NPR eager to proceed on Sims Park upgrades

NEW PORT RICHEY Improvements to Sims Park could at last come off the drawing board and begin construction in months ahead, city officials believe.

New Port Richey City Council members expressed eagerness Tuesday night to get the first phase of the park overhaul rolling.

Architects unveiled the rough draft of the park plan last August. Council members saw the revised version of a three-prong master plan Tuesday night and committed at least $1.8 million toward the initial upgrades.

Do-able was a key word most council members used to describe the plan.

Among first-phase priorities, the playground would be moved to the north end of the enlarged Sims Park, away from traffic on Main Street.

It gets the playground out of harms way, Mayor Rob Marlowe said.

Youngsters could gain splash pads in which to frolic, among other additions.

The deadline for a $200,000 grant toward the playground falls in December 2015, interim City Manager Susan Dillinger reported.

The relocation of the playground would require closing a section of Grand Boulevard along the existing, northern boundary of the park. Circle Boulevard could revert to two-way traffic since the plan shuts off part of the loop. City staff told council members a traffic study could be expedited.

At some point, Peace Hall would move from its current spot next to the West Pasco Historical Society Rao Musunuru. M.D., Museum and Library, to the east side of Orange Lake to make more room for the enlarged park.

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NPR eager to proceed on Sims Park upgrades