Park poised for improvements ; community involvement integral part of master planning project
By Jennifer Schmidt
Hopkins Park is a small but highly used community amenity in the heart of St . Cloud , Florida . It ’ s a welcoming and trusted place children convene for after-school programming , teens gather for pick-up basketball games , and adults come together to garden and socialize – among a multitude of other uses .
To residents , particularly the community ’ s longtime ones , the park is a beloved treasure – a neighborhood staple for the last three decades that ’ s brimming with history . But they , along with shorter-term residents , community leaders , and other users , recognize that the time has come for their cherished park to receive some much-needed updates and upgrades .
“ St . Cloud used to be a very small , very tight-knit community , very small-town atmosphere , and now we ’ re rapidly growing – insanely growing ,” said Erin Jenks , the City ’ s recreation superintendent .
8 | TRENDS Ingenuity , Integrity , and Intelligence .