Escambia County District 2 Commissioner Mike Kohler and Parks and Recreation will hold a public meeting Wednesday, June 7 at 4 p.m. at Lexington Terrace Park, 900 S. Old Corry Field Road, at the large pavilion at the front of the park. Commissioner Kohler previews the park options that will be discussed at the meeting.
“We’re going to put pickleball courts out there- six of them because there’s none on this side,” Kohler said. “More than likely, we’re probably going put a disc golf course in there – nine minimum, maybe 18.”
He continued, “We’ve already replaced the basketball. It’s going to get new playground equipment. The dog park, which was probably the biggest hit, is going to be completely redone. I think we’ll probably have the nicest dog park in Pensacola.”
Jo, we just walked the park for two hours. We have been in it at least 3 hours a day for coming on ten years now. Every inch of the shoreline, every nook, every cranny. We know every single bit of it intimately.
What a different lens we see it through. Navy Point Park is one of the best looked after parks in all of Escambia County. Michael Rhodes and his staff tirelessly caretake this park, but mostly strike the balance between caretaking and overdoing. The worst problem is that corrections officers overseeing the inmates direct them with no clue whatsoever about the environment. Your post exhibits a lack of it as well.
Where are these debris from Hurricane Sally? Our household has removed every bit of them the County hadn’t gotten to yet. If there is some particular area of concern, then let the County know, and I have no doubt they will have the debris removed post haste.
The issues with the path are primarily on the points (Patterson and Gibbs), where the stormwater run off from that wonderful path has unfortunately been bringing the path down as the sheets run off. I can assure you that the County is more than aware of this problem, and is actually planning solutions for it. Please keep in mind that our previous commissioner Doug Underhill’s goal for the park was to sell it off to developers. There was nothing that could be done until he was out of office, and now that his scourge has left the building, staff is devoting a lot of time to coming up with a plan to preserve and restore our park.
What overgrown vegetation? Invasive vines? Yes, they are everywhere. The thing about Navy Point Park is that it’s in Florida. We own two houses here, and I couldn’t keep up with pulling invasive vines if I worked at it all day every day.
Where are there trees rooted up? Please be specific, so the problem can be rectified. True, the live oaks along the shoreline at Navy Point are dying, but that is the work of Underhill’s illegal dredge dump from Grande Lagoon that smothered their roots with toxic, garbage ridden Ivan debris–which he wouldn’t allow County staff to take care of properly.
As for garbage: it was just Memorial Day Weekend. So you were walking before the County, Keep Pensacola Beautiful, and residents had a chance to sweep anything. Here’s a suggestion: carry bags and when you see garbage, bend over and pick it up. The karma returned to you will be wonderful.
Stop by 413 SE Baublits on one of your walks if you would like to hear the recent history of this park. You might be surprised at some of the context. And in the meantime, please stop dissing the best park in Escambia County because you would prefer something more manicured, and please stop calling for human intervention on what nature doesn’t need fixed.
The majority of residents in Navy Point are very environmentally conscious, and treasure the fact that the County has maintained a great balance between human use and not getting crazy with “helping nature” (other than the shell piles, which are now coming out). Yes, there are residents on North Syrcle who damage the shoreline horribly by illegally removing the Sea Grass and throwing down toxic weed killer in the park. But those folks are from a different generation and just don’t get it.
If you need us to point you to some of the glories of this park you might have missed, we’d be happy to. Short of that, perhaps you could find a more manicured place that suits your aesthetic better. Navy Point Park is a bird and nature sanctuary. It doesn’t need hacksaws and uprooting to wreck it as so many of Florida’s public spaces have been de-natured.
If, however, you’d like to join forces with the people trying to turn Navy Point Park into a midcentury lawn, you should connect with Jim Kauffman, the president of the Warrington Revitalization Committee. He just succeeded in getting the live oaks at the boat ramp butchered, and one of them will eventually die because of it. Godspeed on that.
I listened with great interest conversation with Commissioner Kohler about this park. Wish he would also focus on the Navy Point Nature Trail. I walk this trail every day and see how unkept it is. There is still debris from Hurricane Sally, sidewalks in need of repair, overgrown vegetation, trees uprooted, generally just a mess. It is a very scenic area but really needs attention.