14 Boca parks due for upgrades
Designs shown for waterfront sites
By the end of the year, Boca Raton may be ready to roll out upgrades to 14 of its water front parks, officials say.
Residents got to see design drafts for some of the parks Wednesday as officials look to revamp th ecity-owned properties.
“I’m just excited that they’re not only looking at a few parks, but they’re looking at 14 areas,” said resident Arlene Owens. “I’m very impressed.”
Some of the parks with significant proposed improvements include:
Spanish River Park: Lookout pavilions, wetland education trails, boat launches and camping areas
Ocean Strand Park: Camping areas, food kiosks and kayak and paddleboard launches
Red Reef Park: Snorkeling and fishing equipment rentals, picnic and grilling facilities, chair and towel rentals
South Beach Park: Volleyball and soccer areas, playgrounds and food and beverage kiosks
Rutherford Park: Enhanced boardwalk, canoe trails and playground equipment
The former Wildflower property on Palmetto Park Road is also on the roster to get a major makeover. It brought fierce debate last year when a resident-fueled referendum
struck down a proposed restaurant at the site, prompting the city to rezone it as a public park last month.
EDSA Inc., Boca’s consultant that is formulating the improvements, showed residents two concepts for the park: Awide, open field satnestledamongeventpavilions, exercise paths, splash pads and playgrounds for kids.
The company also proposed some minor improvements to the rest of the waterfront parks including boat launches and landscaping.
But not all residents were on board with the
proposed improvements.
Jon Gelman, who has livedinthecity for30years, said the plan lacks a theme and he’d like to see more public art incorporated into designs.
“What is proposed is a massive development of public land that lacks a unified structure that would preserve the nature of Boca Raton,” Gelman said.
The meeting was the second brainstorming session after EDSA met with resident in April to talk about ideas of what they wanted the parks to look like.
One desire many residents expressed was making it easier to park-hop by stringing the properties together with trails and boat ramps.