The Zephyrhills City Council voted to put in a bid with the Pasco school board to buy Hercules Park and develop a master plan to restore the historical park and former aquatic center.
Council members had a special public meeting April 20 to discuss options including purchase of approximately 2.5 acres of the park that has long been rumored as a site for a Race Trac gas station.
The decision was to offer $1.7 million for the entire 15.5-acre park, said Mayor Gene Whitfield.
The deadline for submitting the bid was April 24.
“There was a little bit of a time crunch,” Whitfield said.
Buying the entire park from the school board leaves less chance for a gas station or other commercial development at that corner of the park, the mayor said.
“We have nothing against private enterprise,” he added, “but this is a choice piece of property with a deep history in our community.”
The school board in early April announced plans to put a small parcel at the corner of U.S. 301 and County Road 54 up for commercial sale. The city council previously had been asked to rezone the site. In return, city officials had expected to reach agreement with the school board on a long-term, $1 a year lease for the remaining acreage.
The fate of Hercules Park has been under discussion for nearly two years, with some residents lobbying the city to negotiate for ownership.
The funds for the city’s bid, if accepted, would come from park impact fees, the Penny for Pasco program and about $700,000 from about $3.3 million in the city’s reserve fund, said City Manager Steve Spina.
The city could have an advantage over commercial bidders who would likely have to complete time-consuming environment impact studies, Spina said.
“We could settle right away,” he said. “I think it’s a viable option.”
The park got its name from the Hercules Powder Co., once the largest employer in Zephyrhills. The company processed pine stumps into rosin, turpentine and pine oil. Its property sprawled across 80 acres that became sites for the park, Zephyrhills High School and Woodland Elementary School.
More than two decades ago the school district gave the site to Pasco County with the stipulation that it be operated as a park or be returned to the school district. The county closed the facility nearly four years ago because it was too costly to operate.
Whitfield said it’s important to preserve green space as a balance to renewed commercial growth in the area. The north side of Zephyrhills needs more park amenities, he added.
“We want to make sure it (Hercules Park) goes back to being a park,” he said.
If the city wins the bid, a master plan will be crafted to restore the park, including the aquatic center. No hard figures on restoration costs will be available until such a plan is completed.
“We have some grant opportunities we can pursue,” Spina said. “A large part of the park would remain wooded and passive.”
Published April 29, 2015
