- November 6, 2024
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The artificial turf on the new playground is backed by a rubbery fall protection material. (Photo by Jonathan Simmons)
A worker spreads granulated rubber in the playground. The material softens children' s falls. (Photo by Jonathan Simmons)
Palm Coast Construction Manager Carl Cote speaks to reporters at Holland Park as contractors work on the playground entrance in the background. (Photo by Jonathan Simmons)
The new dog park will be about three times the size of the old one, and uses sports turf that should be more resistant to canine claws. (Photo by Jonathan Simmons)
The city added parking at Holland Park, and redirected the park' s road so that it loops around back to the entrance. (Photo by Jonathan Simmons)
A lightning prediction system will set off an alarm if lightning strikes are forecast in the area. (Photo by Jonathan Simmons)
A killdeer, shown here, built a nest near the tennis courts, forcing contractors to halt work until the federally protected bird moves out. The tennis courts can also be used for pickle ball and junior tennis.
Workers add finishing touches on the entrance to the playground. The blocks used for the playground are intended to mimic the appearance of the coquina rock used to construct the old Bulow Plantation sugar mill.
The playground set is finished. (Photo by Jonathan Simmons)
The playground includes a rock wall. (Photo by Jonathan Simmons)
The colors and materials of the playground are meant to evoke the the old Bulow Plantation sugar mill. (Photo by Jonathan Simmons)
The playground is surrounded by artificial stone that looks like coquina. (Photo by Jonathan Simmons)
The playground has been constructed, the tennis courts laid and the turf planted on the dog park, and Holland Park is almost ready to reopen after two years of work and repeated delays.
Workers are adding park benches, fences and final landscaping, and the city hopes to reopen the park in early June, city staff said as they led reporters on a tour of the park May 4.
The park closed for renovations Feb. 2, 2015, and was supposed to be done about a year and three months later. The city ultimately ended the contract with the company it had hired to handle to the work, then took over the management itself before bringing in a new manager to oversee completion of the project.
“This is our oldest and largest park, and people who’ve lived here have waited a long time: This has been a popular park for families for years,” city spokeswoman Cindi Lane said. “We don’t like the wait, but it’s what’s required to have it done right.”
One reason for the delays, Palm Coast Construction Manager Carl Cote said, is that the city had to rip out thousands of pounds worth of concrete that had been laid incorrectly — in the wrong places, or with the wrong slope — and then redo it.
The park evokes the local history and environment, with the blocks used to construct the playground designed to mimic the appearance of the coquina bricks from the sugar mill ruins in southern Flagler County. Recreation areas that will become part of the planned splash park area will be created to look like Graham Swamp and the coast.
The new 1.5-acre playground will be encircled by a fence. It sits on a layer of artificial turf backed by a squishy, rubbery material to soften falls, and has a zip line that is about 75 feet long.
The park also has two basketball courts, two tennis courts that include striping for pickle ball and junior tennis, two baseball fields, two shuffleboard courts, two bocce ball courts, two horseshoe pits, a volleyball court and two multipurpose fields.
The new dog park is about three times the size of the old one, and includes separate areas for large dogs and small dogs. New sloping and a drainage pond should keep it from flooding, and the sports field grass the city has laid there shouldn’t easily rip out, even under the pressure of thousands of canine claws.
The park is also encircled by an 8-foot-wide walking path, and has a lightning prediction system that sets off an alarm if a strike is predicted within 2.5 miles.
