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Oakland Park Breaks Ground on the City Park Project
- Desiree Avila
- June 11, 2021
- 7:56 pm
The $40 Million Dollar Bond Projects
In 2018 the residents of the City of Oakland Park overwhelmingly approved by vote a $40 million dollar bond to update and improve the City’s infrastructure for its second century. When speaking of the bond projects, City Manager David Hebert has shared that “Our new buildings will be models of urban civic spaces that are sustainable, reliable, safe, and beautiful”. In addition to modernizing the City’s pubic infrastructure, each new building will also incorporate a cohesive design which will give the City’s public buildings a consistent and recognizable feel.
Let The Construction Begin!
The celebration of the maiden project for the $40 million bond was held pre-COVID on October 4, 2019. That day the City demolished its defunct water plant in order to make way for a new City Operations Complex. This new and improved complex will house the City's water, wastewater, storm water, solid waste, streets, parks maintenance facilities and fleet services operations and Emergency Operations Center.
Breaking Ground on The New City Park Project
As part of the City’s continued march toward its second century, today they broke ground on another project that is part of the $40 million dollar bond. This project’s beginning signals a whole new life for the area in and around the Collins Community Center, and it is known as City Park.
Heidi Burnett, director of the City’s library services presided over the event. Mayor Jane Bolin was unable to attend due to surgery, but Burnett shared a recording Bolin had prepared for the occasion.
"...I am so sorry I could not be there in person, but I'm definitely with you in spirit. I'm really excited about the City Park project. It's going to be a fantastic modern amenity for the surrounding neighborhood and our entire Oakland Park community. Today is about more than kicking off the City Park, today also marks the beginning of construction on a series of bond projects aimed at building our second century, voters approved a $40 million bond in 2018 and that we have spent the last few years getting input design and planning to get where we are today... I wanted to let you know how excited I am about the groundbreaking because of what it represents for the future of our community. I look forward to watching this project progress and seeing our vision for Oakland Park come to life.
Vice Mayor Michael Carn, Broward County Commissioner Lamar Fisher, State Representative Chip Lamarca, former Oakland Park Mayor Caryl Stevens, Brynt Johnson, Director of Engineering and Building Services at City of Oakland Park, and Chris Long from Kauffman Lynn Construction, all briefly spoke about the project and the revitalization that it will bring to the area. After the comments concluded, the ceremonial groundbreaking began.
The New City Park Project
The project will incorporate the cohesive design of all of the City’s new public infrastructure. The goal is for the City’s public infrastructure to have a look and feel that is distinctly Oakland Park.
Some of the new facilities that it will include are:
- New and improved pickleball courts
- A splash pad
- Basketball courts
- Batting cages
- A gazebo
- Butterfly garden
- Community center and library
- Plenty of green space
- Plenty of parking
Phase 1 of City Park
Phase 1 of the City Park Project will be the redevelopment of the Wimberly Athletic Complex. This part of the project will include new pickleball courts, a concession stand, batting cages, a playground and basketball courts.
The City On The Move, Moves Steadily Toward Its Second Century
The $40 million dollar bond projects are part of a greater plan to renovate and revitalize the City of Oakland Park. As the City initiates the City Park project, the Sky Building project and plans to redevelop downtown, where the current City Hall is, are already in the works. All of this activity makes it clear that the City is steadily moving toward its second century. As Mayor Jane Bolin once said when commenting on the bond projects “It certainly is very exciting and speaks to a city on the move”( oaklandparkfl.gov) .
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*LivingInOaklandPark.com is an independent publication, not affiliated with the City of Oakland Park.
Desiree Avila
EDITOR, PUBLISHER, WRITER, PHOTOGRAPHER, REALTOR®
Désirée Ávila has called Oakland Park her home for over 33 years. In addition to publishing LivingInOaklandPark.com, Désirée has been featured in print publications, locally and abroad. Désirée was an award winning teacher for 10 years and has a doctoral level education in Educational Technology. She is currently a licensed Florida Realtor® and is committed to a high-level of professionalism.
Désirée consistently professionally develops herself and has earned several different professional designations and certifications in real estate including the PSA, e-Pro, AHWD, SRS, ABR, and SFR. She was also awarded the C2EX, Commitment to Excellence award by the National Association for Realtors (NAR). This award is given to Realtors® that distinguish themselves for their commitment to excellence in the real estate industry.
She is esteemed by her real estate colleagues and has consistently received 5 star reviews from her clients. Her philosophy about real estate is that being a Realtor® is a way of teaching and helping people, and in the process a real estate transaction may occur, that is to say her foremost priority is and has always been about helping others.
She is dedicated to her hometown of Oakland Park and works consistently on building and fostering a strong community. She is passionate about photography and loves to read books about history ; the more detail the better! In addition to English, Désirée is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, French and Italian.
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