West Palm Beach uses $30 million bond and community design to renovate parks and engage residents

West Palm Beach Parks & Recreation leaders said a recently passed $30 million bond referendum will fund a large-scale renovation of the city’s park system and prioritize hiring local firms and subcontractors for construction work. Parks and Recreation Director Leah Rockwell said the department’s master plan emphasizes repairing existing parks rather than expanding the park footprint.

“As a part of that, we are, when we hire architects, engineers, craftsmen…we are employing our community,” Leah Rockwell said, adding that the city will seek local, minority- and women-owned businesses for work tied to park improvements. Rockwell said parks and recreation programs aim to address inequities at neighborhood scale with after-school STEM and STEAM programs, youth engagement and community-driven design exercises (for example, resident input into playground design).

Rockwell described community-design events such as an upcoming community center design meeting at Howard Park, where architects and residents will weigh in on plans. She said the department prioritizes empowering staff at all levels to lead community meetings and programming so residents see diverse voices representing the city.

Panelists said parks-led youth programs also support civic literacy by educating children who then carry civic habits into households; Rockwell and other panelists tied parks investments to long-term democracy and social-justice outcomes through inclusive programming and local hiring. The panel did not provide a project schedule or specific contract-award totals for the bond-funded work during the session.