Pinellas County officials have opened a conversation with the public about what Wall Springs Park should look like in the future. So far the county has built only a small parking lot and restrooms on the southern end of the mostly undeveloped 190 acres on the gulf in Palm Harbor. Now, the county wants to hear what area residents would like to see on the rest of the tract.
Last week at a public meeting in Palm Harbor, the county presented three preliminary concepts for park development, emphasizing that the proposals were just to get the conversation started. More than 100 people showed up to look at the concepts and express their opinions.
As usual, there wasn't exactly a consensus.
Some want boat ramps and canoe launches at the park. Others, especially people who live nearby, don't want the noise or increase in boat traffic. Some want picnic tables and playgrounds. Others don't.
The Clearwater Audubon Society weighed in. Co-conservation chair Ellen Pfau argued for leaving the tree-covered land in a pristine state for the wildlife. She said parking areas and boat ramps would disturb the animals. Both she and a Florida Department of Environmental Protection biologist expressed concerns that a boat ramp would give people faster and easier access to nearby spoil islands where birds nest and rest.
However, the needs of all creatures, including those that walk upright on two legs, should be considered as Pinellas County draws its plans.
The quality of life in Pinellas County today would be lessened without the beautiful parks developed in past decades. Residents flock to county parks like Fort DeSoto, Fred Howard, Anderson and John Chesnut - all located on the water and all properties that were undeveloped or only minimally developed before they were turned into parks. What if the public were not allowed access to those properties today?
Pinellas County is jam-packed with people, and will only get more crowded in the future. Residents need access to open spaces where they can relax, have some elbow room, and renew their relationship with the land and water. The county will need more parkland in the future, not less.
The key, of course, is to develop the open spaces sensitively, to carefully walk the line between providing public access and preserving the land.
For example, the county's concept plans for Wall Springs propose construction of buildings such as a nature center, a community center, a recreation center, a restaurant or even a conference center. North Pinellas County has plenty of community centers, restaurants and meeting spaces. Do we really need to build more of those on precious and relatively pristine land?
A nature center seems like an appropriate project in a place like Brooker Creek Preserve, with thousands of acres available. Indeed, the county has just opened a nature/education center there. But do we really need a nature center built on Wall Springs' mere 190 acres? All of these uses would require additional roads and parking areas and bring more intense use to the property.
On the other hand, there is a great need for boat ramps and canoe launches in North Pinellas County. The need for such facilities on public lands is greater than ever, since private marinas have closed or been sold for development of condominiums and the population has continued to grow. The peninsula where Wall Springs is located has many potential launch areas into protected waters.
Also needed in our increasingly congested county are areas where people can safely hike and bicycle. Nature trails and bike paths do relatively little damage to the environment and give county residents that window on nature that they crave.
It is possible to achieve a balance between the needs of wildlife and the needs of Pinellas' residents. County planners should seek that balance as they reach final designs for Wall Springs.
