Behind the scenes with President Bill Tinsley
2021 is finally here at Bonnet Springs Park and Mother Nature has treated us with exceptional kindness. After a year of challenging rains and weather events, it has been exciting to see the progress we have been able to achieve with the mild and dry winter weather. Site work continues with main lines for water, fire, sewer, irrigation, electrical, low voltage, and storm systems in place. The Explorations V Children’s Museum steel erection gives even more definition to the surrounding sculpted mountains. Dixie Southern steelworkers are flying the large structural beams at an amazing speed as the vertical growth continues.
The Nature Playground restroom walls and steel as well as the Harrell Family Greenhouse offices and restrooms are also progressing toward that milestone of roofing and dry-in. The irrigation system, with its almost three miles of the internal loop, is connected and awaiting the wet well construction that will allow the irrigation water to be drawn directly from the lagoon. This sustainable feature will allow us to capture the offsite water currently traveling through the property and filter it for our re-use. This source will return much of the same water to the Lake Bonnet watershed to ensure its long term viability.
Paving of Bonnet Springs Boulevard and several of the parking lots in early February, planting of the ponds, Harrell Family Botanical Gardens, and the first 400+ trees on the north end of the project are a look ahead at starting to see the park elements near completion. Thank you for taking the time to let us update you on our progress. We are blessed to have such incredible workers and volunteers that are making this vision come true. Thank all of you for your continued support.
Creative Arts Visits Bonnet Springs Park
We’ve been so thrilled to share the construction progress with you over the last few months, but we have even more going on inside! Last week we had our first demonstration from Creative Arts Unlimited of Pinellas Park, Florida, a design firm that specializes in exhibitry in museums, libraries, and more!
The team at Creative Arts is working hard to transform our ideas for the GiveWell Community Foundation Nature Center Gallery and Watson Clinic Gallery (within the Hollis Family Welcome Center) into beautiful and educational destinations within the Park. During their presentation, we could see the gallery spaces begin to come to life in their drawings and depictions. We can’t wait to share more about the future of the GiveWell Community Foundation Nature Center Gallery and Watson Clinic Gallery with you!
We’ve Hit a Massive Milestone for the Park
It seems like Bonnet Springs Park reaches a new milestone every day, but we have a big one to share with you this month. In early February, the Maintenance Building will be ready for its final walk-through before inspection! We can hardly maintain our excitement! This is one of the last steps in completing the first building in the Park, and we know that the Rodda Construction team and their subcontractors have been working hard to get us here. Stay tuned!
A Visitor at the Park!
We have a visitor! As many can relate, COVID-19 has turned typical site visits from Sasaki (our Boston-based park designers) virtual. They are an engaged team and we are lucky to work with them, but we all know Zoom just isn’t the same! Thankfully their Associate Principal, Andrew Gutterman, was able to safely pay us a visit at the end of January. Andrew was able to take in the vast progress that’s been made on-site and feel the magnitude of the work that’s been done so far in a way that he couldn’t for the past year. It was such an exciting day! Energized and reinspired, Andrew is headed home to Boston to share it all with his team, and we can’t wait to host them all soon too!
Leave Your Mark on the Park!
Looking to leave a lasting legacy at Bonnet Springs Park? We’ve got you covered! Visit our site to learn more about sponsoring engraved bricks and benches. For a gift certificate, contact Hannah at hannah@bonnetspringspark.com.
Give a Gift of Friendship
As a Founding Friend, help us grow our membership! A Founding Friends annual household membership is ONLY $30.00. It also makes a great gift!
Give a Founding Friends membership as a birthday, graduation or wedding gift! Be an advocate for the park and be sure to tell people everywhere that you go about the great work that is being done to bring this amazing resource to the community. There are still so many people who haven’t yet heard about Bonnet Springs. Be sure to tell your friends, acquaintances, co-workers and fellow members at the organizations where you belong, such as PTA, sports teams, church groups, social and civic clubs to go to www.bonnetspringspark.com and become a Founding Friend!
Founding Friends is a unique group of individuals and families who have demonstrated their support of Bonnet Springs Park prior to the Grand Opening.
