Three years after Hurricane Irma, progress made in Memorial Park

Posted on April 3, 2021 By Editor Riverside, Avondale, Ortega, Murray Hill, Top Stories

Replacement of 440 balusters along the seawall in Memorial Park began on the east end of the park in early March.

Fallen Soldiers: Balusters from the Memorial Park seawall balustrade built in 1924 were toppled by Hurricane Irma Sept. 11, 2017. (Photo by Mark Krancer, Kram Kran Photo, for Memorial Park Association)

Memorial Park Association’s Board of Directors was thrilled to see progress in March on the replacement of the nearly 100-year-old balustrade that formerly lined the seawall before Hurricane Irma destroyed it in September 2017. Board members aren’t the only ones happy to see the project underway. “Looking forward to it being restored to its former glory,” posted Sarah Kurtz on the MPA Facebook page. “Such great news!” exclaimed Terry Woodlief on the post.

Southside-based Intron Technologies was selected by the City of Jacksonville in June 2020 to replace the 560-foot-long stretch of concrete balustrade and begin making the new balusters earlier this year. In early March 2021, workers from the company started the process of affixing the 90-lb. 36-inch-high concrete balusters to the seawall. The $405,000 project is expected to be complete by summer, according to a spokesperson from the City of Jacksonville’s Parks Department.