SOUTH TAMPA, Fla. — Even though it sits in one of Tampa’s most prestigious neighborhoods, Fred Ball Park was in bad shape.
“I used to bike Bayshore all the time, and it seemed like why is this park so rundown,” said Traci Riley with the Tampa Garden Club.
Riley said this is where South Tampa started.
“Because Thomas Palmer plotted this land and sold it for $100,” she said.
The natural spring here was turned into a Venetian-style pool that people flocked to.
But after years of neglect, the Tampa Garden Club right next door has stepped up work to revitalize the park.
They’ve planted new gardens, and even though the hurricanes set them back, the park is coming back to life.
“In so many ways, our city is moving forward, and this is a way to move forward in a way that captures the essence of what living in South Tampa should be like,” said Tampa Garden club member Stephanie Rich.
Volunteers cleaned out the spring, finding a picnic table and other junk under the water.
Tom Ries with the Eco Sphere Restoration Institute wants to restore it completely.
“The real reason is to improve water quality before it enters the bay and provide an ecosystem right here,” said Ries.
Because of the work they’ve done here, the Garden Club will take on the renovation at Ballast Point Park too.
They’re holding their Earthly Paradise Garden Tour on April 13 to raise money for their work.
“It’s very serene when I’m here. It’s very beautiful when I’m here. I felt like the park needed healing. And I also felt like the community needed healing,” said Riley.
"I was 100% sure it was them."
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