Ocoee hosts grand opening, ribbon-cutting for wellness park

The city of Ocoee hosted a Valentine’s Day grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Healthy West Orange Wellness Park on Tuesday, Feb. 14. 

The event included words from Ocoee Mayor Rusty Johnson, Ocoee Commissioner Rosemary Wilson and Tracy Swanson, CEO of the West Orange Healthcare District. 

The Ocoee Community Redevelopment Agency and the city of Ocoee partnered with the West Orange Healthcare District to turn two retention ponds into a park. 

In 2021, the CRA finalized the design of the wellness park with the goal of building a wellness destination for Ocoee residents to walk, run, bike and train.

The five-acre park includes a half-mile, 10-foot-wide multipurpose trail around both ponds and four shaded wellness stations, two of which will have suspension-fitness equipment for strength training. A shaded pavilion sits in the middle of the large pond, connected to both sides of the trail by a boardwalk. The boardwalk and seating areas offer a serene setting for relaxation.

The exercise equipment at the park has QR codes that will connect users to a fitness app that can track information including steps and reps. The fitness stations have 10 pieces of equipment with 60 different strength and training exercises. 

The WOHD awarded the city’s CRA with a $2.25 million seed grant for the construction of park. The total cost for building the park is $2.95 million. 

The new park is located directly across from the Ocoee Police Department at 1320 S. Bluford Ave. and will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.