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Rick Valdez

Recreational options expand in northern Hillsborough

October 24, 2018 By Kevin Weiss

Carrollwood Village Community Park is finally a reality — and ready for the public to enjoy.

Situated on a 50-acre site that was once home to the now-offline Dale Mabry Wastewater Treatment Plant, the “passive” community park offers a number of amenities.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Oct. 19 to celebrate the partial completion of Phase I of the park.

Features include a dog park, a multi-use trail, exercise stations, picnic shelters, a pond, an open lawn, restrooms and parking.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan called the new Carrollwood Village Community Park ‘an oasis in Carrollwood Village,’ during an Oct. 19 ribbon cutting ceremony. (Kevin Weiss)

A splash pad, playground and amphitheater are set to open by February, marking the completion of Phase I construction of the park.

Planning for the park, which is at 4680 West Village Drive in Tampa, began years ago.

Carrollwood residents weighed in during a series of community meetings dating back to 2014.

The original idea for a new park in Carrollwood became a community-driven, grassroots effort after word spread more than four years ago that the wastewater site was being retired.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan was among those who championed the idea of funding the park, and the Hillsborough County Commission approved the $6.5 million park project last May.

Hagan, a northwest area resident who grew up in Carrollwood, said the county “had a rare opportunity to do something special” with the large green space that was once home to the wastewater plant for more than 40 years.

He characterized the new park as “an oasis in Carrollwood Village.”

“This park will be a centerpiece for the entire community to enjoy,” Hagan said during the festivities. “It will be one-of-a kind, right in the heart of Carrollwood Village, and a great place to relax, exercise, have fun with your pet, and take a break from your fast-paced day.”

At the ceremony, Hagan also announced the county has allocated another $3.5 million for Phase II construction of the park.

Potential amenities may include the following, subject to community input and funding: An observation pier, shade canopies, solar trail lighting, a skate park/pump track, a community nature center, a pedestrian boardwalk, water fountains, a bridge/trellis, an event pavilion, a secondary playground and landscaping/garden area.

“There’s still plenty of room to grow,” Hagan said.

The Carrollwood Village Community Park adds to a list of more than 170 neighborhood parks in the county.

It is expected to become the county’s “most amenity-rich community park” once all phases are complete, said Rick Valdez, who is Hillsborough County’s parks and recreation director.

“We have skate parks that are skate parks, splash pads that are splash pads — this will have it all,” Valdez explained.

“There’s a lot of things that make this place special,” he added. “It’s very rare that we get $10 million to build a park, so we are paying attention to the smallest details, and just also going and getting input from the community, and just giving the community what they want.”

Local residents are excited about the park’s possibilities.

Dawn Hudson is president of the Carrollwood Park Conservancy — the group responsible for initially spearheading the park project.

“Parks make life better,” Hudson said. “I think it will draw people from 10 to 15 miles — someplace for people to go.”

She said the opportunity to build another park in Carrollwood would not have been possible without the retirement of the wastewater site and the simultaneous collaboration of local residents.

“We carried our vision through, and here we are. It’s pretty amazing,” she said.

Hudson said she’s most looking forward to helping plant a botanical garden that will make the park “really interesting to walk through.”

The addition of a “nature play” playground is another feature that will stand out, she said. “It’s not going to be your plain jane swings and slides,” Hudson said. “It’s going to be a place where you use your imagination to play, like running up a hill, hiding behind a big rock, crawling through a tunnel.”

Park hours will normally be from sunrise to sunset, with staff on-site to facilitate programming and provide maintenance.

Another unique aspect of the park: It is home to a 1,200-square-foot, 24-hour indoor fitness facility used exclusively by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies. In essence, that creates  built-in security — with officers working out around the clock on park grounds.

The workout facility is in a former administration building structure at the wastewater plant. Everything else associated with the former treatment plant has been demolished, with the exception of two reclaimed water tanks, pump stations and fencing.

A grand opening for the park will take place sometime in early 2019 after Phase I construction is complete.

For more information on the park, visit CarrollwoodVillagePark.com.

