A new state-of-the-art 8,000 square-foot playground that opened at the Mango Recreation Center last week is one of the dozens of upgrades taking place throughout Hillsborough County’s parks.
The county is on a non-stop schedule, resodding all sports fields, adding splash pads, new bleachers and shelters, even bath stations for dogs.
The unveiling in Mango included play structures for kids 2-12 on synthetic turf and expression swings, where kids and parents can swing together, facing each other.
There are climbing apparatuses and the surface wraps around the park’s grand oak trees.
“On top of that, we added a couple of shelters for people to use for birthday parties or just to gather and enjoy the park,” said Jason MacKenzie, the county’s park planner and development manager. “We upgraded the landscaping and put in additional sidewalks for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). There is a new four-square area and a stencil painted on the ground so kids can come out and color with chalk.”
The county also upgraded the restrooms and kitchen inside the recreation center, added dog agility equipment and shelters to the nearby dog park and eliminated flood issues in the dog park.
The entire project was just under $1 million.
Part of the funding came from an NFL Green grant the county received during the Superbowl earlier this year, which also helped pay for a fruit orchard featuring avocados, Barbados cherries, papayas and pomegranates.
The county also has its first public drone park on the Mango property.
The All-People’s Life Center has a new Yellow Brick Road storybook theme, a 10,000 square-foot all-inclusive playground and swings with five-point harnesses for disabled youngsters.
“It allows people of all abilities to come out and use it,” MacKenzie said. All People’s Park is located on East Sligh Avenue next to King High School.
“Right behind that, we have a brand-new splash pad to go along with it,” he said. That is just getting underway, and we hope to have it completed by Memorial Day.”
All this parks development has not come without the headaches brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’ve had plenty of problems getting trash cans, benches, water fountains and other equipment,” MacKenzie said. “We are working through it and just keep going.”
The All-People’s project will cost about $3 million and includes additional shelters.
“We also have three additional splash pads going in at Kemley, Winston and Emanual P. Johnson parks. Kimley park is on 68th Street. They are all south of MLK but north of Bloomingdale Avenue.”
In the Palm River area, the Larry Sanders Sports Complex is getting a splash pad, also.
“Those will be very well-used in the summertime when the kids are out of school. It gives them the opportunity to cool off.”
The design for an expansion of Branchton Park in New Tampa off Morris Bridge Road is now underway. “It will expand onto 26 acres we already owned and will have a splash pad, multi-sports courts and a playground,” MacKenzie said.
“We are adding dog parks and an event pavilion to the site, also. It’s giving people more opportunities, with walking trails and pathways. It is very similar to what we consider our ‘destination parks’ where people will want to drive to come use them.”
At Keystone Park in Odessa, the county is expanding the existing recreation center. “We are enlarging the site to give more space and renovating the playground. We already finished a paved walking loop with lights and installed four brand new shelters,” MacKenzie said. “The other thing people wanted was a connector to the library, so we have connected the two parking lots and added basic upgrades, like new lighting, benches and garbage cans. It should all be complete by March.”
In Thonotosassa, there are two projects in one. The county is expanding the Thonotosassa Community Park and relocating the library to a recently purchased property behind the existing structure.
“It’s a giant park, 50 acres, with the library, recreation center, sports fields for local football programs,” MacKenzie said. “Future phases include an additional playground with a splash pad and walking trails. Somewhere down the road, we’ll add a skate park.”
The county has also completed a double-covered basketball court at Bethune Park in Wimauma featuring LED lighting. That park should open this week. “That is another site where we partnered with the sheriff’s office and the Boys & Girls Club, so they can use it and the community can use it,” MacKenzie said.
The county is in the final stages of awarding a $2 million bid for synthetic turf on sports fields on some and is planting new Bahia grass on others.