Next Thursday will be a busy day for the City of Plant City as it hosts two ribbon cuttings in honor of the finalization of two long-awaited projects.
If you want to see progress in action set aside the majority of the day next Thursday and hop over to two long-awaited ribbon cuttings hosted by the City of Plant City.
At 11 a.m. on June 10 the public is invited to come out to McIntosh Preserve, 775 East Knights Griffin Road, for the ribbon cutting ceremony that pays homage to the completion of the Phase 1 Trails and Observation Tower Project. The trails and tower project covers approximately 50 acres of the 363 acre parcel of land that makes up McIntosh Preserve.
There are improved hiking trails totaling 2.2 miles of paths and a 30 foot observation tower on site as well as a new and improved parking area, a trail head, educational signs, benches and trash receptacles. The main trail to the tower is 0.72 miles long and eight feet wide, making it an easy to navigate path for families and those in wheelchairs.
The wildlife observation itself looks out over the scenic nature found in the park. The City of Plant City said in order to be ADA compliant they have installed a video viewing interface at the bottom of the tower that will allow those at its base to see the view from the top of the facility.
The other trails are five feet wind and wind through wooded areas that include trees like oaks, pine and cypress, according to Parks & Recreation Director Jack Holland.
This first phase was a $600,000 project. It was made possible by a $300,000 Florida Legislative Appropriation grant, which required a matching amount by the City. Design for the project was provided by Dewberry Hydro and construction was handled by Stellar Development, Inc.
This is just the first stage of the long-term project at McIntosh Park. The approximately 120 acres of McIntosh Park used for water management on the property will get some upgrades of its own. The city hopes to use McIntosh Park as a method of developing an integrated water management solution for the community. Basically the wetlands will act as stormwater treatment and the goal is to expand the wetland property and improve the hydrology so “the stormwater that is routed offline in the southeastern corner will be treated and reduce 3,000 pounds of nitrogen and 1,500 pounds of phosphorus from the Hillsborough River,” according to the city.
Attendees can come out to the ribbon cutting, spend some time in the heavily renovated preserve and still have time to grab a quick lunch before the City of Plant City unveils its next accomplishment.
At 3 p.m. the community is encouraged to come over to the newly named Gilchrist Heights Dog Park, 905 North Knight Street. Originally the dog park was opened in 2014 with a temporary parking area off of North Pennsylvania Avenue. The city then decided it was high time to implement the Gilchrist Heights Dog Park Bridge & Parking Project, which included the installation of a bridge from the parking lot to the park, a lighted paved parking area and other amenities. The bridge over the Eastside Canal from the planned Knight Street parking area and the parking lot improvements were budgeted in 2019.
Holland said the “two dog run areas total 16,300 square feet and were enhanced to include water sources with human fountains, bottle fillers and dog watering fountains as well as some obstacles for the dogs to enjoy.” Some of those obstacles include a tunnel, double jump, pause table and a fire hydrant jump. This was a $343,260 project and it was designed by Kimley-Horn Engineering and constructed by Tampa Bay Marine.
Both of the projects were completed under budget and the City of Plant City is looking forward to showing off the new and unique assets to the public.
It was made possible by a $300,000 Florida Legislative Appropriation grant, which required a matching amount by the City. Design for the project was provided by Dewberry Hydro and construction was handled by Stellar Development, Inc.
This is just the first stage of the long-term project at McIntosh Park. The approximately 120 acres of McIntosh Park used for water management on the property will get some upgrades of its own. The city hopes to use McIntosh Park as a method of developing an integrated water management solution for the community. Basically the wetlands will act as stormwater treatment and the goal is to expand the wetland property and improve the hydrology so “the stormwater that is routed offline in the southeastern corner will be treated and reduce 3,000 pounds of nitrogen and 1,500 pounds of phosphorus from the Hillsborough River,” according to the city.
Attendees can come out to the ribbon cutting, spend some time in the heavily renovated preserve and still have time to grab a quick lunch before the City of Plant City unveils its next accomplishment.
At 3 p.m. the community is encouraged to come over to the newly named Gilchrist Heights Dog Park, 905 North Knight Street. Originally the dog park was opened in 2014 with a temporary parking area off of North Pennsylvania Avenue. The city then decided it was high time to implement the Gilchrist Heights Dog Park Bridge & Parking Project, which included the installation of a bridge from the parking lot to the park, a lighted paved parking area and other amenities. The bridge over the Eastside Canal from the planned Knight Street parking area and the parking lot improvements were budgeted in 2019.
Holland said the “two dog run areas total 16,300 square feet and were enhanced to include water sources with human fountains, bottle fillers and dog watering fountains as well as some obstacles for the dogs to enjoy.” Some of those obstacles include a tunnel, double jump, pause table and a fire hydrant jump. This was a $343,260 project and it was designed by Kimley-Horn Engineering and constructed by Tampa Bay Marine.
Both of the projects were completed under budget and the City of Plant City is looking forward to showing off the new and unique assets to the public.
