Veterans’ Park in Tamarac {Sharon Aron Baron}

By Agrippina Fadel

The long-anticipated renovation project in Sunset Point and Veterans’ Park is ready to commence after Tamarac’s Parks and Recreation Director Greg Warner updated the commission on renovations plans on Monday.

“On the surface, this may not seem like a very exciting project, but I can tell you this will be very exciting once it is concluded,” said Warner. He explained that both parks are seeing high weekend usage in the past years.

Sunset Point and Veterans’ Park will add new 720 square feet restrooms and new parking spaces to replace outdated facilities.

Sunset Point will add 36 additional spots, and Veterans’ Park is adding 23, said Warner.

Veterans’ Park parking lot will be completely transformed. It currently has only 16 regular parking spots (not including the Dog Park) and 24 spots for the boats, which are much longer than the standard size parking spaces. During events, including the Sunday Farmer’s Market, residents double park and end up blocking one another.

After the renovation, the Veterans’ Park will have 59 regular spots and four boat parking spaces —- sufficient for the existing boat traffic. The traffic flow should become much smoother. 

Other enhancements include removing the stairs on the west side of the Memorial Wall and replacing them with a ramp, adding more seating, new pavers, and landscaping around the wall.

Sunset Point has become a destination park, he said.  After renovations in 2015, it boasts new fitness equipment, playground, and picnic shelters.

Every weekend the parking lot is overflowing, with cars parking along the Southgate boulevard. They will also include upgrades to the dumpster area, new sidewalks, and better parking lot lighting.

Warner noted that the project had been designed with input from Parks and Rec staff to accommodate the Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day ceremonies. It also includes opinions and advice from the Farmers Market about the traffic flow.

“The permitting is done, so once we are able to award this contract, the contractors can get to business and not worry about that phase,” he said. 

Renovation at both parks will be simultaneous, with phases of the construction designed to allow for maximum public usage. Warner added that parks would remain open during the construction, and restrooms would be available while building new facilities. Once they are complete, the old buildings will be demolished.

The budget for the project is $1.8 million with a contingency amount of $270,000 for a total of $2,070.000. Funding for the project is included in the City’s Capital Improvement Program. Completion is estimated to be one year.

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