(This story has been updated to correct an inaccuracy.)
Renovations to Tom Petty Park in northeast Gainesville have been completed, including the addition of eight pickleball courts and new restrooms.
City of Gainesville officials celebrated the project’s completion June 6, drawing about 100 community members.
Mayor Harvey Ward welcomed attendees, noting the park has been known by different names across generations — from City Park to Northeast Park, “and my kids call it Tom Petty Park.”
The park, 400 NE 16th Ave., represents a shared community asset, he said.
“People from all over Gainesville and the county come here regularly to be part of what takes place at Tom Petty Park,” Ward said.
Originally established as Northeast Park in 1963, the site sits near where Petty and his brother Bruce grew up and spent time as children on Northeast Seventh Street just off Northeast 16th Avenue. The park is also near where Eagles co-founder Don Felder grew up, Ward said.
Ward said he attended P.E. classes at the park as a student at St. Patrick’s Catholic School
“This was a great place to grow up, this is a great place to grow up and I couldn’t be more proud of the direction that our team and the staff at the city of Gainesville have taken with your community input,” Ward said.
He added the renovations reflect a broader goal.
“Parks create memories, they create community and they create a sense of belonging,” Ward said. “This, that you see today… this is what happens when we put the criticisms and the online foolishness and the trolling aside and link arms and all link in together to create something that is bigger than any of us.”
Upgrades to the park include the added pickleball courts and restrooms, improved walking paths, added lighting, concession stands, shaded areas and landscaping, said Wild Spaces & Public Places Director Rachel Mandell.
The more than 20-acre park was renovated in two phases by Gainesville-based Scorpio Construction. The $2.6 million project was fully funded through the voter-approved Wild Spaces & Public Places half-cent sales tax.
The first phase, costing $1.9 million, included the pickleball courts, a rerouted multi-use trail for improved ADA access, a new pedestrian entrance off Northeast 16th Avenue, a stormwater pond and enhanced parking lot lighting.
The second phase, costing more than $718,000, focused on restroom renovations, Mandell said.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Tom Petty Park revamp adds pickleball courts, paths and other amenities
Reporting by Cleveland Tinker, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cleveland Tinker, Gainesville Sun | USA TODAY Network
