Jaco Pastorious Park story
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Oakland Park almost done with park named for late jazz great
Oakland Park site named after late jazz musician
By Jonathan Del Marcus | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 12, 2008
A new city park in Oakland Park intended to serve as a cultural hub is
nearing its planned official opening Dec. 1.
Named after the late influential jazz musician with strong ties to the
city, Jaco Pastorius Park near the corner of Dixie Highway and Northeast
38th Street will feature a Central Park-type appearance and a musical
theme specifically chosen in his memory, said Ray Lubomski, an assistant
to the city manager.
"He pretty much grew up most of his life here in Oakland Park — played
in the local bands until he became pretty famous as a bass guitarist,
traveled with Weather Report and a couple of other bands and went on the
international circuit," Lubomski said. "He had, and I think still does,
a tremendous international following."
The project is being planned in two phases. The first includes an
entryway sign, sidewalks, a walking trail, native landscaping and
plantings, irrigation, electrical fixtures, lighting and a sculpture art
feature that can be seen throughout the park, said Jenna LaFleur,
director of the city's Parks and Leisure Services Department. These
features are expected to cost about $1.1 million and be completed by the
end of November.
Although the city's Oktoberfest celebration was recently held at the
park, landscaping and key structural features have yet to be installed.
City officials are planning the ribbon-cutting ceremony to coincide with
the completion of the first phase and what would have been Pastorius'
57th birthday.
The signature art feature will be an innovative piece created from pipes
designed by the Fort Lauderdale office of EDSA, a firm that designs
landscape architecture throughout the world. When trains along Dixie
Highway pass, the pipes will vibrate in musical tones, Lubomski said.
"The train he used to hear at night rolls by the park," said Oakland
Park resident Robert Rutherford, who noted Pastorius' fascination with
the trains that pass through the city along Dixie Highway. "It's perfect."
In addition, Oakland Park Main Street will pay an artist to create a
mural for the park with a musical theme honoring Pastorius, said Siegi
Constantine, executive director of the organization that works with city
officials and the business community to enhance the city's quality of life.
Pastorius, who died in 1987, "holds a unique place in the music world.
His contribution has really changed jazz, and it is important to
recognize someone who has been a part of the fabric of the city to have
a place of honor," Constantine said.
Although plans for the second phase haven't been finalized, ideas
include a parking area, a courtyard with brick pavers, and shaded space
for board games, exercise classes and public readings, LaFleur said.
The second phase is projected to cost the city about $1 million,
Lubomski said.
The city has successfully navigated a number of challenges to make the
project the focal point of the northern area of its redevelopment of
Northeast 12th Avenue and surrounding areas, said Pat Himelberger, an
assistant to the city manager.
The genesis for the park began when the Treasure Coast Regional Planning
Council held a design-planning workshop in 1999. The public meeting
solicited community input, and the idea was brought up to purchase land
to designate as a park, Himelberger said.
In three separate transactions that cost about $6 million, the city
purchased 7 acres of contiguous land with funds from the Broward County
Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Program, Himelberger said.
Last year, the City Commission, after much urging from the community,
decided to name the park after Pastorius. Community members, including
Rutherford and Anne Sallee, helped persuade the city and Pastorius'
family to agree to name the park after the jazz legend. These efforts
included petition drives and writing a proposal.
According to the guidelines of the county's bond program, the city is
required to maintain 70 percent of the park for open green space and
passive recreation, LaFleur said. Because of this restriction, it will
add recreational and cultural possibilities not currently available in
the city's parks.
"We have a great athletic complex. We have a nature preserve. I think
one thing we are missing is a passive place in the center of town, in
the downtown area, that people can come to at their leisure and do
whatever they want to do — read a book, fly a kite," she said.
City officials and community leaders are hoping the park becomes a
cultural arts magnet that hosts a variety of events.
"I'd love to do some sort of concert in the park ... or movies in the
park. I think that is a perfect venue for those types of events. And
maybe an arts and crafts festival," LaFleur said.