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Resident urges fixes at Manatee Park; staff says lights and fountain have been ordered
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Summary
A local resident told the Culture and Leisure board that only one of five parking-lot lights at Manatee Park works regularly and that a pavilion drinking fountain is dirty; staff said replacement lights and a fountain have been purchased and installation is scheduled in coming months.
At the Culture and Leisure Services Advisory Board meeting, resident Joyce Ward described long-standing maintenance and safety concerns at Manatee Park, saying she has attended exercise classes there for years and that “of the 5 parking lot lights ... only 1 at most is functioning at any given time.”
Ward said she has reported issues to staff, including broken electrical outlets and a dirty water fountain at the pavilion. She told the board the dim lighting makes it “hard to navigate safely back to your car” at dusk and urged quicker action.
Staff responded that the replacement lights “have been purchased” and that the city will install them in-house; staff explained installation had been delayed while crews completed a concession-stand project but said the installation is a priority and expected within the next six months. Staff also said a replacement fountain has been purchased and is on order, with a several‑week lead time.
Board and staff also discussed regional lagoon work: staff said Save Our Indian River Lagoon and county partners are exploring large-scale “muck” removal projects and that Manatee Sanctuary Park (Manatee Park) was being considered as a potential equipment staging area for those efforts. Staff said staging would not involve dumping muck in the park but warned equipment staging could affect park access and traffic if the project proceeds; an initial timeline provided to city staff indicated major work likely would not start before 2027–2028 and would require approvals from multiple agencies.
Staff said they will coordinate follow-up on lighting and fountain installation and brainstorm promotion of exercise classes with the city PIO and facility managers.
The board recorded the public comment, directed staff to continue maintenance and communications work, and closed that portion of the meeting.
