Public Works CIP Project Update

 

Wall Springs Park Coastal Additions I & II

Project ID# 000062A

 

Project Location

150 Wai Lani Road, Palm Harbor

 

Project Overview

The Wall Springs Coastal Additions I and II project consists of the expansion of the Wall Springs Park, located in the Palm Harbor area of unincorporated Pinellas County. Proposed improvements include one (three bay) picnic shelter, restrooms, parking, elevated observation deck, both natural and paved trails, a crushed concrete maintenance road, a dry retention pond and a 5-ft wide sidewalk along Wai Lani Road to Alternate 19. The project will also include removal of a portion of an existing concrete-rubble seawall at the northwestern boundary of the project area, replacing the removed portion with clean natural stone.

 

Wall Springs Coastal Additions I, II, & III will add approximately 125 acres to the existing 84-acre Wall Springs Park. The existing Wall Springs Park, while includes a historical natural spring once used as a spa and bathing area, a viewing tower, and boardwalk, was purchased by Pinellas County's Board of County Commissioners in 1989 to preserve its cultural and ecological resources. The combined property now exceeds 200 acres.

 

The purchase Wall Springs Coastal Additions I, II, & III was made possible by the Florida Communities Trust (FCT)/Forever Florida grant program which seeks to assist communities in protecting important natural resources, providing recreational opportunities and preserving Florida's waterfronts. Because of its location on the Gulf of Mexico and its varied topography, the Coastal Additions encompass a wide variety of native habitats and associated plant and animal life. These include sandhill, xeric scrub, mangrove forest, freshwater wetlands, pine flatwoods and salt marsh. Eighteen species of fish, one hundred forty-eight species of plants, twenty-two species of marine invertebrates and one hundred twenty-seven species of birds have been documented on the property including seventeen endangered, threatened and species of special concern.

 

Project Schedule

• Construction Start: October 2018
• Construction End: May 2020

 

There is currently no official opening date of the park.

 

This project is funded by the Penny for Pinellas, the county's local infrastructure sales tax.

 

Project Contact

John Linton, P.E. -- Project Manager
Public Works Stormwater Engineering
22211 U.S. Highway 19 N., Bldg. 1
Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 464-4348
jlinton@pinellascounty.org