In Pinellas, Florida's most densely populated county, few large tracts of land remain undeveloped. Land use is now more redevelopment than development. Such is the case for a 31-acre tract of land owned by the City of Largo. Once a municipal landfill, the property sat vacant since the early 1970s. Today the site is being reclaimed as a nature preserve and recreational site named Largo Central Park Nature Preserve. The project actually had its beginnings as a site selected by Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) to house a regional stormwater treatment facility. The site is a combination of various ecosystems ranging from hardwood swamps, marshes, upland hammocks, and flatwoods. The park also grew to include 6 acres of an intensely landscaped entrance with a stone wall and gate, a 26-zone irrigation system, 14 acres of mitigation plantings, a two-story observation tower, over a half-mile of boardwalk and asphalt trails, restrooms, and an educational kiosk. At the entrance to the park and along the roadways, the 4- to 5-inch caliper Laurel Oaks (Quercus laurifolia) invite the visitor in by creating a beautiful corridor canopy that offers shade and beauty to the patron as well as food and shelter for the birds and wildlife. As the visitor's eyes wander off the roadway, they really get a feel for the rich Florida landscape with Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum), Slash Pines (Pinus elliottii), American Elm (Ulmus alate), Loblolly Bay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana), Sabal Palm and the majestic Live Oak (Quercus virginiana). With this native landscape concept in mind, the tree, plant and flowering materials were selected to minimize the amount of maintenance and chemicals used for weed and pest control that can be harmful to the environment and rather costly to tax payers. Walters Viburnum (Viburnum obovatum), Green Ligustrum (Ligustrum japonica) and Podocarpus (Podocarpus macrophylla) were selected for some of the shrub material. An evergreen, repeat blooming Daylily called "Lvanna" ssp., was used as groundcover and Galardia, Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susan) and a wildflower seed mix offers a splash of color here and there. Early in construction of the park, an outflow drainage pipe was covered over during exotic clearing and grubbing. Soon after, 10 inches of rain fell on the project as a hurricane passed over the site. Work on over half of the project had to stop for two weeks while the pipe was located and the area drained. Construction workers were also constantly weary of the 9-foot and 5-foot American alligators that were in the lake while boardwalk construction was ongoing. Mitigation planting on the site was predominantly handled by Environmental Consultants Inc. of Odessa, while the more formal park landscaping and irrigation systems were installed by Smith Landscape Services of Clearwater. Trying to construct a peaceful, serene park setting at a site that was previously condemned as a 31-acre landfill certainly had its moments. Trenching for the 4-inch irrigation mainline to be used for the reclaimed water irrigation system proved to be a challenge in itself. Trenching through large boulders, logs, tires and many other unseen objects put experienced irrigation crews in some pretty puzzling situations. This also became a concern for the landscape installation crews, who were auguring holes for setting trees and palms in muddy swamp areas, creating a sticky situation for our skid steer loader to operate efficiently. Despite these and a few other challenges, Smith Landscape Services, Inc. felt that the project was an overall success for the company, but moreso a strong success for the City of Largo and the Pinellas County community. "We strongly encourage all municipalities to value the importance of utilizing their public land to its fullest potential, so that community residents and visitors alike will be privileged and educated by these parks for many years to come", stated Frank Smith of Smith Landscape Services, Inc. Removal of exotics was at times both labor-intensive and touchy. Due to the large numbers of existing trees, exotics had to be hand-removed in areas near or under tree canopies. The park's staff was sometimes on hand while delicate operations with machinery removed exotics especially close to native trees. The exotic invasive trees, Brazilian pepper, Malelucca, and chinaberry, all needed special treatment to ensure seeds were not dispersed throughout the site. Each species had to be treated with a basal pesticide before it went to seed or while seeds were still metabolically attached to reduce dispersal. The entire Brazillian pepper tree, and only the trunks of the Malelucca and Chinaberry were ground and composted for three months to provide mulch for the site. The other parts of the tree and any unwanted mulch was burned on site. Because one of the goals of the project was to provide a mitigated landscape that was not only representative of the best native nurseries had to offer, but all that a native Florida landscape had to offer, an innovative natural seeding program was implanted. Twenty acres of natural areas in Avon, Fla. were moved and collected with a combine. The collected cuttings, along with hand-collected seeds from selective species, were cultipacted into freshly cleared Brazilian pepper areas. Projects such as these that are grant-funded require Landscape Contractors to be flexible to factors such as grant cycles and volunteer labor. Often grant requirements include corporate or local volunteerism to be awarded. This will require the contractor to often supply, coordinate, and supervise the planting. Steve Stanton, City Manager, from whose idea the park began, had a keen interest in developing the site from the beginning. "It would be a shame for a place so wild and beautiful in the middle of the city to not be available for all to enjoy," said Stanton. It truly is only the concerted efforts of many professionals that leads to the successful outcome of any project. This project is no different. Like the spark of imagination from which it grew, Largo Central Nature Preserve is a tribute to those who can see "a diamond in the rough."