St. Johns County Parks & Recreation Department celebrates investing $1.4m into playground upgrades

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Johns County Parks and Recreation Department has marked an achievement with the completion of extensive playground upgrades totaling more than $1.4 million invested throughout 2023. The enhancements spanned a variety of parks, ranging from brand-new play areas to essential refurbishments and the addition of shade coverings.

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One addition is the Field of Dreams Playground at Aberdeen Park, located at 1401 Shetland Drive, St. Johns. This marks the Parks and Recreation Department’s first-ever all-inclusive play area, featuring ADA-accessible structures, made possible through collaboration with the Field of Dreams Board and Northwest Tower Committee.

Parks and Recreation Assistant Director Jamie Baccari emphasized the department’s commitment to community engagement in the playground projects.

“In an effort to enhance recreational play equipment within St. Johns County, the Parks and Recreation team has made a conscious initiative to fund the replacement and improvement of playgrounds throughout the county to improve our users’ experiences,” said Baccari. “With a focus on community participation, Parks and Recreation actively worked with local youth to determine the types of play equipment they wanted to see in local projects,” Baccari stated.

The Board of County Commissioners approved the funding for these improvements, with a breakdown of allocations for various projects:

• New Cornerstone Playground: $410,065
• Collier-Blocker-Puryear (CBP) Playground Replacement: $295,385
• Aberdeen Park FOD Play Structure Expansion: $180,000
• Vilano Beach Oceanfront Park Playground Replacement: $146,313.70
• Deleon Play Equipment: $140,000
• W.E. Harris Shade Covering: $59,435
• Deleon Shores Shade Covering: $56,722
• Windswept Acres Shade Structure and Swing Set Bay Replacement: $47,765.9
• Treaty Park Playground Refurbishing: $21,000
• Veterans Park Bridge Addition: $16,164.11
• Nocatee Playground Refurbishing: $9,995
• Mills Field Playground Refurbishing: $9,350
• St. Augustine Little League Playground Refurbishing: $7,250
• Davis Park Playground Refurbishing: $5,650
• Alpine Groves Playground Refurbishing: $5,000
• Veterans Park Playground Refurbishing: $5,000

The Parks and Recreation Department is set to continue its commitment to enhancing the county’s recreational spaces in 2024, ensuring a positive and engaging experience for residents of all ages.

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