Event Summary
Friends of Osprey’s Bayfront Parks hosted a “Meet Your Park” event on Saturday, June 28, from 3 – 5:30 pm, at Bayview Park, Bee Point, Osprey. Our purpose for the event was to raise awareness of this little-known park, share it’s history, and get feedback from participants as to what improvements they’d like to see.
We marketed the event primarily via social media – various facebook accounts such as the Osprey/Nokomis Chamber of Commerce and Friends of Sarasota County Parks – as well as the Nextdoor app. The HOA at adjacent Hidden Bay condominiums shared our electronic flyers with residents. Ten volunteers helped run the event.
The event was well attended, particularly considering the hot late-June afternoon. A total of 43 people stopped by, and 36 participated in the structured process we used to capture priorities for improvements. A representative of Sarasota County Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources stopped in for a bit. We signed up 18 new members of Friends of Osprey’s Bayfront Parks, and received an on-site cash donation of $20.
It appears that the majority of participants came from the immediate Osprey area. Many walked or biked to the park. Those that drove were directed to park at nearby Evie’s on the Bay, as Sarasota Crew declined our request to allow parking for this event in their adjacent empty parking lots. It’s clear that the vast majority of attendees, prior to our event, were unaware of the existence of this 9-year-old 1.1 acre bayfront County park. Many were also unaware of or misinformed about the county’s public access easement over the adjacent Sarasota Crew property. We provided information on both the park and access easement using County documents.
The event attendees universally wanted to see this park developed. Some of those already aware of this park’s existence expressed frustration that so little has happened with it in the 9 years since acquisition. Others noted its importance due to the rapid growth of Osprey. New Palmer Ranch subdivisions and rental complexes continue to be built nearby. Within the next few months the new 252 unit Alton Osprey rental complex will open, just a 5-minute walk from Osprey’s Bayfront parks.
People walked the property, sat by the bayfront, and talked with Friends representatives, the County Parks representative, and fellow participants. Most seemed to enjoy the opportunity to rank their priorities for future improvements. We presented attendees with 2 lists of potential park improvements. One list contained things that the County Parks Department could do quickly and inexpensively. A second list featured major improvements, most likely to come via the formal park planning process and a subsequent capital budget request. Each participant ranked their top 5 priorities on both lists #1 through #5. Participants could also add ideas they felt were missing. At the end of the event, we tallied the participants’ scores. Below find the short-term and long-term amenities lists with voting and ranking totals. The lists below are sorted from high to low composite score.
Discussion: Short term improvements
The top priority of participants was to better take advantage of the 200’ of bay frontage by judicious trimming of some vegetation along the waterfront. This is currently done by virtually every private landowner fronting the bay. Public park visitors should be treated to the same sights, sounds, and breezes the bay provides. Priority #2 of participants was to put in a short path or boardwalk to connect the park to the existing gate at Hidden Bay. Park signage ranked #3 on the list. On-site parking ranked #4. It appears that the large grass area on the park’s eastern edge could easily accommodate a small parking area with little effort. While many participants came by foot or bike, they seemed to recognize the need for some parking for those living further away, those that are mobility limited, and/or those that want to launch a kayak or paddleboard. Finally, picnic tables and benches were solidly supported as something that can and should be added now.
Discussion: Long Term Improvements
We had some good general discussions about park planning and capital budgets with those unfamiliar with how a full-fledged park comes about. The top rank for these bigger ticket items was for a canoe/kayak launch. This opportunity was repeatedly identified in the park acquisition documents. In third place came in parking, the only amenity that we repeated on both the short-term and long-term lists. And it’s worth noting that a kayak launch without parking is not a viable amenity. In second place on the long-term list was a bay-viewing dock. This again emphasizes the need to capitalize on the park’s waterfront. Particularly if shoreline tree trimming is limited, a public dock configured to facilitate bird, boat, dolphin, manatee, and sunset watching makes a lot of sense. Covered picnic tables (single and pavilion) ranked well. Sarasota Crew’s recent proposal to acquire Bayview park was known by many participants. Someone added “Keep it owned by the County” to the long term improvement list, and this item then received a number of votes. It ended up ranking in the upper half of the list. Restrooms came in slightly further down the list at #8. But since both water and sewer are already stubbed to the park boundary, these should be a serious consideration in any park plan. Lastly, at the time of park acquisition, there was considerable discussion of possible synergy between the public park and adjacent Sarasota Crew’s rowing program. That said, “rowing facilities” was the only item on our prepared list that received zero interest.
Next steps:
By letter on June 30, we requested that Sarasota County Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources commit to two things within the next year:
- Develop a simple short-term amenity plan and implement it. Put in a gravel parking area. Add a park sign and bike rack. Put a path or boardwalk to the gate at Hidden Bay. Strategically place a few picnic tables and benches. Trim the waterfront vegetation to open up some views.
- Initiate the formal park planning process. Develop a plan with public involvement, and then get a capital improvement budget request in the queue.
The letter has been acknowledged. We await a response.
