The Cincinnati Reds, Major League Baseball, P&G, the Cincinnati Zoo and Kroger are partnering for the 2019 Community Makeover community service project on Thursday, Aug. 1 in the Village of St. Bernard.

The dedication ceremony of the project and Frank Robinson Field is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. featuring representatives from the Reds, P&G, the Zoo, family of Frank Robinson and the Village of St. Bernard including Hall of Famer Joe Morgan and Reds CEO Bob Castellini.

Frank Robinson Field at Ross Park is the first of two Reds 150th Anniversary “Legacy Project” locations that will be dedicated in 2019.

"We are pleased to join the Reds in celebration of the 150th Anniversary in naming this field in honor of Frank Robinson,” said Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. “Frank was passionate about creating opportunities for the next generation to play baseball and softball. He helped complete the process for the Reds to open their beautiful Youth Academy, and this new field is the next step in elite-level development and education.”

The volunteers will begin work at 9 a.m. on the day-long service project and will include over 400 volunteers from P&G and project partners working at Ross Park and surrounding areas on the following:

• Renovated “Frank Robinson Field” with a new synthetic infield that will be the home to both St. Bernard-Elmwood Place and Roger Bacon high school teams

• “Palace of the Fans” backstop façade as a tribute to the historic Reds ballpark

• New recreation trail with 10 fitness stations, dog park, concession stand and nursing room for mothers

• Frank Robinson mural and oversize baseball bat

• Partnership with a nearby after-school program to provide an updated space where youth can feel welcome and safe to learn and play along with a community room that residents can use for parties, family events and other special occasions.

Project partners include Cincinnati Children’s, Pepper Construction, MSA Design, Motz Group, Duke Energy, Cincinnati Toolbank, OneSource, Southwestern Ohio Services, Ashlee Fence and Gallant Professional Services.

Ross Park is located at 5198 City Park Drive, St. Bernard, OH, 45217.

The goal of the annual Community Makeover project is to make a transformative and sustainable impact on a Cincinnati neighborhood and its residents while strengthening local youth baseball and softball programs. The investments in the St. Bernard project will provide significant and sustainable impact in the long-term development of the community and its residents.

The ballfield at Ross Park is being renamed in honor of Robinson, the Reds legend who passed away in February at the age of 83. He spent the first 10 of his 21 Major League seasons in Cincinnati and was a six-time All-Star with the Reds. Robinson was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1978 and to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.

The second of the Reds 150th Anniversary Legacy Project locations is Bellevue Vets in Bellevue, Ky., which will be dedicated on August 15. 

Past Community Makeover projects have been completed in Roselawn, Evanston, Lower Price Hill, West End, South Cumminsville, Avondale, Cheviot, North College Hill and Winton Place.