Big Waters Land Trust to conduct naming rights campaign
In early January 2022, the Sarasota city commissioners seated at that time voted unanimously to place a conservation easement over the property that they had agreed to dedicate to a nature park at the Bobby Jones Golf Club.
That easement was executed with what was then the nonprofit Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast. The organization transitioned last year to a new name: Big Waters Land Trust.
That easement, then-City Attorney Robert Fournier explained, would allow the city to retain the right to pursue certain specific uses of the land, without diminishing or reducing the conservation values — such as open space and habitat for wildlife.
Further, the board members agreed to forge a fundraising partnership with the Foundation to provide amenities within the Nature Park.
It took longer than expected to achieve that part of the collaboration with the nonprofit, as city commissioners pointed out during their regular meeting on Feb. 17.
Nonetheless, this week, they voted unanimously to execute a three-year agreement between the city and Big Waters Land Trust for improvements to the Nature Park.
As the Agenda Request Form for that Feb. 17 item explained, “The City will remain the owner of the Property and shall serve as the
administrator of construction and development, while Big Waters
Land Trust will act as the fiscal agent for charitable funds and as the
Projects fundraising entity.” The fundraising goal, the form added, is $3.5 million.
Jerry Fogle, director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, noted during the Feb. 17 discussion that the funds will derive from naming rights for specific amenities.
Christine Johnson, president of Big Waters, explained, “What someone is naming, they are not paying for. … That is typical in the nonprofit world” when a capital campaign is underway.
The goal, she said, “is to give options and choices to our philanthropists in the Sarasota region. We want to make sure we have plenty of opportunities for people …”
When Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch asked Johnson why the fundraising amount was set at $3.5 million, Johnson replied that that “is what we think we can do in the time period that we think we can make this happen.” Nonetheless, she added, “There’s always an opportunity to take another bite of the apple, but we don’t want to take too big of a bite.”
Johnson then said, with emphasis, “When we are successful [with the campaign the commissioners approved that day], we can look to see if we can do more.”
Fogle explained that the $3.5 million is the shortfall between city funds dedicated to the project and the approximately $5.2-million estimate for the work that staff has envisioned for the Nature Park.
“What if you get a big check for $10-and-a-half-million dollars?” Ahearn-Koch asked Johnson.
“We would all celebrate,” Johnson replied.
Ahearn-Koch also asked about the section of the agreement that calls for the city to apply for grants for the amenities, asking whether Johnson had specific resources in mind.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) awards grants to local government bodies for parks, as an example, Johnson told Ahearn-Koch.
An array of proposed amenities
During the discussion, Fogle of Parks and Recreation offered his apologies for the long delay in reaching the point of presenting a fundraising agreement with Big Waters to the board members.
“It’s no fault of Ms. Johnson and Big Waters Land Trust,” he stressed. “They did everything they were supposed to do.”
He took full responsibility, he added.
(The Sarasota News Leader was unable to reach Fogle through city staff to learn the reasons for the delay. However, the 2024 hurricanes wrought significant damage to city facilities, including city parks, that had to be dealt with in the aftermath of that storm season.)
Then Fogle noted “the incredibly valuable piece of land” that serves as the Nature Park. “It’s probably one of the most important properties the city has,” he added, in terms of environmental benefits for human beings and wildlife.
Fogle proceeded to show the board members slides depicting some of the proposed amenities, stressing, “These are conceptual designs … They, hopefully, will look even better.”
Among them were depictions of the Wetland Discovery Pavilion, the Peninsula Nature Vista and the Nature Immersion Walkway.
Referring to the latter image, Fogle said, “How cool is that. I wish I had thought of that.”
Another slide showed the concept for the Feathered Friends Sanctuary. He pointed out that the canopy structure has been designed to look like a leaf.
The goal with creating the amenities, he continued, is to encourage members of the public “to come out, relax, enjoy nature, de-stress. That’s what the park is for.”
Fogle added, “Your heart rate will go way down; blood pressure will go way down. It’s so relaxing.”
He further noted that 100 trees have been planted in the park, with 100 more slated to join them. Additionally, 15,000 shrubs and grasses will be planted, with that work also underway, he told the commissioners.
The second phase of work in the park will encompass the installation of what he called “hard structures”: boardwalks, a pavilion and a bird blind; “things of that nature.”
Vice Mayor Kathy Kelly Ohlrich noted that, sometimes, delays in projects can lead to unexpected benefits. “Did anything like that happen with this delay?” she asked.
Fogle replied that the design work for the amenities was almost complete. Thus, once city staff has the funds in hand, construction can begin.
Design initiatives routinely take nine months to a year, he noted. Therefore, he continued, if the city had had the agreement with Big Waters in place sooner, and money had begun to come in, the design work would not have been finished.
Ohlrich also inquired of Johnson about Ohlrich’s understanding that Big Waters had “received … some small checks that have been restricted for use at Bobby Jones Nature Park.”
“We’ve received a few small donations,” Johnson responded, adding that the total is “five figures.”
“They will be sent over [to the city] as soon as this [agreement] starts to work,” Johnson said.
Ohlrich ended up making the motion to approve the agreement, and Ahearn-Koch seconded it. It passed 5-0.