Winter Park plans pet memorial at Fleet Peeples Park

The latest addition to Fleet Peeples Park might be a tribute to Winter Park’s fallen furry friends.

Members of the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board approved the construction of a 1,600-square-foot pet memorial at Fleet Peeples Park last Wednesday, giving locals a potential place to remember their beloved deceased pets.

A proposed design approved by the Board shows the memorial will feature up to four columbaria walls holding 48 urns of cremated remains each. Brick pavers inscribed with pet names and a decorative iron fence surrounding the memorial are planned as well.

City staff plan to have the tribute located at the north end of the park beneath a large oak tree.

“We design our homes to accommodate our pets and we take vacations based around our pets; they’re a big part of our lives,” said Carla Lubet, treasurer and secretary for Friends of Fleet Peeples Park.

“Having this pet memorial is a great thing and a place for people to give sanction.”

The city of Winter Park pushed for the memorial in response to residents wanting a place to immortalize their pets. The columbarium spaces and tribute bricks could potentially draw nearly $500,000 in revenue, which would all go toward maintaining Fleet Peeples Park, said Brenda Moody, assistant director of Parks and Recreation.

“Over the years we’ve heard many times that people would like to see us have some sort of pet memorial at Fleet Peeples Park,” Moody said.

“City management seemed to be very supportive.”

It’s another addition to a park residents feared would close just four years ago. Originally just a dog park, Fleet Peeples Park came under fire in October 2010 when the City Commission passed a series of fees charging residents for bringing their dogs.

Residents had to pay $75 for the first dog and $50 for all additional dogs in a household, granting them a year of access to the park.

It appeared to be an effort by some Commissioners to have the park shut down, Mayor Ken Bradley told the Observer that year.

The fees were later repealed in March 2011 and the park has evolved ever since. In the past four years the park has seen the addition of a new playground, a little free library and most recently a designated small dog area, which opened in April.

“This park has had such an incredible transformation over the years,” Lubet said.

“Adding this new element to the dog section is just fantastic.”

The memorial would have room for at least 1,800 tribute bricks, Lubet said, and Friends of Fleet Peoples Park already have a head start. The local non-profit has aided the park by selling tribute bricks as far back as 2009.

They’ve sat collecting dust since then, but a new pet memorial would mean the long-awaited placement of 136 inscribed bricks, Lubet said.

The tribute could potentially become part of the annual Winter Park Canine Memorial, an event where residents walk from Baldwin Park to Fleet Peeples Park and send paper lanterns floating across Lake Baldwin, Lubet said.

Winter Park will celebrate the event’s second year on July 26 and the pet memorial will go for final approval before the City Commission at a future meeting date.