City
and County Partner with
Local Non-Profit to Create Regional Park
Fort
Pierce , FL—April 2, 2008—A visionary 150-acre park spanning much
of eastern St. Lucie County came one step closer to reality this
week. First conceived in 2004 as part of a master plan to expand
Heathcote Botanical Gardens, Phase I of the project is funded by
a $3.2 million Florida Communities Trust Grant. On March 31, the
City of Fort Pierce sold 63.68 acres of land to St. Lucie County,
who will lease it to Heathcote Botanical Gardens for the expansion.
Under the terms of the sale, the $3.2 million will go into a special
fund earmarked by the City of Fort Pierce for the development of
the site. Fundraising is also ongoing to build private dollars to
help fund the expansion. Under the terms of the grant, Phase I improvements
must be completed by 2011.
“The
beauty of this arrangement is that this grant, allocated in 2004,
is working to improve the community now,” says Cris Adams, Heathcote
Board President. “It has taken a long time to reach this point,
but now this money will begin flowing back into regional businesses
as we plan and develop the site. It is a perfect example of how
partnerships between government and non-profits can work to better
the entire area.” In addition to providing work for local contractors,
developing the facility will immediately provide economic stimulation
and neighborhood revitalization along the U. S. 1/Indian River corridor.
“The
environmental and recreational opportunities here are enormous,”
says Amy Dahan, Director of Heathcote Botanical Gardens. “We are
talking about a environmental and recreational center that includes
everything from re-engineering the lake to hold more water, preventing
detrimental fresh water releases into the Indian River Lagoon, to
hiking trails that will connect with a network spanning the eastern
United States from Maine to Key West!” The goal is to grow Heathcote
from the valuable local resource it is today to become a major regional
attraction. In addition to the immediate economic benefits of developing
the currently unused land, the park is expected to attract both
visitors and new residents to the region with environmental preservation
and recreational opportunities
In
March 2007, the City of Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County and Heathcote
Botanical Gardens signed an Interlocal Agreement to jointly develop
the park. Purchasing the 63.68 acres from the city of Fort Pierce
was an essential step to Phase I of the expansion. Ultimately the
park could grow to be a 150-acre environmental and cultural complex
spanning four miles along Eastern St. Lucie County. Preliminary
plans include a new lakefront recreational facility, public meeting
center, open spaces, restored wetlands and coastal dunes, and space
for museums and an expanded botanical gardens. Once connected with
existing recreational and environmental areas, the new park will
form an 842-acre greenway spanning the eastern portion of St. Lucie
County from the Indian River Hills Golf Course to the north to the
Savannas Recreation Area to the south, a recreation and conservation
area the size of New York City's Central Park.
With
the property secured, Heathcote can now free contract with a landscape
architect and an engineering firm to develop final plans for the
expansion. An expanded botanical garden will occupy 15 acres of
the park, the rest of Phase I and future phases will be open to
the public free of charge.
Heathcote
is currently working with the East Coast Greenway to link the nature
trails in Phase I to a larger network spanning from Calais, Maine
to Key West, Florida. The regional trail system would connect Hutchinson
Island and downtown Fort Pierce with the Savannas Recreation area
via Indian River Hills Golf Course and the expanded Heathcote facility,
bringing traffic and income from hikers and cyclists. Other planned
Phase I improvements include:
•
Bike, fitness and hiking trails between
the Savannas Recreation Area and the expansion area
•
A picnic pavilion and playground
•
A reshaped canal area
•
Landscaping and upland/wetland restoration
•
An educational center
•
Reduced slopes and a pier at the 16-acre
sand mine lake
•
Parking and signage
In
addition, clearing of non-native plants on the expansion property
has already been completed with a grant from the Treasure Coast
Resource Conservation and Development Council.
Since
signing the interlocal agreement in March 2007, a nine member committee
consisting of three representatives each from the city, the county,
and Heathcote Botanical Gardens, has been meeting regularly to develop
a working plan for the completion of Phase I starting with the sale
of the property. The entire project is expected to be completed
in three phases over a 15-year period. Phases II and III may include
adjacent land currently occupied by the Humane Society of St. Lucie
County and the City of Fort Pierce Public Works Department and Solid
Waste Facility. Although these developments are being discussed
as part of planning, nothing has been finalized and they are not
part of the current phase of expansion.
Heathcote
Botanical Gardens is a non-profit organization established in 1985
on the former site of Heathcote Nursery. It features gardens, environmental
and educational programs, and special events throughout the year,
and was expanded in 2000 to its present 5 acres. Heathcote does
not receive tax dollars; it is funded primarily by memberships,
donations and grants. Individual, family and corporate memberships
are available. For more information visit www.heathcotebotanicalgardens.org
or call 772-464-4672.
(Article by Thondra Lanese.)
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