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A Refurbished Oelsner Park Reopens

Klint Lowry/SUNCOAST NEWS

Small in size but big in the hearts of nearby Port Richey residents, Oelsner Park got a makeover thanks in large part to a $50,000 grant from the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program.

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By KLINT LOWRY | The Suncoast News

Published: July 8, 2008

Updated:

PORT RICHEY - Geographically speaking, Oelsner Park couldn't be described as prominent. Located on the north bank of Miller's Bayou, it sits tucked away in a residential neighborhood historically referred to as Martha's Vineyard.

It's about the same size as the residential lots that surround it, jutting out into the bayou, with the hint of a beach.

But the little park has been around a good long time - better than 50 years - and as such it holds a special place in the hearts of many people whose roots in the city are planted the deepest.

That fondness was apparent in the size of the crowd that showed up late Thursday afternoon for the reopening of Oelsner Park.

"It's a good little park for the residents of the neighborhood," said Kim Licari, grants administrator for the city.

The park was closed in November so city workers could complete a number of renovations, thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program, along with a contribution from the city's Community Development Agency.

Oelsner Park is named for Martha Oelsner, one-time owner of the property that Victor Clark Jr. developed into the Martha's Vineyard neighborhood in the early 1950s. One parcel was donated to the city to be turned into a park in Oelsner's honor.

Residents could hardly wait for the ribbon cutting so they could check out all the improvements, which included a new seawall, remodeled restrooms with new tile and fixtures, new landscaping and irrigation, a freshly paved and striped parking lot, sidewalks and picnic tables.

Children rushed to break in several new pieces of playground equipment, while seniors found comfort in the shade of the park's two new gazebos, one of which has a bench swing from which visitors can relax and look out over the bayou.

Anna Strauss and Lou Grailinger go on record as the first to try out the gazebo swing as they reminisced with friends John Hartmann and Donna True about coming to the park to swim.

"Lou has been swimming here for 30 years," Hartmann said.

"He's the oldest beach bum," Grailinger responded."He just turned 90."

"Hold it," Hartmann corrected him, "I'm 90 and three months."

This park holds memories for a lot of people, said former Mayor Mark Abbott. It's a great place to enjoy the bayou, he said.

"The park is a favorite area for swimming," Abbott said. "It's the only place you can still water ski. Dolphins, manatee, everything comes right in here."

Abbott recalled his brother needing 60 stitches after a water skiing accident nearby. He recalled it with the kind of big smile a memory like that can only induce after several years have passed.

Neighbors near the park were among the most excited at the reopening, no one more so than Ron Bixler, who lives across the street from the park's entrance.

"I love this park," Bixler said. "I come over here and watch the sunset. I love this little place. I'm just so pleased with what they've done here."

While city officials might be expected to praise municipal workers for the work they do, Bixler wanted to be sure the guys who did the actual labor on the project received all the credit they were due.

"I got to know them little bit - the best bunch of guys I've ever seen," Bixler said. "They're a nice bunch of guys, and they work. ... That's all there is to it."

The renovations at Oelsner Park aren't over yet, according to current Mayor Richard Rober, who officiated at the ribbon-cutting.

Near the gazebo with the swing, there are the thin remnants of a beach. The city is in the planning stages of rejuvenating the beach.

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