Alachua County seeks community input for future park at West End
Press release from Alachua County
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – Alachua County is hosting a community engagement event that will help shape the future recreational park plans at the former West End Golf Course site.
The event will be held on Aug. 13, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. at the University of Florida/IFAS Extension Office auditorium (22712 W. Newberry Road, in Newberry) and offers an opportunity for residents to give suggestions on the planned park’s layout and amenities.
Those unable to attend the meeting can provide input by emailing parks@alachuacounty.us or calling 352-264-6847.
“This will be a transformative park planned by and for our residents,” said Parks and Open Space Director Jason Maurer. “We hope the community comes out and offers their input for this important project.”
Site update
Residents may have noticed crews working at the 75-acre site (12830 W. Newberry Road) over the past few weeks.
Since Alachua County took ownership of the property on June 14, the Public Works and Parks and Open Space departments have been working together to help prepare the site as a needed secondary venue for the upcoming 2025 World Masters Athletic Indoor Championship in March 2025.
The weeklong event will be held from March 23-30 and is anticipated to bring in thousands of participants and spectators from around the world, with about 60% of the attendees coming from outside the country. Immediate site plans call for the installation of an outdoor cross-country track and discus, javelin, and hammer throwing areas.
“Time is of the essence on this project,” said Public Works Director Ramon Gavarrete.
Over the past few weeks, the county’s Road and Bridge Division helped mow down the severely overgrown vegetation and properly backfilled sinkholes that opened up while the golf course was closed.
Following a thorough inspection of hazardous materials, crews also knocked down the structures on site due to their severely dilapidated conditions.
“It’s exciting to be part of West End’s transformation,” said Dwight Thomas, an equipment operator. “Good things are coming to Alachua County.”
We want a GOLF COURSE.
Not a javelin throwing area for failed olympians to win a participation metal..
imagine telling your peers you live In a beautiful javelin toss community
You shudda bought property in a golf course community. Otherwise, you have “no standing.”
You dont think “GREENS AT WEST END” or “FAIRWAY POINT” were marketed and sold as a golf community..?
its literally in the name..
rowena must be from the east side
Parks are lovely.
Roads…are what we need.
If you want usage from the most people possible you’d want dog park, kids play area, a splash area for kids to play in some water and pickleball and disc golf.
If you want usage from the least people possible you’d want javelin, discus, and hammer toss area. Are these areas going to be temporary and dismantled after this event is over with?
So you want “a dog park, kids play area, a splash area for kids, and pickleball and disc golf.”
It ain’t going to happen unless you vote in a new BOCC. They, like most of Gator Nation, are totally and solely sucked into to believing that sports and recreation ONLY consist of organized team sports, usually with an adult referee with a whistle and involving some kind of ball. Organization and power and control of all games. Organized competitive team jockdom only. Football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, track etc.
Why? Because individual type sports (recreational swimming, splash park, walking, dog park, chess, etc.) cannot be contracted out to FOR PROFIT corporations Radd Sports and Celebration Pointe to “run” the park on behalf of the county. They and others have a unnatural lock hold on the BOCC. (I hope to live long enough to find out what it is.)
The taxpayers are just screwed. And paying millions to these for profit companies, instead of fixing the roads. Quit complaining, bend over, and enjoy living in Alachua County.
Would love to see it made similar to Depot Park. How about a beer garden?
World of Beer is right across the street.
How about using that land to build another high school? With people moving here in droves we need it.
Something with CCTV and crime proofing. Anything else is a luxury.
Quit wasting taxpayers $$$ and fix the Dam Roads
Just extend the Sports Center deal. Give Celebration Pointe and Radd Sports a 30 year contract and $2 million a year to run the park for profit. If it is a good deal once, it is a good deal for all future county projects. Public private partnerships are the wave of the future.
Looks like they put the horse before the cart again. Alachua county commission “We bought it (with your $$$) and now that we bought it….what do you want us to do with it?”
Of course the only answer is….spend MORE $$$ on figuring that out.
The new brand of playground equipment they seem to be using in all the new parks really sucks, especially the swings with really short chains. They are too high off the ground for little kids to get on them, and the the short chains make the actual swing very unsatisfying. The rubber floor-tiles are also a poor replacement for mulch or even shredded tires.
It would be nice to see a return of the old-school all-wood playgrounds instead. Even the plastic and metal style from 10-15 years ago would be a great improvement from the chunky, garish equipment they are buying now.
Are all these people complaining about the roads bots? The roads are pretty decent in Florida. Goes to show you can take the New Yorker out of New York, but they apparently still complain about roads.
Hope they can turn the park into something other than a good course. Maybe a public driving range as part of it. Would rather see a nice wooded/natural area frisbee golf course that can benefit multiple use groups and not need as much irrigation as golf grass.
You obviously stay inside your bubble of Gainesville!
There are many roads in this degenerate run county that are full of pot holes that destroys suspensions on vehicles! The parasites raining the county piss away county tax dollars on feel good stupidity instead of practical needs!
The same parasites stated that the county’s roads budget would be planned out based on equity and inclusion!! The parasite just resurfaced SW46 Blvd and SW24th Ave which were in significantly better shape than many other roads in the county! Of course those roads lead into the areas where the majority of the lily white, wealth, virtue signaling leftists live!
Great to hear !!! Covered Driving range / Golf practicing area…and coverd Pickelball courts!!… Dog park… look forward to another Great park in Alachua County
You need to put that money towards putting black top on dirt Rods In Newberry and Trenton.
Gessipi: I am curious. Was it in public school or home school that you flunked geography? Trenton is in Gilchrist County. The ALACHUA County taxpayers do not pay to pave roads in Gilchrist County. See how this works?
There will always be roads to fix. Green spaces will not always be available for future public recreational use in this growing area.