Healthy West Orange Wellness Park
Healthy West Orange Wellness Park
Award of Excellence
2023 APA Florida Project Awards - Implementation
About this project
Healthy West Orange Wellness Park has been years in the making. Located within the Fifty West Redevelopment District, the Ocoee Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) directed staff to evaluate locations for new recreation facilities. Staff quickly inventoried sites and brought forward the lands surrounding two city retention ponds located on the east side of S. Bluford Avenue, adjacent to our Police Department. The CRA liked the site for several reasons, one the lands were already in public ownership and the other, a park would beautify the ugly ponds. Further direction was given to create an urban park that provided activity opportunities nearly 24/7.
In 2020, the City facilitated the Healthy West Trails Initiative, a multi-agency taskforce that evaluated how trails, parks, and open space can be activated to improve overall community health. Using information gained through this planning process, City planners developed a design program that incorporated wellness hubs, social gathering areas, and places for quiet contemplation. In 2021, the design for Wellness Park was completed; and the CRA partnered with the West Orange Healthcare District (WOHD) who awarded them a $2,250,000 seed grant to construct the park, if Ocoee named the park “Healthy West Orange Wellness Park”.
The park is approximately five acres and features a half-mile perimeter multipurpose path, gathering areas for health-related events, a boardwalk, and four wellness stations. These stations include a combination of cardio, strength training, suspension training, and calisthenic equipment. The equipment has QR codes which connect users to a free fitness app where they can access instructional videos, adjust resistance, track activity, and share to external platforms. Each station is also equipped with safety rubber surfacing as well as a shade sail to protect users from direct sun exposure. Water fountains, dog waste stations, benches, and bike racks are located in close proximity to the stations.
The park is beautifully landscaped with 308 trees including date palms, crape myrtles, weeping willows, foxtail palms, and Florida natives like live oaks and bald cypress trees. 800 aquatic shoreline plants were installed to help improve the pond’s water quality and increase littoral zone diversity. To further improve water quality, a fountain that shoots 48’ in the air serves to aerate the pond.
Construction began in February 2022 with a project budget of $3,049,382.33 and a completion date of October 2022. As with any construction project, the team encountered issues in the field, design changes, material shortages made worse by COVID-19 related supply chain disruptions, and delays caused by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. Despite all of that, the park was completed in early 2023, well within budget, with a final construction cost of $2,961,112.21.The park is a welcomed addition to the city and a great asset to the CRA.