HEALTH
This was the proposed plan for a new canoe launch that opens this month at Evans Creek in the Savannas Preserve State Park. This launch-and-stay-dry site
on the west side of U.S. 1 is suitable for the handicapped, too.
healthy population is one with less medical spending and
more discretionary income, more productivity, and people
are happier when they feel healthy.”
The city’s emphasis on completing active recreation projects
dovetails with the state Health Department’s efforts to help
people become healthier by becoming more fit. According to
the Centers for Disease Control, 65 percent of Floridians are
overweight and of that number, 26.6 percent are obese.
LIVING WELL IN PSL
One plan the city is trying to get off the ground required
a novel idea for funding, said city spokeswoman Jennifer
Newell. A fitness circuit with eight or 10 outdoor exercise
machines may be installed at Jessica Clinton Park in the
Southbend area if citizens and local businesses kick in the
$30,000 needed. To acquire the funds the city turned to the
hottest current method: crowdfunding, where many donors
give small amounts and together they raise the needed funds
for a project.
A page for Living Well in PSL Family Fitness Zone was
quietly set up on FundRazr.com but has drawn few contributions
so far, despite the city’s poll showing that many
residents would like to have a fitness circuit there. Sixty-four
percent of the 999 people surveyed said they would use the
circuit even if they didn’t live near it, while 88 percent said
they were sure that others would use it. Forty six percent of
the respondents said they would contribute. Use of the circuit
would be free.
Newell said the next step is to ask businesses to get on
board with contributions. If the city is successful, fitness
circuits can be expected in other parks.
Port St. Lucie already has an indoor fitness and wellness
center with classes sponsored by Humana at the civic center.
Vero Beach has an outdoor circuit at Riverside Park.
LAUNCH FOR ALL
Frank Knott, the city’s project manager in the regulatory
division of the Department of Public Works is excited about
the new canoe launch on Evans Creek in the Savannas Preserve
State Park. It’s on the west side of U.S. 1, north of Walton
Road. For canoers and kayakers familiar with the area, it
is 1,000 feet south of the former launch site, which was in a
wet area. The new one is on higher ground and is expected
to be drier.
“The new canoe launch will be much nicer,” Knott says.
“We used an existing firebreak (cleared area) for a paved road
and put in a parking lot with ADA accessibility. People will
be able to stay dry. It’s great.” The new launch also puts the
city in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act,
allowing disabled people to get out on the river.
The city also built a 3,000-square-foot addition onto the
Savannas Education Center in the state park. The expansion
includes a lab and a large classroom. The education center is
used by teachers whose students become more eager to get
out on the trails when they learn what they might see. Adult
visitors to the preserve use the center for the same reason.
“We want people to enjoy Port St. Lucie as a place to have an
active lifestyle,” Oravec says. “It’s part of our plan for the future.”E
32 Port St. Lucie Magazine
/FundRazr.com