Parks director seeks funding for urban forestry, aquatic center maintenance and termite pilot

Carl Williams, director of Parks & Recreation, presented five decision packages focused on canopy, facility maintenance and a termite research partnership.

Urban forestry: Williams said the city’s urban forestry master plan aims for a 33% canopy by 2040 and requested $150,000 in horticultural supplies; $120,000 of that was described as reimbursable through the tree trust fund. Williams said planting and maintenance funds would be used strategically and that a portion of the funding would be reimbursed from existing trust funds.

Aquatics and equipment: the department requested amendments to its equipment replacement plan and $177,045 for aquatic center preventive maintenance with ongoing near‑$20,000 annual costs, plus funding to convert a contract dive coach position into a funded role after a prior unbudgeted contractor filled the gap.

Termite pilot: Williams described a proposal to partner with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to pilot subterranean termite assessment and targeted treatments, community education and capacity building for city crews. The year‑1 package was cited at roughly $145,000 and year‑2 at about $160,000 (combined $305,000 including a $50,000 grant element), described as a multi‑year pilot to test effectiveness before scaling.

Commissioners asked about effectiveness, outreach and KPIs; Williams called the termite work a pilot and noted UF’s existing research. Commissioners also discussed swim and learn‑to‑swim efforts and partnerships with the Y and other organizations for public programming.

Why it matters: the requests combine capital and programmatic spending to protect canopy, maintain recreational facilities and test treatments for an invasive subterranean termite problem that staff said is increasingly visible in the city’s urban forest.