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Crystal River park might get spruced up
By ALEX LEARY © St. Petersburg Times, published February 6, 2001 CRYSTAL RIVER -- Hunter Springs Park, the city's oldest recreation spot, would receive $50,000 in improvements if a budget recommendation by Gov. Jeb Bush is approved later this year by the Legislature. The grant -- which the city does not have to match -- would be used for a fishing pier and dock, a full-size basketball court, playground equipment and benches. "The park is one of the few public accesses to Crystal River bay," City Manager David Sallee said. "It is a pleasant facility that we are trying to make even more usable to our residents. We wish we had more public access to the bay, but we'll maximize this one." The appropriation is part of an $11.3-million plan for Florida parks and is likely to be approved, officials said. Lawmakers have approved the entire parks budget for the past five years. Buddy Holshouser, the city's director of public works, said the pier is one of the driving factors behind the request. It would replace one that was wiped out during the storm of 1993. The new structure will face Pete's Pier. To counter erosion, the city intends to use $5,000 of the grant to extend a seawall around the beach. Sand has washed out into the channel, causing a minor obstruction, and will be removed under the city's proposal. Shoring up the beachfront also will provide a shallow toddler wading area, Holshouser said. Located off NE First Avenue, Hunter Springs Park has been in existence since at least the 1920s. During peak weekends, 200 or more people visit it per day. The public park has multiple picnic through the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program. Thirty-nine counties have parks included in the FRDAP priority list, but the Crystal River project was the only one in Citrus County.
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