A Way To Weigh In On Mermaid Park

Weeki Wachee Springs has always been considered a Hernando County jewel.

But now that it's a state park, residents have even more reason to feel a sense of ownership - and the power to help improve the 61-year-old landmark.

The first forum to solicit the feedback and introduce state park officials to the community is slated for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20, at the park located at the corner of U.S. 19 and Cortez Boulevard (State Road 50).

The meeting will put a particular focus on ways to expand the recreational opportunities at the park, said park manager Tommy Ervin, who took over the reins when the park transferred to state ownership last November.

Every state park has such meetings, and this will be Weeki Wachee's first.

"We're looking at Weeki Wachee with a fresh set of eyes, and we're also encouraging visitors to give us input," Ervin said.

But the management that ran the park was also usually willing to work with local groups putting on events and fundraisers, and Ervin said the state is eager to see that continue and even expanded.

"I think it's fair to say that it didn't take me long to understand that Weeki Wachee Springs State Park is still going to be a hub for Hernando County," Ervin said. "A lot of things happen here, and we're going to focus on keeping a lot of those things alive."

On the land management side, Ervin said the state is open to suggestions like one from the Hernando Environmental Land Protectors, or HELP, to open up more land for passive trails and build informational kiosks featuring tidbits on the wildlife and vegetation that surround the spring.

Or the idea by Weeki Wachee artist Julie Komenda to have an artist in residence program at the park, giving members of the creative community a way to weave culture and the park's natural beauty together through demonstrations and workshops for entertainment and education, particularly for schoolchildren.

Or the goal to develop a museum at the park to highlight the park's past, from the ancient peoples who made the place their home to the land's more recent history as a mermaid home.

With an ever-tightening state budget, however, it will take community support to make these things happen, Ervin said.

Part of the plan is to create "Friends of the Weeki Wachee," a nonprofit, volunteer fundraising arm to help bolster the limited supply of money from state coffers.

A steering committee will meet later this month, and calls for volunteers will soon follow, Ervin said.

HELP, a nonprofit group that aims to protect the county's sensitive lands, invited Ervin to a recent meeting and members were "enthusiastic" to lend a hand, said Chuck Morton, president of the group.

"I think he generated quite a bit of interest for the Friends of Weeki Wachee Springs," Morton said. "HELP will help."

An adjustment period, improvements

The last three months, however, have given Ervin and the former park management a chance to get to know each other and focus on the immediate improvements needed to keep the park safe and attractive.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which runs the state park system, had to put together a business plan for the governor's office, "And we're following that plan to a T," Ervin said.

Neither gate fees nor hours of operation have changed, and employees that worked for Weeki Wachee Spring LLC still have a job.

A new, $60,000 air conditioning unit is on the way for the mermaid theater, and the compressor that creates the curtain of bubbles was just replaced.

The cloth curtain on the other side of the massive span of glass will also have to be replaced soon, as will the communications system and the compressor that provides breathable air for the mermaid performers.

Two new tour boats are on order and roof repairs to the park's various buildings are in the offing. The slides and other amenities at the Buccaneer Bay water park are being inspected for safety, but Ervin said he doesn't expect any major changes to that operation in the coming year.

The canoe and kayak rental vendor adjacent to the park will remain in place for now, though the arrangement will be reviewed on a yearly basis, Ervin said. That vendor currently charges visitors to launch their own watercraft, and some have wondered whether a state park should provide free access to the river.

As all this happens, Ervin and the staff - including Robyn Anderson, Weeki Wachee's mayor and park manager, who now is an assistant manager - have meshed, he said.

"At first," Ervin admits with a laugh, "They looked at me like a deer in the headlights."

Now, though, "he's really family," said John Athanason, who served as marketing director for the private company and now serves a similar role.

Athanason said his goals have changed a little bit. There are fewer press releases about the latest movie or video being shot at the park, the kind of publicity that helped the private company - struggling with finances and a legal dispute with its landlord, the Southwest Florida Water Management District - raise money and stay in the public eye.

"It's two different animals, but you have to understand we were fighting for our lives," Athanason said.

But he added there will surely still be lots of activity as production companies seek to shoot on location at one of the nation's most unique attractions.

If you go

WHAT: Public meeting to seek input on Weeki Wachee Springs State Park

WHEN: 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

WHERE: The park, 6131 Commercial Way, at State Road 50.

CONTACT: John Athanason at (352) 596-2062, Ext. 11 or e-mail john.athanason@dep.state.fl.us.