By Coral Gables Gazette staff

Members of the Coral Gables City Commission praised the recent University of Miami national football championship watch party at Ponce Circle Park as a major success and outlined early plans for transforming the space into a central hub for concerts, cultural programming, and large community gatherings anchored by a permanent band shell.

During the Jan. 27 meeting, city leaders pointed to the packed crowd, family-friendly atmosphere and sponsored large-screen setup as a model for how the redesigned park could serve residents in the years ahead.

Mayor calls watch party a model for community use

Mayor Vince Lago opened the discussion by congratulating city staff for organizing the watch party.

“First and foremost, Mr. (City) Manager (Peter Iglesias), please congratulate your team,” Lago said. “The UM watch party was a huge success.”

Lago noted that the large television used for the event was sponsored by the owners of The Plaza, Agave Holdings, and did not come from city funds.

“Agave came in with a sponsorship and they paid for the TV,” he said. “The rental did not come out of the city’s budget.”

Looking at a photo of the crowd displayed during the meeting, Lago said the event reflected the kind of community atmosphere he envisions for the park.

“Look at this crowd. Look at the people having a great time. The kids sitting down,” Lago said. “There was no fighting. There were no problems. It was families through and through.”

He suggested the city consider installing permanent technology to support future events.

“Can you imagine if we had this fulltime and we could do something where it comes out of the ground and people can watch a movie, watch a Super Bowl?” Lago said.

Lago also noted that the city has been coordinating with representatives for developer Allan Morris as part of the park’s redesign tied to a development project.

Vice mayor pushes for permanent band shell

Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson said the park’s redesign should include a permanent band shell to support performances and large gatherings.

“I think at Ponce Circle Park, we absolutely need to have a band shell,” Anderson said.

She emphasized the importance of building it to withstand hurricanes and direct sound away from nearby neighborhoods.

“Something that can withstand a hurricane and put the noise to the north, not to the residential area,” Anderson said.

Anderson said the feature could become a major draw for the community.

“It can really be an important magnet for our community to be coming out and enjoy like you just saw,” she said.

Vision includes concerts, cultural events and public screenings

Lago expanded on the range of events he believed the park could host.

“You could have concerts. You could have the symphony,” he said. “You could celebrate high holy days… You can watch F1 racing. You can do all these things.”

He said the park could give residents access to major events many cannot afford to attend in person.

“People cannot afford to go to the Super Bowl,” Lago said. “It’s in our backyard.”

Commissioner likens concept to Boston’s Hatch Shell

Commissioner Richard Lara said large crowds helped transform the park’s appearance and tied the space together.

“When you have a crowd like that, it helps bring it all together,” Lara said. “It looks like this is the center of where entertainment and culture can come together.”

Lara compared the vision to Boston’s outdoor performance venue known for hosting major concerts.

“I lived in Boston for a while and I love the Hatch Shell they have up there for the Boston Pops,” he said.

He suggested cultural organizations might be willing to donate performances to a public venue.

“There’s an overabundance of really high-quality cultural events that would be willing to donate these types of events to a public forum like that,” Lara said.

City manager says design and budget still in progress

Iglesias said preliminary designs for the park have not yet been presented and that staff is still working through budget considerations.

“We have not brought the preliminary design for the park yet,” Iglesias said. “We’re working on the actual budget.”

He confirmed that a band shell is part of current planning.

“We are currently looking at a band shell on that side,” Iglesias said.

The city also plans to bring in an acoustical engineer.

“To make sure that the acoustics are brought north so that the residential area in the south is not impacted,” Iglesias said.

He added that the evolving design reflects what commissioners have requested.

“This is exactly what we thought that the commission would want at this park,” Iglesias said.

Commissioner highlights projection technology options

Commissioner Ariel Fernandez said the proposed band shell could support modern projection systems.

“The band shell that’s being proposed would have the ability to have a projector project on the back wall,” Fernandez said.

He noted improvements in display technology.

“We have 4K projection nowadays,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez said the design aligned with what the city hopes to achieve.

“It’s exactly what we’re looking for at this park,” he said. “It’s really going to make Ponce Circle Park what originally was intended to be.”

Officials point to transit and park accessibility

Iglesias said infrastructure improvements would help reconnect the park to the public.

“This park has tremendous potential,” he said. “There’s probably over a million people going by.”

“These civil improvements are going to bring the park back to the people,” he added.

Lara linked the park’s future success to transit access and the planned mobility hub.

“The trolley system is really going to be contributive in a big way to this success,” he said, adding that nearby parking and foot traffic could boost local businesses.