Humiston Park revitalization finally seen on track

The seemingly never-ending debate over whether to proceed with a proposal to rejuvenate Humiston Park may finally have ended following a City Council 3- to-2 vote to stick with the plan it approved a year ago.

The makeover plan will reduce the grassy area of the 4.2 acre park by about a half-acre, but will add landscaping, play and picnic facilities, and convert the existing sidewalk in front of the park to a winding walkway more suitable for weekend art exhibits.

The plan will also add a total of 36 parking spaces, some gained as a result of a switch to diagonal parking along the Ocean Drive side of the park and the remainder in an expanded lot to the south of the park that will be sheltered amid more than 100 new palm trees.

Many had thought these changes to Humiston Park had all been finally approved last Aug. 22nd, when the City Council voted 4-to-1 for the plan which will be largely financed by developers of the new Ocean Park of Vero Beach development just to the south.

But a small group of vociferous opponents of any changes to Humiston Park persuaded the Planning and Zoning Commission to propose cutting back on the original redesign, and Mayor Tom White on April 20th said he was ready to reverse his original vote in favor of the makeover.

That option is "pretty null and void now," White said. "If that many people don't want it, it's not going to happen."

But at the crucial City Council meeting on April 22, 2008, White changed his mind again -- and joined council members Sabin Abell and Debra Fromang in a 3-to-2 majority that voted for all elements of the plan the council approved last year.

Contrary to assertions of those seeking to block any change, Humiston Park has been underutilized for years, while other city parks such as Jaycee Park draw banner crowds.

The two photos above -- one of the handful of people using Humiston Park, the other of the crowd at Jaycee Park -- were taken within 10 minutes of each other on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

City Manager Jim Gabbard said with the political struggle over Humiston Park now hopefully behind us, improvements to the central beach park should be completed by November.