As cities all over the world are gearing up to preserve natural entities, creating open spaces and rejuvenating water bodies have become crucial. Add to it the importance of preserving the rainwater and providing cleaner water to residents, stormwater systems are now leading the way.
One such system was inaugurated at Victory Pointe Park in 2018. The City of Clermont, the Community Solutions Group and Powell Studio Architecture took up the project that intends to serve multiple purposes besides stormwater filtration.
We have worked hand-in-hand with these organizations to provide the best structures within the park. Read on to know more about what the Victory Pointe project is all about, how it is boosting the economy in the neighboring areas, and what we have done to help create one of the most well designed lung spaces in the country.
Victory Pointe – What Is It?
Victory Pointe started as a regional stormwater project but soon received enough funding to make it into a full-fledged recreational facility along with its core functionality of filtering stored rainwater on the wetlands.
Here is what you need to know about this project.
Location
Located along the southwestern bank of Lake Minneola, Victory Pointe Park boasts of a 10-acre recreational park with several amenities. It boosts the community involvement of downtown Clermont, in the state of Florida, with an observation deck, walking trails, event stages, and much more. This project was created keeping in mind the population near the western part of downtown Clermont.
Although the intention behind developing this park was to design a smoothly working stormwater filtration system that particularly serves this location, the clear water that gets filtered out into the Lake Minneola has
become picturesque in itself. Vacant lands near the area that were previously used as dry retention ponds were used to build the regional stormwater filtration system.
Lake and Park
Ever since its opening, Victory Pointe has become a key attraction in these serene parts of Lake County in Florida. Overlooking the gorgeous view of the crystal-clear blue waters of the lake, this park has become a prime point of recreation among the residents of downtown Clermont.
Trails, benches, observation decks, and rest areas are attractive for the daily jogger or visitor of any age. For the athletes, the park also provides lake sports activities such as kayaking, canoeing, paddle-boarding, and so
on. Additionally, it includes a triathlon beach, fully equipped for major sporting events. Open green spaces are available for concerts and other large community events.
Stormwater System
Let us now talk a bit about the stormwater system that led to the building of the Victory Pointe park in the first place. With a cost close to $10.2 million, this park is deemed to be one of the biggest community parks in the state. Most of its funding has come from grants and loans.
The stormwater system in itself is a natural wetland filter system, whose main job is to filter rainwater that has been channeled to it through various cascading water retention systems and release the filtered water into Lake Minneola.
This is the heart of the Victory Pointe park and the reason you get to stand on the observation tower and let your eyes soak into the beauty of the clean water flowing into the lake. Read further to learn more about how this filtration system works.
Filtration System
First of all, the entire filtration process works underground, so it may not be visible to you. All you see is the clean lake. Underneath the Minneola Avenue, a deep pond is created where stormwater accumulates after preliminary filtering.
This preliminary filtering is necessary to avoid leaves, pebbles, trash, oil, and other visible toxins from entering the lake. The water remains for some time in the deep pond, where natural filtration techniques such as sedimentation occur by themselves.
Next, the water travels to a shallow pond that is lined with water plants. These water plants soak up the nutrients from the water and in the process filter the water even further.
It then moves on to another shallow pond where the soil absorbs the remaining impurities, cleaning the water even more. This naturally treated water is then released into the lake with as much purity as possible.
Economic Boost
The creation of the Victory Pointe park provides significant reasons for development in the surrounding area. Revenues are already expected to mount up from the park’s recreational activities. To top that, the neighborhood has been gearing up to boost real estate sales as well.
It has been observed that several condominiums and apartments have been coming up bordering the park. With more people moving near the area, other businesses such as restaurants and bars have also begun to boost their sales, with new business centers coming up frequently.
Even those property owners who had to originally sacrifice some of their water retention lands for the building of the filtration system can now benefit because they don’t need the retention ponds anymore. Instead, the filtration system provides clean water for usage to this side of the city. Overall, downtown Clermont has been gifted with a shot in the arm concerning economic development.
How did Powell Studio Architecture help?
Powell Studio Architecture played an indispensable role throughout the design and implementation of the major structures in the park. The recreational park is garnished with several vertical structures that were
uniquely designed by the skilled architects.
One of the most outstanding structures within the park is the 40-foot observation tower that overlooks the clean lake and the walking trails. Powell Studio Architecture was involved in designing the staging area and the restrooms that are closely associated with the observation tower.
The engaging trails and the waterfronts that highlight the central theme of the park are lined up with facilities throughout. These structures were also aesthetically designed and implemented by the architecture firm.
Also read: Powell Studio Architecture – Victory Point Project
Structures of Serenity
Victory Pointe park at Clermont, Florida is a leading example of how natural processes could be utilized to create structures that promote community living and economic upliftment. Through its natural filtering
system, the stormwater project has ensured that the lives of people in the neighborhood are enriched. Further, by providing more open and green spaces, it intends to attract birds and other wild inhabitants to the
settlement.
For the ones who live there, there is always the fresh, clean water supplied from the lake to cheer about. Of course, for the visitors, well, the next time you walk up through the staging area to the peaceful observation tower and appreciate its unique design, do note that Powell Studio Architecture has been at the heart of its creation.