Tuesday, the park board discussed improvements that are underway and others that are planned for the spring and into the future.
City Administrator Kevin Kress said the main structure of the new playground equipment for Spring Street Park should be arriving shortly, with installation set for early October.
In order for the equipment to be installed properly, the grounds have to be prepared and leveled on the park, which sits on a steep slope on the side of a hill.
Kress said the plan is to excavate a section of earth at the north side (Oak Street) and build a six-foot concrete retaining wall to allow more space for the playground.
There are also plans to build a berm between the basketball court and the playground to prevent the ball from travelling into the kids’ section.
Eldorado Park
The park board talked about plans for Eldorado Park that have been changed over the course of this year.
They are still looking at designs for the pavilion, which will be the centerpiece of the park and support all the other activities. They looked at the pavilion in Riverside Park in St. Cloud as a possible model for the Clearwater pavilion.
They also discussed the possibility of including a stage for Music in the Park events. Currently, a mobile stage would needed wherever such an event would be held.
They also talked about the future basketball courts in Eldorado Park. Originally, plans showed three courts on the surface of a hockey rink. Plans were put on hold when the estimated cost reached $300,000, and another obstacle is drainage. Elevation measurements showed there would be potential water issues without proper grading of the basketball and parking area.
The park board agreed it would be better to work on the footprint of the basketball court area, then work on grading before anything was installed, including lighting for the entire area.
Finally, the board agreed to plant city-owned trees on the perimeter of Eldorado Park.
Years ago, the city planted a few hundred trees in one section of the park to be used in parks and city-owned property throughout the city.
Those trees are much bigger now, and are in a section of the park that is planned as a field/open space area.
Park board member Richard Petty said he got an estimate of $80 per tree to dig up and re-plant the trees within the park. The board agreed it should avoid using Ash tress because of potential ash borer infestation.
Board Member Vern Scott said it didn’t make sense to plant a tree that might die in a year, then have to be replaced.
The board agreed planting should start near the entrance to the park and move counter-clockwise around the park.
They also agreed to have staff walk the perimeter of the park to determine how close to the edge of the property the trees should be planted.
