At his Thursday presser, Mayor D.C. Reeves unveiled a major citywide parks improvement plan dubbed “Direction 25,” committing $21.7 million to repair and maintain Pensacola’s parks and recreational facilities across all seven districts over the next two years.
- The initiative, which echoes a similar program from 40 years ago called “Direction 85,” will impact at least 54 of the city’s 94 parks. Projects range from major renovations to smaller improvements, such as adding park benches and water fountains.
I discussed the plan with the mayor on Thursday afternoon for a podcast that will air on Monday.
“When a kid goes to a park, I don’t want them to grow up like I did, assuming that the water fountain’s broken,” said the mayor. “I want them to grow up to assume that the playground’s not rusty, the slide works, and the water fountain works. That’s a more than reasonable request of our citizens.”
Notable projects include a $9.4 million renovation of the Fricker Center, $2.4 million for Bay Bluff Park, and $1.4 million each for Sanders Beach and Wayside Park. Eleven sites are slated for multiple amenities or infrastructure upgrades.
NO MORE WHACK-A-MOLE
“Our goal here is to say, number one, we’re taking a cohesive citywide look and addressing what we believe with our expert opinion, our council’s opinion and the citizen’s opinion are the greatest needs that we have,” Mayor Reeves said. “Instead of worrying about the whack-a-mole version, which is what’s the thing that breaks next? I want to get out of that game, and I want to get into a holistic approach.”
He discussed the deliberate approach his administration has taken. “We didn’t have a complete list of every facility we owned on one piece of paper. We assessed each of them. Then our awesome parks and rec staff and facility staff said, ‘Hey, in our expert opinion, here’s things that have either been on lists for 10 years that haven’t been addressed,’ so we cobbled all that together.”
Then, the mayor and his staff met with each council member and shared the list for their district and the entire city. “We made sure that everybody’s on the same page. And so, after those very valuable meetings, we made tweaks and changes.”
Mayor Reeves said, “That formulated into what will be in front of the Parks and Rec Board. The citizen feedback will be really valuable as we execute these projects, but all of what’s in front of you comes from a well-researched place, and so we feel really confident moving forward.”
The funding comes from multiple sources, including grants and Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) revenues. Reeves emphasized that much of the funding is restricted in its use and cannot be redirected to other city priorities. The grants already received total $12,968,517.
The projects will be implemented in phases over the next two years, with the Parks and Recreation Board set to review the complete project list. Reeves noted that council members from each district have provided input to ensure the improvements address community needs.
“We’re trying to pay it forward to the next administrations,” Reeves said, expressing hope that future mayors won’t face the same maintenance challenges his administration inherited.
- The mayor said the Direction 25 plan will be unveiled at the February Parks and Recreation Board meeting.