| Luis A. "Wito" Morales Park | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Luis A. "Wito" Morales Park. | |
 Interactive map of Luis A. "Wito" Morales Park | |
| Type | Passive park |
| Location | PR-139, km. 3.3, inPonce, Puerto Rico[1] |
| Coordinates | 18°04′21.24″N66°34′34.37″W / 18.0725667°N 66.5762139°W /18.0725667; -66.5762139 |
| Area | approx 200cuerdas including neighboring forests and nearbyCerrillos State Forest |
| Created | 2006[2] |
| Operated by | Autonomous Municipality of Ponce |
| Status | Opened daily 9 AM to 5 PM, except Mondays |
TheLuis A. "Wito" Morales Park (Spanish:Parque Luis A. "Wito" Morales) is apark in the municipality ofPonce, Puerto Rico. It is part of theLake Cerrillos Dam recreational area.
The park is located at the southern end ofLake Cerrillos, immediately south of the Cerrillos Dam, in BarrioMaragüez. It can be reached viaPuerto Rico Highway 139.
It is surrounded by mountains, abundant in vegetation, and it is at the center of theCerrillos State Forest, which is located 4 miles northeast of the city of Ponce.[3]
The park was so named after an Act of the Legislature of Puerto Rico on 12 December 2006, (No. 262, §§ 1, 2.)[4] It was named in honor of"Wito" Morales, mayor of Ponce from 1972 to 1976 and former Puerto Rico senator. Wito Morales was also president of the Ponce Municipal Assembly from 1989 to 2005. Prior to his years in politics, Wito Morales was as sportscaster for thePonce Lions professional baseball team. He had himself also played with the Lions from 1947 to 1953, and is recognized at theTricentennial Park as well as at Ponce's Sports Hall of Fame, theFrancisco Pancho Coimbre Museum.[5]
The park was inaugurated in 2006.[6] It was built as part of the plans for the creation of theCerrillos Dam. The Wito Morales Park, together with the forest area in the vicinity of the Cerrillos Dam occupies an area of some 200cuerdas of land set aside for recreational purposes under an Executive Order.[7]
This park includes basketball, "beach" volleyball and baseball facilities, a fresh waterpond, an aquatic play yard, a children'splayground, and 20 largegazebos, most of them equipped withBBQ pits.[8]
.jpg)
