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Park Facelift Preserves 'Old Florida'

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 17, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY - It's 80 acres of old-growth Florida, less than a mile from downtown and in the middle of the most densely populated section of Pasco County.

A river runs through it.

Workers are putting the final touches on the James E. Grey Preserve, which is slated to reopen at 2 p.m. Sunday after receiving a nearly $1 million facelift that includes walkways and trails, fishing piers, restrooms, signage and parking spaces.

Elaine Smith, the city's parks and recreation director, said visitors can expect to see wildlife such as coyotes, wild boars, deer and numerous species of native birds.

"There's nothing like it for miles around," she said. "It's a real piece of old Florida."

The park will feature picnic areas and canoe and kayak launches for boaters who want to traverse the Pithlachascotee River, which snakes through the city-owned preserve.

The park is named after the Grey family patriarch, James, whose father, F.I. Grey, once owned swaths of land in west Pasco and helped carve this city from backwoods.

Christian M. Wade

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