Beautification Projects Ahead for Balis Community Center, Riverfront Park

Beautification efforts continue in the San Marco community, with a new focus on landscaping at the Balis Community Center and Riverfront Park.

District 5 City Councilmember Joe Carlucci shared designs for the landscaping refresh at the community center, located at Hendricks Avenue and Lasalle Street, via his Instagram account in May. Carlucci filed legislation to appropriate $40,000 for the project, which was introduced in city council on June 10.

In addition to new landscaping, the project will also include irrigation.

Carlucci explained that the site had irrigation at one point, but it was either cut or turned off during a previous project.

“So it’s been without irrigation for years,” Carlucci said. “Part of this project was, ‘Hey, we need to put irrigation back in here because these plants are just going to continue to get scorched by the sun and that’s not what
we want.’”

The project does have to wait for the funding to be approved before it can begin, though Carlucci anticipates it should start within a couple of months. The designs for the beautification project combine maintaining, trimming, or relocating existing vegetation with introducing new plants, including Minima Asiatic Jasmine, Dwarf Walter’s Viburnum, Society Garlic, and Imperial Blue Plumbago.

Residents can also expect to see a refresh at Riverfront Park along River Road. The City of Jacksonville Parks Landscape Architect team designed this beautification effort with community input. Ultimately, 46 new trees will be added to the park through this project, and new irrigation will also be installed.

“One of the goals with this project is to create a landscaped area that will improve the aesthetics of the very popular park,” said City of Jacksonville Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Daryl Joseph. “The landscape enhancement will focus on native plantings that can withstand salinity and windy conditions while maintaining views of the river.”

Renderings also reflect future phases for this project, including a new concrete walkway and new crosswalks.

With sustainability in mind, the designs call for a low-maintenance project that is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Tree Fund dollars funded it and costs nearly $60,000.

Joseph added there should be no interruption to traffic flow while this project is underway.