A park in Lutz that draws an estimated 300,000 users each year will not be reopening anytime soon.
Lake Park, at 17302 N. Dale Mabry Highway, has been closed since Dec. 2 due to a sinkhole that spans 6 feet across and is about 90 feet deep.
(File Photo)
No progress has been made in repairing the sinkhole because Hillsborough County has not yet negotiated a new lease with the City of St. Petersburg, which owns the park, said Forest Turbiville, Hillsborough County’s director of conservation and environmental lands management.
A meeting regarding the lease has been set for June 23.
“During those discussions, we will talk about sinkholes, who’s responsible for paying to remedy that situation, and other issues, too — like the term of the agreement,” Turbiville said.
The county prefers a lease that lasts around 30 years, Turbiville said.
“If we’re going to be spending several hundred thousands of dollars over the next few years to make various improvements, whether it’s filling in the sinkhole or paving the main road, upgrading facilities — we want to make sure we have a long-term agreement,” Turbiville explained.
The existing lease agreement for Lake Park expires on June 3, 2019. Under that deal, Hillsborough County pays just $1 per year to the City of St. Petersburg to operate the park.
However, Turbiville said the City of St. Petersburg has proposed a new lease agreement requesting $3,000 per month, or $36,000 per year. It also is requesting $2,000 per month from the county to lease Lake Rogers Park. That lease agreement expires on Sept. 30.
“One of the things we’re going to discuss in our meeting (with St. Petersburg) is what the basis is for those numbers,” Turbiville said.
The low-end estimate to repair the sinkhole is $103,000, but Turbiville said the cost could be nearly double that amount, based on the county’s previous experience in repairing sinkholes in other locations.
He also noted the sinkhole repair would likely take six weeks to eight weeks, after a new lease agreement is executed.
“We’re hopeful that (the park) will be open sometime this year; that’s the best I can say,” Turbiville said.
Flooding on Lake Park’s central road also must be addressed, Turbiville said.
Two lakes situated near the flooded road have begun to merge — caused by a significant drop-off in water pumping by the aquifer, he said.
“Those lakes are…filling up almost like a bathtub, and they’re going over the road, so about nine (months) to 10 months out of the year, we have a couple of feet of water over the road,” Turbiville explained.
“Ever since 2013, the pumping has dropped from 10 (million gallons) or 12 million gallons down to 1 million gallons per day. As a result, the lakes and the wetlands within the park have come back up, so what you have now is a much wetter park than you did even five years ago,” Turbiville said.
Turbiville believes the nearly three-quarter-mile stretch of road will have to be repaved and elevated.
The estimated cost for the project, which is about $850,000, would likely fall on the shoulders of Hillsborough County, he said.
The project would require culverts or some other type of system that would allow water to flow underneath the road, he noted.
Other long-term Lake Park improvements include renovations to the park’s main offices and restrooms, and upgrades to the concession area.
Lake Park, a 589-acre site, features an archery range, a BMX bicycle track, two equestrian arenas and a radio-controlled car track.
Based on revenue figures from 2014-2015, the park typically nets about $10,000 per month in revenue from park-goers.
Due to Lake Park’s closure, Turbiville said most of the park’s employees have been temporarily reassigned to other locations within the regional park system. A skeleton crew remains at Lake Park for upkeep and maintenance.
Published June 8, 2016
