Craig Park/Spring Bayou Seawall Project

Share your support! 

The City of Tarpon Springs is seeking federal funding for replacement of the aging, historical seawall and sidewalk along Spring Bayou at Craig Park. An important aspect of receiving this funding is through community support!

Please show your support below by sharing what Craig Park/Spring Bayou means to you or by sending an email to projectadmin@ctsfl.us!

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Tarpon Springs is the lowest city land area in Pinellas County and is the greatest at risk to flooding. The sidewalks and City dock on Spring Bayou are frequently underwater. This has also caused structural problems. Access to the scenic Spring Bayou area is often barricaded to pedestrians. Replacement of the aging, historical seawall and sidewalk along Spring bayou and Craig Park is necessary. The new seawall and sidewalk would be installed at a higher elevation to address sea level rise.

A recent, independent engineering analysis indicates that "significant portions of the wall are completely submerged during [regular] high tides," and that "due to the severity and quantity of deficiencies of the wall and its low elevation, the wall should be replaced" with a new wall with an elevation about 2 feet higher than the existing wall/sidewalk.

PARK HISTORY / BACKGROUND

This historic public park is in the center of the City, overlooking Spring Bayou, and dates back to the 1880s. The seven-acre site is where the city's first pioneers settled. Tarpon Springs got it's name from the leaping silver tarpon the settlers saw from their cabins in the bayou. By the turn of the century, this area was the focal point of the "Golden Crescent" of Victorian homes and boathouses surrounding its banks. Craig Park, originally Coburn Park, was renamed in 1979 to honor two former mayors: James Newman Craig and Thomas Craig.

Craig Park is the City's central gathering spot, not only for the annual Epiphany celebration, but hosts numerous events including a Fine Arts and non-profit events festivals, 4th of July picnics, holiday and memorial events, weddings, outdoor recreational activities, and daily gatherings where people meet, picnic, and stroll the walkway through the park and around the Springs Bayou sidewalk. The park includes a boat launch and dock for kayaks/canoes, shuffleboard courts, a tennis court, playground, bandshell, and the City's Heritage Museum and Recreation Center are located within the park. Thousands of visitors also seek out Craig Park to watch the manatees who are attracted to the temperate water in Spring Bayou.