New playground, splash pad planned for Sarasota's Bayfront Park

Landscape Architect Phillip Smith remembers when he was starting his career for David W. Johnston Associates.

Some 27 years ago before Smith owned the company, the city of Sarasota had the architecture firm build Bayfront Park’s playground and splash pad.

“Back then, it was one of the first splash pads to be done in Florida, and so a lot of technology has come out since then and (there are) splash parks all over Florida and all over the country,” Smith said.

The city plans to turn to the Sarasota-based firm again, along with Jon F. Swift Construction. The plan is to begin building a new playground and splash pad by early summer 2022 at Bayfront Park, which is also known as Island Park.

“The splash pad area is in really... disrepair and part of that is not because of the city, it’s just difficulty in the site, difficulty in the equipment,” Smith said. “It’s very old.”

The proposal is still subject to approval by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and the City Commission. Parks and Recreation General Manager Candie Pedersen declined to provide a cost estimate because plans have not yet been finalized. The city’s goal is to improve ADA accessibility, inclusivity and safety.

After receiving approval from the City Commission and Parks and Rec, Smith said construction would take about eight months to complete.

Andrew Pecorella and his family attended Tuesday night’s public meeting at the City Hall Annex about the proposed changes to the park. Pecorella uses a wheelchair, and said he wanted to see what the plans are about the park’s accessibility for children with disabilities.

“I would like to see more activities for children to do that might be in a wheelchair or other visual impairments that they could experience because play is important for all children,” Pecorella said.

Pecorella said he goes to Bayfront Park a few times a week.

The plan is for the playground and splash pad to be at the same level to allow back-and-forth play. It would eliminate the elevation change between the small amphitheater and playground that currently exists at the park.

“You can start on the playground and get wet and you can go back to the playground and then it’s also designed so parents can hang out and their kids can be in the space and they can easily supervise,” Smith said.

The playground’s theme is going to be a shipwreck.

“It’s meant to be a destination playground,” Smith said. “We worked on the Payne Park playground, which is circus-themed, so this is by the water and so part of that is just tying in the arts and the water elements of Sarasota.”

Jon F. Swift Construction President Jason Swift said the playground area would likely have a soft, kid-friendly surface, but the splash pad would be concrete.

“The splash pad, the problem is, anything you introduce that’s soft, grows mold,” Swift said.

The city plans to have the fountains at the splash pad available for year-round use during the day.

Smith said his team is set to meet next week with Parks and Recreation Department staff to sort out the details of the design.