Wild Spaces & Public Places Project Updates

January 26, 2022

Press release from City of Gainesville

Wild Spaces & Public Places and Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs are pleased to provide a list of project updates completed in January 2022. These efforts are just a few of our latest accomplishments towards creating a world-class park system in the City of Gainesville.

The projects in this update include a few of the many treasured spaces within our city. We are excited to reveal these improvements and look forward to enjoying these parks with our neighbors.

Sweetwater Wetlands Park
325 SW Williston Rd.

Improvements to the park included construction of 1,600 linear feet of ADA-compliant porous concrete path from the park’s entrance to cell #1, and the connection from cell #1 to cell #2. The cost of the project was $218,227. Click here to view photos of the new path.

Loblolly Woods Nature Park
3315 NW 5th Ave.

Boardwalk repairs at Loblolly Woods Nature Park were made spanning from Northwest 8th Avenue approximately 1400 feet north. Work began in August 2021 and completed in January 2022. The cost of the project was $420,187. Click here to view photos of the reconstructed boardwalk.

Ironwood Golf Course
2100 NE 39th Ave.

Ironwood Golf Course saw much-needed improvements including cart path reconstruction and new range mats. Work began in October 2021 and completed in January 2022. The cost of the project was $181,500. Click here to view photos of the improvements.

Howard Bishop Recreation Area
1901 NE 9th St.

In partnership with the School Board of Alachua County, renovations of the track and tennis/basketball courts at Howard Bishop Middle School began in June 2021 and completed in January 2022. The Wild Spaces & Public Places portion of the total project cost was $250,000. Click here to view photos of the improvements.

Did you know that the city takes 38.75% of the tax revenue produced by our WSPP (a county wide tax) for a program we voted in for 8 years? Gives WSPP a bad rap but, just like taking money from GRU and putting it in the General Fund the city also robs us of money from the WSPP program. To go where? That’s not what we voted for. Now do you see why the citycomm tried to attach the WSPP program to the next election cycle early for renewal? Thieves.

Gee, I never saw this in our local printed newspaper, the Sun. I know they’re a liberal and biased newspaper but could they also be in bed with the City and County? Oh my!