A Leon County Park Update: Completed and Current Projects

The Leon County Parks and Recreation Department recently released the annual report highlighting Leon County’s accomplishments for 2019 and its current projects that should be completed within the next 12 to 18 months. Below is a summary of ten projects.

In September 2019 a new community park opened at the corner of Orange Ave. and Meridian St. The new park will provide ample green space for neighborhood gatherings and events. Also, within the park avid readers will find new boxes offering books from the “Little Free Library” book sharing community.

This past November Leon County opened its first dog park at 6808 Beech Ridge Trail, across from the Bradfordville Community Center. The park offers 13-acres of fenced in green space for our furry friends to run. This dog park is the largest park of its kind in Leon County.  Plus, the County will be opening a second dog park this February 14^th, at the J. Lee Vause Park at 6024 Banbridge Rd. More information of the dog parks may be found at the website, LeonCountyFl.gov/DogPark. 

The basketball courts at the Daniel B. Chaires Park, at 4768 Chaires Cross Road, have been fully renovated, and now include court lighting too. The new installation of lights will expand the available hours of play for basketball games. 

All Leon County boat landings have new kiosks which includes panels displaying how to access water quality information. This information is also available of the website at, LeonCountyWater.org.

Additionally, the trailhead for the St. Marks Headwaters Greenway is currently under permitting and design. The trailhead will include “a nature-based playground, restrooms, access to approximately 4 miles of trails and a small “bicycle playground,” which helps new riders practice skills.”

 In order to create additional space for the Little League program, the concession stand and restrooms are in the process of being reconstructed at the Canopy Oaks Community Park, at 3250 Point View Dr.  Furthermore, the tennis courts at Canopy Oaks is set to begin renovations this February. These improvements are to further provide quality facilities for its users.  

New construction is set to begin in February 2020 for the Apalachee Regional Park, at 7550 Apalachee Pkwy, to support cross county events as well as daily use by patrons. The new features the park will offer are restrooms, a finish line structure, a presentation stage, and an operations building. These new amenities are in preparations for the 2021 NCAA Cross Country National Championship and in order to attract other regional and state championship events to the community.

 A nature based playground at Okeeheepkee Prairie Park, at 1294 Fuller Rd, is scheduled to begin construction in May 2020. The play area is specifically designed to provide accommodations, offering “textures, sounds, and colors” conducive to the needs of children with developmental delays.    

To help reach goals set by the Citizens Advisory Committee, to offer alternative user experiences for greenway patrons, Leon County is in the process of design and permitting for the construction of new single track trails and signage at the J.R. Alford Greenway, at 2500 Pedrick Rd. The completion of the new trails is expected early this spring.

Finally, reconstruction of Crowder Landing is set to begin this spring, in late March or early April. These renovations are in an effort to enhance the protection of Lake Jackson and to better improve access to the lake.