Hammocks, emphasized, “This is a project that needed to get done.”
“DERM (Miami-Dade County’s Department of Environmental Resources Management) made a presentation to them six to seven years ago regarding testing all parks for arsenic, and the levels at Devon Aire were elevated but deemed not harmful,” Pintado said. “This park wasn’t as much of a priority as other parks with higher levels, so the county already did a temporary remediation. Now, this is the full project.”
While the levels were not deemed harmful, other parks with higher contamination were prioritized for cleanup.
A temporary remediation was completed at Devon Aire at the time, but this full-scale project marks a permanent solution.
Renovation work began in December and is expected to be completed by July.
Pintado credited the county’s parks department for keeping the league informed and accommodating their programs during the construction.
“The county provided temporary lighting for their cheerleaders and football players to practice in the grassy area that’s still open and made an agreement with the county to move (the) spring flag football program to Colonial Park,” he said.
Parents of local students and parkgoers have expressed mixed emotions but appreciate the effort to improve the space.
The remediation project includes not only soil cleanup but also field upgrades, ensuring a safer and more enjoyable environment for the community.