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A Palmetto project turned blight into a community park. Here's how

Stories by Bradenton Herald journalists, with AI summarization

This collection of stories highlights the transformation of a contaminated site in Palmetto into an award-winning community park.

Opened in 2023, Connor Park includes recreation for residents, public art and features to protect the environment and improve water quality in the Manatee River.

Here's a timeline of how the project came together and why it recently won a national award.

In 2019, Palmetto moved forward with plans to clean up riverfront property on Fifth Street West for a future city park.

2019: PLANS FOR NEW PARK IN PALMETTO TAKE SHAPE WITH GOAL TO MAKE WATER CLEANER

In 2019, the process of turning a brownfield site into a future city park in Palmetto was moving along. | Published September 10, 2019 | Read Full Story by Sara Nealeigh

A dog walker enjoys the new Connor Park in Palmetto. The land was a brownfield remediation, and now provides filtering of runoff water in the area.

2023: NEW PARK OPENS ALONG FLORIDA’S MANATEE RIVER WITH TRAILS, ART AND FOCUS ON WATER QUALITY

The centerpiece of Connor Park is a stormwater system that prevents harmful nutrients from entering the Manatee River. | Published May 5, 2023 | Read Full Story by Ryan Callihan

Ed and Kimberley Lee enjoy walking in the new Connor Park in Palmetto. The land was a brownfield remediation, and now provides filtering of runoff water in the area. By Tiffany Tompkins

2026: PALMETTO PARK ALONG MANATEE RIVER WINS NATIONAL AWARD FROM THE EPA. HERE’S WHY

Palmetto recently earned national recognition for using environmental remediation to turn a contaminated wasteland into a community park. | Published January 9, 2026 | Read Full Story by Carter Weinhofer

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.