Population Boom
According to U . S . Census data , St . Cloud ’ s population swelled from 35,183 in 2010 to 58,964 in 2020 , and , as of 2022 , the population was estimated at 64,489 .
“ And when she says ‘ rapidly growing ,’ just to put that into perspective , St . Cloud is the fourth fastest growing city in Florida ,” added Stephanie Holtkamp , director of parks and recreation .
In order to expand services at the park and meet their growing community ’ s needs , it was time to bring in a consultant and take a closer look at what the space could and should be going forward . They needed a clear path forward – a master plan .
“ The existing facility is simply inadequate for the growth we ’ ve been experiencing . It ’ s also in need of repairs quite frequently ,”
said Jenks , who managed the project for the City . “ The intent of our master plan was to create a new space and new amenities for the community that were keeping pace with the growth and needs .”
Designing for the future
The City selected Ayres for the work , a consultant they hadn ’ t worked with before but who ’ d been selected for a continuing services contract for planning and landscape architecture in 2022 . When the Hopkins Park concept master plan project surfaced , Holtkamp called Ayres ’ Binoy Panicker , an urban planner and designer in the firm ’ s Tampa office , to discuss the City ’ s budget and request a scope and fee “ and immediately there was a connection ,” Panicker recalled . Ayres submitted the requested information , which was approved within a few days .
The team split the project into three phases over a 26- week period , with the community ’ s aspirations and input incorporated every step of the way . Highlights of the final plan include a new recreation center , basketball courts , an extensive network of walking trails , and an improved children ’ s play area .
A Phased Approach
The Hopkins Park master planning process was divided into three phases over a six-month timeframe :
Phase 1
Involved collecting data , conducting a site analysis , and performing a program assessment .
Phase 2
The focus was to prepare a preliminary concept master plan based on the work completed in Phase 1 .
Phase 3
Completing the park conceptual master plan was the mission . Based on the community ’ s feedback , the team drafted and presented multiple concepts with different iterations for further evaluation .
Scan the QR code , or type https :// view . mylumion . com /? p = yib5fwhssajy6w4t into a browser , to check out the interactive 3D renders .
www . AyresAssociates . com 9