A popular Boca Raton recreation site will soon be getting larger.
The City Council recently gave the go-ahead to the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District to embark on Phase IV modifications - which will add amenities to the park at 300 S. Military Trail.
Planning & Zoning Director Julia Trevarthen said the master plan modifications will bring in "an interactive water feature and plaza, a community pavilion and picnic pavilions."
Current on the site are a community center, science playground, ball fields, picnic areas, a conservation area and a carousel.
GBRBPD Executive Director said the water feature will consist of "a soft, paved material, with water squirting from below ground." He said it will measure about 2,500 square feet - or "the size of a house." He said another water feature in the science area of the park will be left there.
Sugar Sand Park is located on just over 132 acres of land just north of Camino Real.
Trevarthen said that current vehicle access is via two driveways, one off Military Trail, which is the main entryway. The other is off Camino Real.
She said Palm Beach County is requesting an additional right-of-way along Military Trail for a right turn lane. A condition has been added to the plan to provide for a right-turn lane, but Langford said it won't be needed for public use until a future time.
The park also proposes a 10-foot wide paved pedestrian-bike trail that will provide access through the site from Palmetto Park Road to Camino Real.
Also, Travarthen said, the existing maintenance area compound includes a future parks operation center and a storage building. There is a dedicated service entry from Camino Real to that facility.
The Palm Beach County traffic engineer, following a review of the traffic study, determined that the proposed development meets traffic performance standards. A report by Kimley-Horn and Associates shows only a daily increase of 228 auto trips resulting from the expansion.
Sugar Sand Park is one of three facilities in the city owned by the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Parks District. It has been built in phases over the past dozen years. The carousel began operating in November of 2005 to mark the 10th anniversary of the park.
While the GBRBPD owns Sugar Sand Park, Patch Reef Park and the tennis center on St. Andrews Boulevard, the city's Recreation Services Department operates all the community's parks.
One of the first buildings constructed at the park was the Community Center - in 1998. Inside are offered a variety of classes along with special programs. At Halloween, for example, Sugar Sand Park offers "Shriek Week."
The Willow Theater also operates in the Community Center. At the far end is a Children's Science Explorium that provides a number of family activities.
Sugar Sand Park brings in three traveling exhibits a year to keep the facility fresh for repeat visitors. Patrons can also look at the stars through a professional-grade Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.
David Serle
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RE/MAX Services
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