Relay • Summer 2020 • Going Beyond Keeping the Lights On

When Depot Park opens up to the public again, it will be in part of the Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU). The utility partnered with Gainesville Public Works, the Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to clean up a former industrial site and turn it into the 32-acre Depot Park.

“After purchasing the Gainesville Gas Company in 1990, GRU assumed the responsibility of remediating the land associated with the purchase. Taking a contaminated site and turning it into a safe and beautiful asset for our community to enjoy is a dream project and a demonstration of the amazing feats we can accomplish as a team,” said Jennifer McElroy, supervising engineer in GRU’s water/wastewater department.

There were decades of planning and community involvement surrounding the remediation and renewal of what is now Depot Park.

“In addition to the $13 million Gainesville Gas Company purchase, major expenditures included $28 million that GRU spent to remove contaminated soil and treat polluted groundwater; $12 million spent on arsenic cleanup and the excavation and construction of the stormwater ponds and their retaining walls; about $6 million to build the park itself; and $1.6 million to renovate the historic, 1860s train depot building,” according to an article in the Gainesville Sun. “Crews dug up some 255,000 tons of contaminated soil and trucked it off to a Georgia landfill, according to GRU, and pumped and treated 123 million gallons of polluted groundwater.”

Citizens have access for no charge. The park includes a children’s playground, splash pad with water cannons and hidden fossils, a promenade with a water view, pavilions, a conservation area with paths to take visitors through a series of wetlands and upland plantings, the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention, a beer garden, outdoor amphitheater, a bodega and the Share the Road Memorial to educate people about the bicycle safety movement in Gainesville. The park is a great draw for downtown Gainesville, and the local economy can see the impact.

“Currently, the park serves as one of the main economic drivers in downtown, striving to engage and partner with local businesses, organizations and clubs. One of the top goals of Depot Park is to strengthen community bonds and foster the city’s economic vitality,” according to the park.

“Depot Park provides a service to the public that is immeasurable on a monetary scale but continues to improve the quality of life for citizens of Gainesville and beyond.”

The park is just one way of showing how FMEA member utilities do much more than keep the lights on in the communities they serve. Like GRU, many of them partner with the local communities and other entities to meet varying community wants and needs outside of the electric sphere. In fact, Depot Park is only one example of GRU partnering with the community.

“The first project that comes to mind is Sweetwater Wetlands,” McElroy said. “ Sweetwater Wetlands is a man-made wetland that was created with another amazing project team to solve a challenging environmental problem — improving the water quality that flows into our aquifer. The solution is a beautiful wetland and nature park that attracts visitors from all over the country to appreciate the brilliant display of birds, alligators, wild horses, bison and more.”