With the design phase nearly complete, staff began coordinating with Manhattan Construction Company (MCC) to develop a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for the reconstruction of the new Rowena Mays Athletic Park. The five-acre park sits at the intersection of Alexander Street and Baker Street.
“Whenever you are doing park projects, the first priority in my mind is, do you already own the land?” City Manager Bill McDaniel said. “That is a huge factor in doing these types of improvements. That has been a city park for a long time. It is a passive park, in that it was not being utilized to its full extent—greatly underutilized. To rebuild it as the athletic park that has been designed is going to turn it into an activity center in the areas of tennis, basketball, and pickleball that the community wants.”
The initial estimated cost of the project came in at $6,166,742. However, the City changed plans for the restroom build, thus lowering the cost by $276,976. So, the GMP for the construction is $5,889,766. Now that it has been approved by the City Commission, the project will take 17 months to complete.
“As the generations pass, interests, needs, and desires change, and the city tries to keep up with those,” McDaniel said. “Here we go, building our first outdoor pickleball courts…..Based on the input we get, a vast majority of people are looking forward to it.” Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the United States, and there are currently 34.5 million players. Florida is the most popular state for pickleball
As is regularly the case with infrastructure projects with large price tags, they get noticed, and some voiced criticism of the build, suggesting the noise from athletic courts will disturb the surrounding neighborhood. Another contention is that the money could be better spent elsewhere such as providing housing for homeless people.
“First of all, that assumes it is a zero sum gain,” McDaniel said in response to the second point. “There are monies that we have through impact fees. We have American Rescue Plan Act money that can only be put to certain things….You build parks to create recreational space, and preserve green space.”
According to the National Park and Recreation Association, 40 years of research shows that nearby parks and green spaces support human health. The exercise that can be had at athletic parks lowers park-goers incidence of diabetes, heart disease and respiratory problems. Even visiting small parks increases brain activity, elevates the immune system, lowers stress and frustration, and alleviates depression.
“Could you imagine living in a city where you had no parks? You had no greenspace? I don’t think it’s a place any of us would want to be,” McDaniel commented. “Having greenspace and places you can go to either recreate or relax is very important to the overall health and well-being of a community. That is one reason that cities and counties invest in preserving, and sometimes creating and building, new spaces.”
Also on the way is an upgrade to Washington Park—a neighborhood park located at 1808 E. Warren Street. This park has been vacant since 2022, and needs renovation. Staff held community meetings to discuss future plans for the park. From this feedback, city government developed a plan. The park will feature a new 16’ x 16’ pavilion and concrete slab. Other amenities include outdoor grills, picnic tables, benches, chess tables, ornamental fencing, sidewalks, and new landscaping. “That neighborhood wants that park,” McDaniel commented. “They see it as important to their community—their sense of place. It is going to give them amenities and greenspace they wouldn’t have otherwise. The project preserves it for use for generations to come.” The total cost for this renovation will be $140,000 including $55,043.33 for the pavilion.
“Parks are very important to what we provide in the way of services and amenities to the community,” McDaniel said. “The fact that you build parks doesn’t mean you aren’t doing other things. I think anybody just has to look to see we are a full-service city, and we are providing all manner of services in addition to building parks and other features for the community. I think it is very important to take a holistic view of providing services to the community like parks and the library, and other amenities are a very important part of that.”
When completed, the park will offer:
• 2 lighted basketball courts
• 8 lighted pickleball courts
• 2 lighted tennis courts
• a pedestrian connector bridge across Mill Creek
• enlarged restrooms
• extended parking