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Gazebo, bocce ball coming to quiet park

Oldsmar officials want to add amenities yet keep Veterans Memorial Park a passive place.

By Terri Bryce Reeves, Times Correspondent
Published October 23, 2007

Clay Krinn reads the paper during his lunch break at Veterans Memorial Park in Oldsmar. He often stays inside his vehicle because "there's really nothing to do." That will change soon as the city begins improvements at the park.
	[Photo by Terri Bryce Reeves]

OLDSMAR - Clay Krinn eats lunch, reads the paper and watches pelicans dive for food nearly every day at Veterans Memorial Park.

And he does it all from the comfort of his Ford F-150.

"Nobody gets out of their car," Krinn, 37, who works at Sunbelt Staffing Solutions, said one recent afternoon. "There's really nothing to do."

Soon Krinn and the other car-sitters who frequent the park will have more choices.

The Oldsmar City Council has given Leisure Services director Lynn Rives the nod to begin improvements to the 5-acre waterfront park at 250 Shore Drive E.

Over the next two years, amenities such as a tiered 30-foot hexagonal gazebo, two covered picnic shelters, restrooms, fitness equipment and a bocce ball court will be added.

The park, which overlooks Old Tampa Bay, also will receive a canoe and kayak launch. Work to build a road to the launch area has been delayed because city officials need to hammer out key details, including its location, composition and whether it is actually needed.

Other planned enhancements include a new parking lot with 40 spaces and a winding walkway lined with native plants and flowers that will skirt the inside edge of the park.

"There won't be any playgrounds," Rives said. "We've tried to keep it pretty passive."

Heidi Marshall, 45, of Tarpon Springs works nearby and said she visits the park during her lunch breaks. Once in a while, she feeds the squirrels.

To Marshall, the planned improvements sound good "as long as they don't cut down any trees."

Not to worry, Rives said. No trees will be harmed.

Rives said work involving parking and drainage will begin within a couple of months. The project is expected to be completed within two years.

The improvements will cost about $700,000. Of that, $300,000 is allocated for the current fiscal year, with $150,000 coming from a state matching grant.

The property was purchased by the city in 2003 from Roger and Lila Kumar for $2.2-million with the help of a $1-million-plus grant. The city had hoped to turn the Kumar mansion - once an unfinished 1920s hotel - into a cultural arts center. But the $3-million price tag for renovations was deemed too high and the structure was demolished.

The city then decided to turn it into a passive park with a veterans' memorial wall as a centerpiece. The thought was to give people a quiet way to relax, reflect, enjoy the waterfront and honor those who have served.

"A lot of thought went into planning this and the goal is to keep it quiet, passive, and attractive," Rives said. "I think it's going to turn out really nice."

Terri Bryce Reeves can be reached at treeves@tampabay.rr.com.

[Last modified October 23, 2007, 06:31:00]