![]( "Plans for a regional park near U.S. 1 take shape in western Nassau. The property was purchased in 2007, but no movement to create a regional park has occurred since. The county recently acquired a grant to aid with clearing of the land, which could be home to future ball fields, an amphitheater or multipurpose facility capable of accommodating graduation-size crowds and more.")
Plans for a regional park near U.S. 1 take shape in western Nassau. The property was purchased in 2007, but no movement to create a regional park has occurred since. The county recently acquired a grant to aid with clearing of the land, which could be home to future ball fields, an amphitheater or multipurpose facility capable of accommodating graduation-size crowds and more.
Plans for a regional park in western Nassau inch closer to fruition, but funding those plans will take some serious green.
The nearly 110-acre county-owned property along U.S. 1, commonly referred to as the Mizell Tract, sat idle for 11 years after county officials purchased the land near Pratt-Siding Road for $1.1 million.
The site was the topic of discussion in May 2013 when citizens from Callahan and Hilliard met with representatives from the Northeast Florida Regional Council and the county for two workshops. During those meetings, residents requested additional recreational options that were added to the Vision 2032 plan and the county’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan.
Nassau County Planning and Economic Opportunity Director Taco Pope described the kinds of facilities that may be added as funding becomes available.
“The concept plan for the Westside Regional Park is an effort to implement the community feedback we have received,” Pope said. “While there certainly is a demand for additional capacity for programmed athletics such as Little League and Pop Warner, we consistently hear from citizens that they desire publicly accessible social/recreation facilities that are inclusive and contain amenities that are designed for users of all ages, abilities and interests.”
He continued, “This includes equestrian and nature trails, asphalt multi-use trails for walking and bike riding, large children’s playgrounds with age separation and splash pads/spray parks. In addition to those amenities, there has also been an expressed desire to create social spaces that can facilitate large community events such as high school graduations, festivals, movie showings and concerts.”
The initial phase includes creating walking and equestrian trails, which will be funded via a Recreation Trails Program grant of $197,055 that was awarded Oct. 6. The county matched the amount for an estimated total of $328,425, according to Office of Management and Budget Director Justin Stankiewicz.
Construction could begin as early as September. Stankiewicz would like to see the ball fields included within the first phase, but those plans are not definite.
“We plan on exploring future grant opportunities for additional funding and plan to use impact fees and revenues collected from our recent millage increase to fund future phases,” he wrote. “The county commission approved to allocate the matching funds (impact fees) for the RTP Grant and committed $2.5 million dollars during this year’s budget adoption of our five-year strategic financial plan.”
The Nassau Board of County Commissioners hasn’t voted on the project yet because it and other Capital Improvement Plan projects were contingent on the passage of the county’s millage rate. Last month, the board passed a county-wide millage rate of 7.4278 as part of its $227,331,063 budget for fiscal year 2018-19, voting 4-1. Commissioner George Spicer was the lone dissenter.
“In November, we will present our Capital Improvement Plan for board approval and it will incorporate this project and the other projects on the five-year strategic plan,” Stankiewicz noted