Parque del Retiro

Parque del Retiro
(*Retirement Park*)
Parque del Retiro; (Retirement Park)
	Logo of Parque del Retiro in Barrio Canas Urbano
Type	Passive park
Location	PR-123/Villa Street, Clausells sector, Barrio Canas Urbano, in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Area	approx 4 cuerdas
Created	1980
Operated by	Autonomous Municipality of Ponce
Status	Open Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm

Last updated October 05, 2023

Parque del Retiro (English: Retirement Park) is the only senior citizens-oriented passive park in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is located in barrio Canas Urbano. The park commemorated its 30th anniversary on 11 February 2010. It has a "steady attendance" of some 70 senior citizens. The park's oldest member is 91 years old. The park's managing ranger is Roberto Castro Franceschi.^[2]

Location

The park is located on Villa street, between the Clausells and Baldorioty sectors of barrio Canas Urbano.^[3] The area is a mixed residential/commercial area on urban route PR-123. The park sits on an underprivileged sector of the city. The park is a self-contained non-profit entity. It is managed by the Ponce municipal government. It serves exclusively the City’s elderly population. The park is set "in a calming setting among lush mahogany, avocado, almond, lemon and flamboyán trees."^[1]

History

In the late 1960s, the park was an empty city lot with many tall trees, very few bushes and shrubbery, and some open semi-grassy areas. Senior citizens of the area gravitated to the empty lot in the afternoons for its comfortable shade and for the inevitable conversations with other retired neighborhood seniors. With time, the senior made their way to the park with scrap chairs to make their longer stays more comfortable. It wasn't long before a table or two also found their way there, making it possible for the retired seniors to share in a game of domino. Soon the domino games became a regular feature of the daily gatherings. It was not long before the still-empty government lot had been "appropriated" by the seniors for their daily gatherings and domino games. The daily games gathered popularity and after a few years domino tournaments also took place. At this time the park was locally known as Las Vegas, "for its popular open-air kiosks with 12 game tables".^[1]

In view of the need for a clean and safe gathering place for the seniors of the area, the city, fixed the "park", built permanently set poured concrete tables and chairs, added flower gardens with walkways as well as restroom facilities. The park was then inaugurated in 1980, under the administration of mayor José G. Tormos Vega.

A senior citizens center

The park also serves as the center for an array of community services oriented towards the senior citizens community. Within the park are the offices of the non-profit organization running the park. It has an eight-member staff including a social worker, a nurse, and a recreation leader.^[1]

Some of the free services the park offers are:

Health clinics with physicians^[3]
Escorted transportation to medical appointments
Especially adapted exercises and physical education programs, including strolls at other passive city parks
Guided cultural day tours to out-of-town attractions
Summer weekend-long outings to island beaches
Annual Christmas, Thanksgiving, Holy Week, Mother's and Father's Day celebrations.
Social exchange trips to other similar groups in the island
Domino tournaments area schoolchildren
Talent shows and educational lectures oriented to the senior citizen population.

Reforestation effort

In November 2009, Parque del Retiro was selected for green reforestation effort sponsored by Telemundo, Doral Bank and the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.^[4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of Puerto Rico–related articles</span>

The following is an alphabetical list of articles related to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Cañas River, also known as Río Cañas, is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is also known as Río Magueyes in the area where it flows through Barrio Magueyes, also in the municipality of Ponce. This river is one of the 14 rivers in the municipality.

Río Matilde is a short river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It forms from the confluence of Rio Pastillo and Rio Canas. Río Matilde is one of the 14 rivers in the municipality and, forming at an altitude of just 15 feet (4.6 m), it forms at an altitude lower than any other river in the municipality.

Río Pastillo is a river in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is also known as Río Marueño in the area of the municipality where it runs through barrio Marueño. Together with Cañas River, Pastillo forms Matilde River. Pastillo is one of the 14 rivers in the municipality. The river originates at an altitude of 435 feet. Its tributaries are Quebrada Limon and Quebrada del Agua brooks and the river runs for 19 kilometers before feeding into Río Matilde at a height of 15 feet in Barrio Canas Urbano.

