Two Marianna Parks Receiving Major Upgrades

By: Shelia Mader

Two Marianna Parks are in store for overhauls in the coming months. Wynn Street Park was shut down April 20 for nine months for a full renovation. In the coming months, Circle Drive Park will be shut down also for an uplifting with major upgrades coming to it.

Wynn Street Park

Wynn Street Park in Marianna has long served as a neighborhood gathering place, known over the years for its basketball court, playground, picnic areas, and pavilion, as well as a community building often referred to as the Boy Scout Hut. For generations, local Boy Scout troops regularly met at the park, making it not just a recreational space but a consistent part of the community’s fabric. The park closed on April 20 and is expected to remain closed for approximately nine months as the city undertakes a full renovation of the site. Crews have begun by removing existing playground equipment as part of the overhaul. The project has a total budget of $500,000 and will completely modernize the park’s amenities. According to the Marianna Recreation Director, the renovated park will include all new playground equipment along with updated benches and picnic tables. Plans also call for the construction of a new pavilion, upgraded restroom facilities, and a new multipurpose building, preserving the park’s role as a community hub while bringing updated features for future generations.

Circle Drive Park (Sunset Drive Park)

Circle Drive Park, also known as Sunset Drive Park, is set to undergo a full reconstruction as part of a larger citywide infrastructure and resiliency initiative in Marianna, with work expected to begin in approximately nine months. The project goes beyond simple upgrades and instead represents a complete rebuild of the existing park. Planned improvements include new playground equipment, a basketball court, a pickleball court, a covered pavilion, sidewalks, parking areas, asphalt paving, landscaping, and other site enhancements. In addition to recreational features, the project includes significant drainage and stormwater improvements such as the installation of large culverts, yard drains, and inlets, along with regrading to improve water flow and reduce flooding issues in the area. The park project is tied to post–Hurricane Michael recovery funding and is part of a broader effort totaling more than $5.5 million across multiple locations in the city. While a specific $300,000 figure has been mentioned locally, it likely represents only a portion of the overall funding tied to this site. Once completed, the improvements are expected to both expand recreational opportunities and address longstanding drainage concerns in the neighborhood.