DOWNEY – Supervisor Janice Hahn and members of Downey City Council broke ground on an over $12 million sports complex over the weekend.

The five-acre complex will be erected on Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center’s abandoned south campus, and will include three multi-purpose fields, lighting for nighttime play, a restroom, concession stand, equipment storage room, office space for staff and a surface parking lot.

It is budgeted for $12.12 million, a majority of which is coming from Hahn’s 4th District discretionary funding.

Downey is expected to provide $2.12 million to cover synthetic turf, office space, and a multi-sport scoreboard.

Once completed, the county will lease the facility to the city – which will operate it - for one dollar a year.

Hahn said that the groundbreaking signaled that “things are happening.”

“For a lot of us, this past year we realized how many things we took for granted, and how many things we weren’t allowed to do,” said Hahn. “For many people – especially our kids – that was sports.”

“Sports as we know isn’t just about exercise. Sports build character, comradery, confidence, leadership skills; sports are an essential part of growing up…This is a great collaboration and I know that this sports complex is going to be such a great asset for Downey and all of your residents.”

Hahn was joined by Mayor Claudia Marroquin-Frometa, Mayor Pro Tem Blanca Pacheco, and Council Members Sean Ashton and Catherine Alvarez.

Frometa said it was an “exciting day for our community.”

**Downey Mayor Claudia M. Frometa speaks at a groundbreaking ceremony last Saturday. Photo by Alex Dominguez**

“We break ground on this brand-new sports complex that will provide much needed recreational opportunities for our local youth,” said Frometa. “This project would not be possible without the support of Supervisor Janice Hahn, who has been committed to this project and has worked with our city to articulate a vision and a design that reflects the needs of our community.”

“This complex and sports complex and sports field will be a legacy to our younger generations. What this means to all of us is of course that health matters to us; our youth matter.”

The facility is scheduled to be complete in November of this year.

Downey breaks ground on sports complex