ROCKY HILL - A �"miracle field” almost two years in the making will get broken in tomorrow evening.

       A whiffle ball game will follow the 6 p.m. ribbon cutting for the multipurpose field-built courtesy of a Connecticut DEEP grant worth around $800,000.

       But Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Zerio credits Board of Education member Brian Dillon, former Town Councilor Bill MacDonald-both of whom pushed aggressively for the project at the local level-as well as State Representative Tony Guerera, who secured the grant money.

       Rocky Hill obtained the grant in December of 2014.

       The field-which doubles as a soccer space and baseball diamond, is scaled down a bit to accommodate programs for athletes with special needs.

       â€�"The whole thing is to have a child feel they can play baseball just like their older brother or sister,” Zerio said. â€�"We want the kids to be successful.”

       The town has a slew or related programs-such as Little League Challenger and Sidekicks soccer-but what it lacked was the venue, Zerio said.

       The Miracle Field-Rocky Hill’s version of a facility type that is taking off nationally-is enclosed for safety purposes and offers shaded dugouts, making the venue even more conducive to activities for the target participant population, she said.

       â€�"We want to do whiffle ball, wheel chair soccer-the possibilities are endless,” Zerio said. â€�"This provides an opportunity they wouldn’t normally have. It’s a safe space to play.”

       While the facility will generally be reserved for special needs athletic events, Zerio says that she would be interested in hosting joint activities with neighboring towns and their programs.

       By next Spring, they want to renovate the site’s playground for increased ADA accessibility. While it currently meets federal guidelines, Zerio thinks that they can do better.

       â€�"To me, that’s not good enough,” she said.

       To that end, they have a $65,000 project surplus, since the work itself-construction of the field, as well as architects, engineering and soft costs-only came to $655,000 of the DEEP grant, according to Zerio.

       Contractors broke ground on the project this past Spring, according to Zerio.

       â€�"It was a quick turnaround,” she said.

       The ribbon cutting will take place at Elm Ridge Park, at 376 Elm Street. A rain date is set for September 23.