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Commission approves Wild Connections sculpture and park upgrades at Pride Promoters Park
Summary
Coral Springs commissioners unanimously approved a purchase agreement for the Wild Connections public art piece and CDBG-funded playground and court upgrades at Pride Promoters Park, using public art and CDBG funds and setting an installation window in 2026.
The Coral Springs City Commission on Tuesday approved a purchase agreement for a bronze-and-stainless-steel sculpture, Wild Connections, and accepted Community Development Block Grant funding to renovate playground and basketball facilities at Pride Promoters Park.
City staff said the project pairs a public-art purchase with park renovations to improve an aging neighborhood park along the Riverside Drive corridor.
Tina (city staff member), presenting the item, said the public art committee selected Wild Connections from 47 proposals and that the bronze-and-stainless-steel piece “came in a hundred and 20,000,” under the $150,000 public art budget. Rob (city staff member) described additional park work covered by a $225,000 CDBG allocation, including new playground equipment, landscaping, signage and a full basketball-court renovation. The commission approved the combined items 9 and 10 unanimously.
Why it matters: the city is using dedicated public-art funds (no ad valorem taxes) plus federal CDBG money to revitalize an older neighborhood park and encourage greater community use and child-friendly programming.
City staff said the playground equipment—manufactured by PlayMore of Fort Myers—will replace a roughly 14-year-old structure whose typical life span staff put at about 12 years. The plan adds a swing set that was not previously on site and anticipates the basketball court renovation will be completed by Oct. 1 (staff said that date aligns with the end of the fiscal year). The public art piece is expected to be completed and installed in March 2026; staff said they plan a community naming process for the animals in the sculpture and plaques once installed.
Staff also said a security camera will be installed at the park within about 30 days. The public art consultant Jessica Kennedy and the public art committee will finalize the animals depicted on the sculpture (staff noted the committee discussed substituting a bobcat for an alligator as an example).
Funding and limits: staff emphasized that the public art portion is paid from the public art fund and that no city property-tax revenue is being used for the art purchase. The playground and court work are funded by previously budgeted CDBG dollars.
Next steps: staff will finalize artist details and scheduling, begin procurement for the playground and court work, and carry out the community naming process after installation.