Published October 24, 2018

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Carrollwood Park Conservancy, Carrollwood Village Community Park, Dale Mabry Wastewater Treatment Plant, Dawn Hudson, Hillsborough County Commission, Hillsborough County Sheriff, Ken Hagan, Rick Valdez, West Village Drive

New community park planned in North Tampa

March 14, 2018 By Kevin Weiss

A new family friendly county park is coming this fall to the Greater Carrollwood area.

After nearly a year of finalizing its conceptual design, construction is slated to begin next month on the new Carrollwood Village Community Park, at 13055 Delwood Road in Tampa.

The park replaces the site of the Dale Mabry Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is situated on 50 acres along the west side of North Dale Mabry Highway, just south of West Village Drive.

Construction is expected to begin next month on the new Carrollwood Village Community Park, at 13055 Delwood Road. It replaces the site of the Dale Mabry Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is situated on 50 acres along the west side of North Dale Mabry Highway, just south of West Village Drive. (File)

Hillsborough County Public Utilities is presently decommissioning and relocating the existing treatment plant infrastructure, which has been in operation for more than 40 years.

Everything associated with the treatment plant will be demolished with the exception of two reclaimed water tanks, pump stations, an administration building structure and fencing.

Details about the forthcoming park were unveiled during a March 6 pre-construction open house at the Carrollwood Cultural Center. County parks and recreation officials were on hand to answer questions and gather input from residents.

Described as a “passive” community park, the main amenities will include a dog park, multi-use walking trail, splash pad, playground, indoor community space, and picnic shelters.

Other features include a pond, an open lawn, restrooms and parking.

Each of those aspects were finalized and based on input gathered from Carrollwood residents in a series of community meetings dating back to 2015.

Officials say most of the park will be complete by October, with final touches targeted for December. A ribbon cutting is planned sometime this fall.

Speaking at the open house, Hillsborough County parks and recreation director Rick Valdez called the park a “very important project” for Carrollwood.

“We’ve been meeting on this for months, and I think we have a really good sense of what the community wants to see,” Valdez said.

Described as a ‘passive’ community park, main amenities for the Carrollwood Village Community Park will include a dog park, multi-use walking trail, splash pad, playground, indoor community space, and picnic shelters. Other features include a pond and open lawn, along with restrooms and parking. The Hillsborough County Commission approved the $6.5 million project last May. (Courtesy of Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation)

Park hours will normally be from sunrise to sunset, with staff on-site to facilitate programming and provide maintenance.

Based on renderings, the park’s main entrance will be off West Village Drive with a secondary entrance to the south, off Delwood Road. The two entrances will not connect, to avoid the potential for becoming a pass-through route. There will also be new pedestrian crossings on West Village Drive and pedestrian park access in the northeast corner of the park.

Offsite work includes re-striping West Village Drive, which includes a left-hand turn lane, deceleration lane and addition of the multi-use trail.

The Hillsborough County Commission approved the $6.5 million project last May.

If more funding becomes available, the county would look to construct an additional playground, an event center, a boardwalk and fishing dock, and a nature center. The items would be part of Phase II and perhaps a Phase III.

“Those are things we want to address; we just don’t have the money to do it right now,” said Kyla Booher, planning and development manager for the county’s parks and recreation department.

More could be on the way if at least one county commissioner gets his way, however.

Eric Denney, a legislative aide to Commissioner Ken Hagan, was at the meeting and said the commissioner is “going to work his tail off to get money in the budget” for Phase II of the park.

Hagan is a northwest area resident and longtime supporter of the park project.

“When everything is said and done, this should be a true community asset —something that will improve the standard of living here in Carrollwood,” Denney said.

The original idea for a new park in Carrollwood became a community-driven, grassroots effort after word spread four years ago about the retirement of the wastewater site.

Public comments on the Carrollwood Village Community Park will be accepted through March 20.

To provide feedback on the project, visit HCFLGov.formstack.com/forms/public_comment.

Published March 14, 2018

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Carrollwood Cultural Center, Carrollwood Village Community Park, Dale Mabry Wastewater Treatment Plant, Delwood Road, Eric Denney, Hillsborough County Commission, Hillsborough County Public Utilities, Ken Hagan, Kyle Booher, North Dale Mabry Highway, Rick Valdez, West Village Drive

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