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Longtime Boynton Beach City Commissioner Woodrow Hay has waited more than 30 years for a day like Tuesday morning.

“I’m telling you, this is a dream come true,” he said of the unveiling of the $4 million renovation of the Ezell Hester Jr. Athletic Field off Seacrest Blvd. in Boynton Beach. “We used to play football at the YMCA up on Congress Avenue, and these were dirt fields when we started playing here in the 1970s. Now look at this facility.”

Hay and Boynton Beach officials have reason to beam about their state-of-the-art multipurpose facility that has been in the works for about six years. The project was partially funded through a $250,000 grant for athletic field refurbishments through the Miami Dolphins and the NFL.

Boynton Beach was one of 16 cities nationwide to be awarded the grant. Funds from the grant were used to install synthetic sports turf on the home field of the Boynton Beach Bulldogs, a popular travel youth football and cheerleading program that started in 1994.

The rest of the money for the project was given by the city, other local nonprofits and the Boynton Beach Police Department, according to Deputy City Manager Andrew Mack, who has helped to direct the project.