Sanford, FL – September 15, 2017 – Wharton-Smith joined with the City of Orlando, Tavistock Development Company, and Lake Nona community members on September 7 to celebrate and officially break ground on two new parks for the city’s fastest growing region in Southeast Orlando.
The parks are the culmination of 10 years of negotiation between the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) who owns East Airfield Park land, Tavistock Development Company, and the City of Orlando. Tavistock will build the parks and then be reimbursed by the city from Lake Nona property tax revenues. Once they are completed, they will turn over the care and maintenance of the parks to the city.
Commissioner Jim Gray and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer were joined by Rob Adams, Vice President of Tavistock Development Company and NorthLake Park Home Owners Association President Deb Moskowitz for the ceremony. “This groundbreaking is evidence of what partnership and collaboration, cooperation and listening to each other can do,” said Major Buddy Dyer. “This is a win-win-win for everybody,” he added.
Wharton-Smith will provide construction management services for the new Laureate City Park, a 20.84-acre greenspace with four multi-purpose fields, a practice area, fitness trail, playground and pavilions, concession/restroom building. The park will be in walking distance to the new Orange County Public Schools’ Laureate Park Elementary School.
The new East Airfield Park is being built by BrightView and will consist of four ball fields, a softball field, Babe Ruth/Pony field, two little league fields with bleachers, a concession stand, lighting, playground and pavilion. The park’s walking and biking trails will link to Lake Nona’s 44-mile trail system.
Construction on both parks is expected to be complete by Summer 2018.
Photos from the event are located on our Flickr site here: Laureate City Park Groundbreaking
