East Hillsborough News

Veterans and residents invited to Sept. 27 open house to review plans, shape priorities

The next step in shaping the future of Veterans Memorial Park will take place during an open house from 4-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 27, at Veterans Memorial Park Resource Center, 3601 N. U.S. 301, Tampa, FL 33619. Veterans and residents are invited to help prioritize potential improvements and amenities identified from an open house earlier this year and online public input.

For those who miss the Sept. 27 event, an online engagement opportunity will also be available following the open house.

Earlier feedback showed support for the following items:

•  Park entrance and entry signage
• Signage and wayfinding throughout the park
• Meditation garden
• Active learning zone
• Museum renovation
• Expansion of the Veterans Resource Center
• New pavilion

Input from this open house will help generate consensus and a vision for the future. Hillsborough County Conservation & Environmental Lands Management, which owns the property, and Hillsborough County Consumer & Veterans Services, which runs day-to-day operations, is working with the University of South Florida's Florida Center for Community Design and Research to create a master plan for the park.

Veterans Memorial Park is home to 14 war memorials, the Veterans Resource Center, and the Rear Admiral Leroy Collins, Jr. Veterans Museum. It also serves as a venue for regional ceremonies on Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Patriot Day, along with a variety of other organized events. Established oak trees provide a well-shaded and tranquil setting for reading, reflection, meditation, picnicking, family gatherings, or walking/jogging its many paths, which include a fitness trail along the Bypass Canal.

View aerial video of memorials at Veterans Memorial Park

Original source can be found here.