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Winter Springs parks staff outline event schedules, field maintenance and changes to sandbag distribution; committee presses for better handicap parking at big-
Summary
Parks staff summarized recent and upcoming events, field maintenance schedules and operational changes including dog park and field closures, a tree giveaway and an updated sandbag distribution plan. Committee members pushed for improved enforcement of handicap parking at the city’s large Fourth of July event.
Parks Manager Michael Crist updated the committee on recent events and operational work: a tree giveaway that delivered more than 1,200 trees over four days; a father‑daughter dance that drew about 350 attendees across two nights; an egg hunt with more than 600 participants; and a new Sam Smith bocce court opened last year. Crist said Central Winds fields will close May 26–Aug. 3 for summer maintenance, including resodding and insect treatments, and the dog park will close June 30–Aug. 1 for annual maintenance.
Crist said lighting ballasts that caused buzzing at Central Winds had been replaced as of May 1 and that amphitheater lighting upgrades (eight new lights) are planned to be completed by September to support events such as Highland Games, Fourth of July and Hometown Harvest. He described the sandbag distribution at Central Winds and said staff has redesigned the traffic flow and staging so the site can process large numbers of residents more efficiently ahead of hurricane season.
Committee members pressed staff about handicapped parking and traffic control during the city’s largest event, the Fourth of July celebration. Multiple speakers said that last year vendors and early arrivals filled the first row of parking—where handicapped spots had been expected—before staff was in place. Crist said staff will close the front gate until 4:30 p.m. on event day, station city personnel earlier in the handicap parking area to control access and require vendors to park in the second row. “We are going to have someone stationed by that gate so vendors are only allowed to come back through the second gate and park in the second row,” he said. He added that police handling of broader park parking will continue while city staff manages the first-row handicapped-access area.
No formal committee action was taken on operational items; members asked staff to return with reports after the July 4 event and to provide updates on sandbag staging and park-access plans.
