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St. Johns County details $122 million parks program and nearly fully reimbursed Summerhaven revetment
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Summary
St. Johns County officials say the county has 21 park projects totaling about $122 million, including a five-regional-park plan with library hubs and accessibility upgrades; county public works officials also say the recently completed Summerhaven rock revetment cost about $14 million and should be roughly 87.5% reimbursed by FEMA and the state.
St. Johns County is moving forward on an ambitious parks program that county officials say includes 21 park projects in the current budget totaling about $122,000,000 and a plan to develop five regional parks with multipurpose fields, tracks and other amenities.
Wayne Larson, director of public affairs for St. Johns County, opened the podcast episode by asking about the parks program and the county’s broader infrastructure priorities. "Currently, you've got 21 park projects in the budget valued at a $122,000,000," Larson said, prompting details from Greg Caldwell, the county's public works director.
Caldwell described close coordination between Public Works and the Parks and Recreation Department, naming Ryan Kane as parks director and crediting Parks & Rec for community outreach during design. "They're trying to improve the quality of life for the residents of St. Johns County," Caldwell said. He said Parks & Rec has identified sites including a park in the county's northeast, Greenbrier Park off Greenbrier Road, and a site near Silver Leaf and the Shearwater community.
The county expects the regional parks to deliver a mix of components, Caldwell said: "They're gonna provide multipurpose pass. They're gonna provide fields. They're gonna provide tracks. They're gonna provide other amenities that are gonna provide a major benefit to the community." He added that the county brings consultants and contractors on board to move designs to construction.
Larson also asked about co-locating county services with parks. Caldwell said library services will be introduced to three of the parks — "they are gonna have 2 hubs and then a stand alone library at 1 of these major regional parks" — and that the county is evaluating supervisor of elections needs for potential inclusion in park facilities.
Caldwell described how facilities management weighs long-term maintenance when choosing materials, citing artificial turf as an example. "Even though it's a higher cost upfront, the use that you get out of an astroturf field and the maintenance component of it...you're basically playing 365 days a year," he said, noting improved drainage under turf that reduces weather-related closures.
Caldwell also highlighted smaller but locally significant projects, including upgrades to the Field Of Dreams (new accessible restrooms and parking improvements) and an ADA walkover at Vilano Beach Ocean Park to expand beach access; he referenced the county's "42 miles of beaches" when describing the importance of accessibility improvements.
On coastal protection, Caldwell recounted the Summerhaven rock revetment project, damaged initially during Hurricane Matthew in 2016. He said the project was completed within the last year after working with the Army Corps of Engineers and state partners. "About $14,000,000, I believe, is what the cost was for construction," Caldwell said, and added that "we expect to get about 87 and a half percent of that back through FEMA and the state." He described the project as environmentally sensitive and requiring careful permitting.
Larson closed by directing listeners to the county’s featured projects webpage for more information on the projects discussed. "All the projects you talked about... are available on our featured projects web page," he said.
The county did not provide additional timeline dates, contract awards, or a project-by-project funding breakdown during the conversation; those details are available on the county’s featured projects webpage, the hosts said.
