Park damaged by Hurricane Irma to be renovated

COCOA, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - A beloved park that got battered by Hurricane Irma will soon undergo a major renovation project.

This time, Riverfront Park in Cocoa, will be updated with storm-resistant materials and a whole new design.  The city is finally going to remove the leftovers from Irma's destructive path -- two wooden gazebos that were so badly damaged, the city had to block them off from the public. The City will now install concrete structures.

“We used to come more often, there used to be a playground by the picnic area, but there’s no picnic tables there anymore,” said Pamela Gibson.

Gibson and her grandson Rody remember Riverfront Park before Irma.

“It was sad, it trashed the park,” said Gibson.

But artist renderings show what the park will look like by March of 2020. The City Council has just approved the project to revamp Riverfront Park.

For the past two years, the park has been stuck in its post-Irma condition, but the city will spend about $700,000 to give it a facelift.  A chunk of that money is coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  Because the city is using storm-grade construction, it's eligible for some grants. One example is already in place: coquina rocks along the seawall.

The new construction could begin in May.