St. Johns County Parks and Recreation Department Sees Major Improvements After Investing More Than $1.4 Million into Playground Upgrades

• 2 January 2024
• Category: Parks and Recreation
• Tags: 2024

Throughout 2023, the St. Johns County Parks and Recreation Department invested a total of $1,415,095 into substantial upgrades and additions to the County’s park playgrounds. These ranged from all-new play areas at Cornerstone Park and Collier-Blocker-Puryear Park to less expansive refurbishments and new shade coverings at several parks.

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

Below is a full list of improvements made through funding approved by the Board of County Commissioners:

• 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    

Parks and Recreation Assistant Director Jamie Baccari was responsible for the community outreach aspect of the department’s 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,” Baccari said. “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.”

2024 is sure to see further improvements to St. Johns County’s parks and play areas for the benefit of residents of all ages.