City of Fort Lauderdale Announces Grand Opening of Bill Keith Preserve

Grand Opening Ceremony Scheduled for November 19

Angela Sabina DiPietro, Public Information Specialist
(954) 828-4777 or angelas@fortlauderdale.gov

Fort Lauderdale – The City of Fort Lauderdale will host the grand opening of Bill Keith Preserve on Saturday, November 19 at 9 a.m. The park, named in memoriam of William “Bill” Keith, a longtime business and community leader, is located at 1720 S.W. 17th Street in Fort Lauderdale. The grand opening program will include remarks from elected officials, family members of Bill Keith and Mike Chamberlin, and area residents.

The grand opening ceremony also marks the first Mangrove Awareness Day in the City of Fort Lauderdale. To commemorate, the City of Fort Lauderdale in partnership with Kids Ecology Corps will host a community workday at the park. The purpose of Mangrove Awareness Day is to restore vital wetland habitats in South Florida.

Bill Keith Preserve is located in District IV of Fort Lauderdale on approximately 3.42 acres. This waterfront property contains the remains of a cypress swamp that is tidally connected to the South Fork New River. The City of Fort Lauderdale sought to develop the land as a neighborhood park for the Shady Bank community, which was instrumental in the design of the park. The park’s amenities include a pavilion, nature trail, boardwalk, observation deck, canoe/kayak landing, park benches, picnic tables, native landscaping, lighting and parking.

The City of Fort Lauderdale acquired the property in November 2005 with a grant from Broward County’s Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond program. The concept of the bond program is consistent with the City’s parkland acquisition and management goal "to preserve ecologically and historically important lands from development in areas of Fort Lauderdale characterized by intense urban development and almost complete loss of open space."

The City of Fort Lauderdale also received a Florida Department of Environmental Protection Land and Water Conservation grant that provided funding for many of the park’s amenities. In addition, two additional grants were received from Broward County's Land Stewardship program. With the assistance of these grants, many of the materials being used in the park are defined as green components, which includes products or technologies used in site development that reduce the environmental burden associated with traditional materials, fixtures or technologies. The following green components are used in Bill Keith Preserve: permeable interlocking concrete pavers, a boardwalk made from recycled materials and native landscaping.

For more information on the Bill Keith Preserve Grand Opening, please call (954) 828-6719 or visit www.fortlauderdale.gov.