ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. — Zephyr Park is Zephyrhills’ Central Park.
It’s a local landmark that Rose Marie Lyckowski visits daily for an experience that she said almost feels spiritual.
“There’s no words,” she said. “I’ve gone to other parks in the area, and I always come back here."
The sprawling 34-acre park, located on 5th Avenue near the city’s downtown, has majestic oak trees that date back to the Civil War era, multiple playgrounds, a community center that can be rented for weddings and other events, and a splash pad.
There’s a worry, however, about the changes that might be coming as the City of Zephyrhills brainstorms how to reimagine Zephyr Park.
“Well, if it changes too much, I ain’t coming back,” Lyckowski said.
A recent Facebook post by Main Street Zephyrhills shared a blueprint, which was developed in 2015, which floats a redesign of the park. The new design would include the addition of a dog park, a boardwalk, and an outdoor wedding venue. However, the design calls for removing the park’s current tennis courts and its historic community center. Additionally, the redesign calls for a smaller play area for children.
The idea of a smaller play area doesn't sit well with Crystal Small, who takes her kids to the park multiple times a week.
“There is a need for playgrounds here for the children,” she said.
It’s not just Small who had concerns about the potential redesign. The Facebook post on Main Street Zephyrhills’ page produced dozens of concerned, frustrated, and even angry comments and reactions.
“All of the changes are sad to me I’ve literally thought about moving!” one commenter wrote. “Just sad.”
The city is responding to the frustration.
According to City Manager Bill Poe, nothing has been decided concerning Zephyr Park.
He said the potential redesign, a rendering of which was shared in the Facebook post by Main Street Zephyrhills, is just an idea that an architect developed in 2015 before the push to renovate the park at that time was shelved.
Now, as the city renews its effort to renovate Zephyr, it pulled that design to illustrate previous considerations for the park.
“There are no plans in place,” Poe assured. “You know, the plans that you see, are what? Eight years old now? And we want to have conversations with the citizens…and we just want to make sure that…what was shown in 2015, is that what is still the case as what’s wanted and needed in 2023?”
Poe said any concrete plan for Zephyr Park will only be developed after the city gets public feedback in an upcoming meeting. That feedback will help guide what is and isn’t in a future design.
“Oh, it’s extremely important,” he said of the public’s feedback. “If we build the wrong thing, we’re just wasting money.”
That meeting is set for April 27 at 6 p.m. at Zephyrhills City Hall.
Additionally, Poe said no timeline has been established for renovating the park.
Meanwhile, John Brown isn’t fazed by the frustration on Facebook.
“Some people around here are stuck in their ways,” he said. “I understand that.”
Brown is the coach of Zephyrhills Little League. As he coached his team in a relaxing corner of the park Thursday, he couldn’t help but dream of nicer facilities at Zephyr Park, including a backstop for his frequent practices.
To Brown, the growing city desperately needs to invest more in its parks.
“Because we don’t have the facilities and infrastructure to kind of keep up with the growth that we’re going through,” he said.
