ROCKY HILL - They say �"build it, and they will come”, and come they did.

       Rocky Hill residents packed a new Elm Ridge Park athletic turf facility-the town’s new â€�"Miracle Field”-last Friday evening at 6 p.m., as the Parks and Recreation Department, project committee members, state and local officials, and members of various athletic organizations unveiled the multi-purpose, baseball/soccer playing surface.

       â€�"I want to say congratulations to everyone involved,” said Amry Shelby, Assistant Regional Director of Connecticut Little League East. â€�"I’ve been to many ball fields, and this one is by far my favorite. It’s a beautiful field.”

       And nobody had even put it to use yet, but that quickly changed. After the speeches, a ribbon cutting, and the ceremonial first pitch-thrown out by youth players from the Rocky Hill Challenger program-it was time to take the field for a game of wiffle ball.

       There was a live announcer to hype each batter, and a lot of hits and base running.

       The field-designed with downsized dimensions in order to accommodate programs for athletes with special needs-had been under construction since the spring. Rocky Hill got an $800,000 state grant for the project back in 2014.

       â€�"It’s an incredible thing,” said State Representative Tony Guerrera, who worked with Senator Paul Doyle to secure the grant. â€�"This has to be one of the best things we’ve done in this town. It’s about kids of all abilities getting together and experiencing camaraderie.”

       Guerrera and Doyle both attended the ribbon cutting. Mayor Claudia Baio-along with other Town Councilors-was also at the event.

       â€�"Isn’t this amazing?” Baio said to the crowd. â€�"This never would have come if it were not for the efforts of the volunteers.”

       Parks and Recreation Director Lisa Zerio credits the Board of Education-particularly Brian Dillon-and former Town Councilor Bill MacDonald.

       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.

       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.

       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.