Freedom Park: A Grand Opening Celebration
November 2009
Freedom Park, a $10 million, newly constructed park in Collier County, Florida, celebrated its grand opening on October 6 with a ribbon cutting ceremony, remarks from county commissioners, patriotic songs sung by local schoolchildren, and more. The park now provides multiple benefits to county residents, including serving as an urban oasis where residents can enjoy the outdoors, as a natural water treatment area, and as a memorial to the service of veterans and the heroes of 9/11.
The project combines wetlands, habitats, hiking and biking trails, boardwalks, educational and restroom facilities, and extensive landscape and hardscape within a passive park. Freedom Park also serves as a 50-acre natural water quality treatment facility that provides flooding relief and tertiary treatment of stormwater runoff from the Gordon River Extension Basin. Through an interconnected system of multi-depth ponds, polishing marshes, and wetlands, the manmade park functions as a natural water filtration system similar to the Everglades.
Backed by a community effort, the park will also be the home of the future Freedom Memorial. The memorial will pay tribute to armed forces members, as well as law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, and civilians who perished during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A 6-foot-long, 660-pound piece of the World Trade Center, which was on display during the grand opening ceremony, will be housed permanently at the park’s visitor center.
PBS&J provided construction engineer and inspection (CEI) support to Collier County, including a full-time resident inspector, request for information response, value engineering support, change request validation and approval, shop drawing review, permitting, and plans updates.
Click here to join senior project engineer Michael Ryan, PE, PMP, and senior construction manager Juan Carlos Moreno as they take you on a tour of this unique project.
