The public is invited to join Escambia County, the Trust for Public Land, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for the groundbreaking of Escambia County's newest recreational facility, Innerarity Point Park located at 5835 Cruzat Way, Thursday, May 3 at 2 p.m. For the event, the entrance will be at the southern most end of Cruzat Way.
The park the result of multiple organizations working together to enhance the public’s access to nearby natural resources and complement the adjacent Galvez Boat Ramp. The park will feature an open space for community gatherings, ADA accessible boardwalk, dock large enough for fishing and paddle craft launch, large and small capacity covered pavilions with grills, two playgrounds, restrooms with rinse off areas and a pervious concrete parking area with parking for at least 50 vehicles. Additionally, invasive species will be removed and native shoreline vegetation will be planted.
The $7.4 million project included the acquisition of a 3.38 acre parcel with 265 linear feet of frontage along the Intracoastal Waterway, which flows between Innerarity Point and Perdido Key out to Perdido Bay and is being funded through Early Restoration Natural Resources Damage Assessment, or NRDA, funding from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
District 2 Commissioner Doug Underhill explains the significance of the project by saying, "Recreational access to the water for all citizens is a fundamental obligation of government in a community such as ours. This is the first waterfront park amenity in Escambia County that was designed from scratch to provide ADA-compliant access to the water. Innerarity Point Park is a monument to our dedication to enabling access to the water for all Escambians."
The park is part of the Florida Coastal Access Project, which will facilitate the creation of five new parks in Panhandle counties using $45 million in Deepwater Horizon spill early restoration funds. The Trust for Public Land managed the land acquisition and is overseeing the design, permitting and construction of the park. Once complete, they will donate the park to the Escambia County. Grant agreements with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection will include funding to cover 10-year budgets for operation and maintenance activities of the park.