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County leaders prioritize trail repairs, boardwalk replacements and study an indoor pickleball facility
Summary
At a St. Johns County CIP workshop, parks staff urged prioritizing Tree Park trail resurfacing and reactive park safety spending and recommended folding some trail work into the general fund repair program; commissioners asked staff to study an indoor pickleball facility financed as a special revenue fund.
St. Johns County leaders and parks staff on Thursday reviewed a slate of parks and recreation capital projects and asked staff to refine cost estimates and funding options. Chair (S1) and Parks Department head (S3) emphasized Tree Park as the department’s top internal trail-repair priority and discussed moving some trail work into the general fund’s repair and replacement program to allow tradeoffs with other priorities.
The parks presentation outlined completed work at Alpine and Canopy and identified Tree Park as “in fairly rough shape,” which S3 said makes it “a high priority for us to get accomplished for the next year.” S3 told the board the resurfacing product has a robust warranty and that the trail program could be slowed after current projects, but staff recommended advancing Tree Park soon because of heavy use.
Staff also recommended roughly $250,000 in countywide safety and quick-response funding to address ADA fixes, emergent repairs and occasional camera installations across more than 100 park sites. S3 said that level “is a pretty fair number to just be able to react as safety issues come along during the year.”
On boardwalks, staff identified F Street as the highest-priority replacement among three candidate boardwalks and said the county is developing a consistent evaluation matrix to score future replacements rather than relying on ad hoc judgment.
The presentation covered several shovel-ready or design-complete items, including site designs for Plantation Park phase 2 and Rivertown concessions and restrooms, and noted a federal earmark of about $2.5 million tied to a fishing pier concept. Staff asked legal to confirm the county’s obligations if FDOT transfers bridge ownership tied to pier responsibilities.
A lengthier exchange focused on recreation supply and demand. S1 proposed creating a dedicated special revenue fund for pickleball, modeled on the golf course fund, and urged a feasibility study for a large indoor facility run as an enterprise. S1 asked staff to “evaluate the site, evaluate the cost, and evaluate the business model.” S3 said staff has discussed indoor components and agreed to perform a preliminary sizing and financial assessment.
What happens next: staff will update cost estimates and phasing recommendations and return to the board with refined budgets and, where required, legal or funding analyses. The board scheduled further CIP work on Friday to continue remaining items.
