After Nearly 2 Years, Stock Island’s Bernstein Park to Reopen
Monroe County’s Bernstein Park on Stock Island will partially reopen on Monday, July 23, at 7 a.m. The park closed on Sept. 1, 2016 for a $7.9 million redevelopment project that was funded with the one-cent infrastructure sales surtax.
The sections that are ready to open are the children’s playground, basketball court, walking path and the athletic fields. Community rooms in the 5,000-square-foot community center are not yet ready to open.
The renovation project included elevating six acres of the park by up to two feet to address flooding on the fields after heavy rains and high tides. The field now has natural grass that is being watered using rain water collected in cisterns and reclaimed water from Key West Resort Utilities. There also is new field lighting.
To celebrate the re-opening, the County will host a formal ribbon cutting at the park on Aug. 15.
The park is located at 6751 Fifth Street will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
