Work Begins on Youth Sports Complex

A 2½-acre city park off East Ferry Street is about to become a neighborhood outdoor sports complex.

Ground was broken Wednesday at Perkins Park in Buffalo, where a youth football field and a street hockey rink will be constructed.

Cost of the project is about $300,000 with funding from the Buffalo Sabres Foundation, the NHL Players Association, the Buffalo Bills, LISC and the Oishei Foundation.

The facilities are expected to be completed by August, said Justin M. King, executive director of Resource Council of WNY.

Perkins Park is adjacent to a community center at 347 E. Ferry St. that is operated by the Resource Council. The center has an indoor gym, swimming pool, computer lab and fitness room. The Resource Council will also manage the new facilities.

The football field will be a 50-yard grass field designed for flag football and first-year tackle football players. The outdoor street hockey rink will be a three-quarter size rink with a floor suitable for street or roller hockey as well as soccer, field hockey and lacrosse.

"This project will improve access to a variety of sports for children in the City of Buffalo who will soon have the opportunity to learn and play in Perkins Park for years to come," said Rich Jureller, president of the Buffalo Sabres Foundation.

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