The Parque Pedro Albizu Campos is a passive recreational park in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. It was dedicated on 12 September 1991, to the memory of Puerto Rican Nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos by the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos was born in Ponce on 12 September 1891. He was raised in Ponce and lived most of his life there as well.

Canas is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Anón, Coto Laurel, Guaraguao, Quebrada Limón, Real, San Patricio, and Marueño, and the coastal barrio of Capitanejo, Canas is one of the municipality's nine bordering barrios. It borders the municipality of Peñuelas. Along with Playa, Bucana, Vayas and Capitanejo, Canas is also one of Ponce's five coastal barrios. It was founded in 1831.

Parque Familiar Julio Enrique Monagas is Puerto Rico's largest passive park. It is located in barrio Bucaná, Ponce, Puerto Rico, on the banks of the Bucaná and Portugués rivers. The park was named after Julio Enrique Monagas, "the father of Puerto Rican Olympic sports". In November 2017, the park was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria and, as of today, remains closed.

Primero is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Primero is one of the municipality's original six core urban barrios. It was founded in 1878.

Cuarto is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together with Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Quinto, and Sexto, Cuarto is one of the municipality's six core urban barrios. It was created in 1878.

Segundo is one of the 31 barrios of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Primero, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and Sexto, Segundo is one of the municipality's six core urban barrios. It was organized in 1878. Barrio Segundo has 3 subbarrios: Baldority de Castro, Clausells, and Reparada.

Canas Urbano is one of the 31 barrio of the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Canas Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce. The name of this barrio is of native indigenous origin. It was created in 1953.

Portugués Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Magueyes Urbano, and San Antón, Portugués Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce. It was founded in 1953.

Magueyes Urbano is one of the 31 barrios in the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Canas Urbano, Machuelo Abajo, Portugués Urbano, and San Antón, Magueyes Urbano is one of the municipality's five originally rural barrios that are now also part of the urban zone of the city of Ponce. The name of this barrio is of native Indian origin. It was created in 1953.

Puerto Rico Highway 500 (PR-500) is a tertiary road in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The highway has both of its endpoints, as well as all of its length, entirely within the Ponce city limits. It runs east to west.

Parque del Tricentenario is a passive urban park in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. The park was built to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the founding of the city. It was inaugurated during the mayoral administration of mayor Rafael Cordero Santiago.

The Parque Ecológico Urbano, also known as Parque Ecológico de Ponce, is a passive park in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The park was designed by Bonin Orozco Arquitectos and was inaugurated on 19 September 2012. The park is unique in that it was designed to create a "green lung" in the city by using ecological mindset in its entirety, from the construction materials used to the design and other areas as well. Except for one tree that got relocated within the project, the new park made use of all the existing trees and shrubs as they existed on the site prior to the development of the park.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico.

References

1 2 3 4 Parque del Retiro. TravelPonce
↑ Ponce: denuncia traslado por represalia. Jason Rodríguez Grafal. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
1 2 Reclamo a la alcaldesa que atienda centro de servicios a personas mayores de edad. El Sur a la Vista. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 5 August 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
↑ Reforestación: Parque del Retiro ubicado en Ponce. Arboles de Puerto Rico.

18°00′36.61″N66°37′35.44″W / 18.0101694°N 66.6265111°W / 18.0101694; -66.6265111

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[travel-1] 1 2 3 4 Parque del Retiro. TravelPonce

[2] Ponce: denuncia traslado por represalia. Jason Rodríguez Grafal. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.

[vista-3] 1 2 Reclamo a la alcaldesa que atienda centro de servicios a personas mayores de edad. El Sur a la Vista. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 5 August 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2011.

[4] Reforestación: Parque del Retiro ubicado en Ponce. Arboles de Puerto Rico.

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