Reinventing Higgs Beach
Five years ago having lunch at Salute on Higgs Beach was an OK experience, but there was not much activity to view other than the homeless gathering in the pavilions, playing loud music, sleeping in shady spots and playing Frisbee. There were few tourists or locals on the beach and, quite frankly, other than the ocean view, it was not very attractive.
With the changes brought about by the City and County partnership to revitalize Higgs Beach, the scene is now alive with tourists and locals under a sea of blue umbrellas, vigorously competitive volleyball games, numerous bikers and children crowding the sidewalk and just a fantastic lively scene for global people-watching. Much has changed for the positive in the past five years and there is more to come.
Shade structures will be installed at the beach playground within the next two months. These were made necessary because the Australian Pines were diseased and had to be taken down completely. A large branch fell and narrowly missed a child a few months ago. New young trees were planted, but it will be some time before they provide adequate shade at the playground. Meanwhile, the shade structures will help a great deal. The two dilapidated picnic shelters near the handball court will be removed also within the next two months. There are also discussions taking place with the airport and FAA to find a new location for the old radar tower. The Salute restaurant will not be altered except to have a more prominent entrance. There are also plans for releasing an RFP (Request for Proposal) for a second food vender on the beach.
Johnny Young, Senior Project Manager at the County Division of Public Works and Engineering, recently noted an RFQ (Request for Qualifications) for design services relative to moving the road at Higgs Beach has been released and responses will be opened and reviewed on April 8. A RFQ is a solicitation instrument used to gather information regarding a firm’s capabilities, qualifications, and competence. RFQs are commonly used for architectural services, landscape architectural services, engineering services and land surveying, where the City is required to select based on competence and qualifications, and cannot inquire about price until after the selection is made.
The portion of Atlantic Boulevard bordering the beach is being moved for several reasons: 1-So that children and adults will not have to cross the road from the old playground, Dog Park, open space, tennis courts, etc., to use the restroom. 2-To improve traffic safety so that cars will not be backing out from the parking lot into the flow of traffic. 3-To move the road away from the front of West Martello to avoid the potential of a swerving truck irreparably damaging the structure. 4-Because a portion of the road currently covers gravesites of rescued Africans who subsequently died and are interred there. 5-To provide more options for using Tourist Development Council beach funds. The TDC has a special beach fund that can only be used for facilities that are on the sand side of Higgs Beach. By moving the road, more of the park is on the sand side and thus more TDC funding can be made available.
The Dog Park will be temporarily relocated during road reconstruction. That location is yet to be determined, but will be included in the RFQ for the engineer to consider. The County does not plan to permanently move the Dog Park though ultimately it will be reconfigured. The City had suggested moving it to its Indigenous Park, but that is not in the final approved plans and is not anticipated at this time, according to County Commissioner Heather Carruthers. One concern to be addressed is that archeologists have determined parts of the Dog Park overlap with the burial site of some rescued Africans.
The plans for revitalizing Higgs Beach were finalized two years ago following a two-year development plan and a detailed public input process. A total of 46 meetings were held with various groups who were asked for specific input as the final plan was eventually developed. The Friends of Higgs Beach, a 501,3c non-profit chaired by Michael Behmke, was a dominant force in organizing meetings to gather information and disseminate decisions for the developing plans. There are 10 members of this group representing a specific special interest: Athletics, garden club, dog park, concessions, African cemetery, Aids Memorial, playground, neighbors, etc. Meetings are open and focus on communication and obtaining detailed suggestions representing each special interest.
Now that there is a final master plan, the group’s focus is on communication and fundraising. From its inception the Friends of Key West has raised approximately $10,000 and it continues its fundraising function. The latest interest of the group is to develop a fitness trail (from White Street to the end of Walton Street) for which 60 percent of the funding has been secured. There is also a plan to tie in the Heritage Trail bike path and the Reynolds Pier. The Friends of Higgs Beach continues to solicit tax-free donations from interested locals and outside athletic groups that make use of the facility. Moving forward, Behmke says the focus will be how each interest group will mesh with the existing long range plan. There is a Friends of Higgs Beach on Facebook and there will soon be a Website.
Funding for this project comes form a variety of sources including private, public and grant funding. Road realignment funds are from infrastructure sales tax funds. Much of the playground and beachside work is TDC funded. The Fitness Trail is sponsored by the Friends of Higgs Beach. Plans will proceed as various funds are made available. Kudos to the City and County for turning a somewhat derelict beach into an attractive showplace for many people to enjoy.
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