The SoPac Trail pollinator garden. Photography by Renee Umsted.
Friends of the SoPac Trail is hosting a party to showcase recent improvements and encourage people to get involved.
The friends group has overseen the installation of a water fountain, stone benches, a new trash can and a pollinator garden, where Monarch butterflies were spotted last year. Volunteers have also painted over columns where there was graffiti.
A party is planned this month to celebrate these amenities and raise support for one more: a shade umbrella.
The umbrella, measuring 14 feet by 14 feet, will be placed near the stone benches to provide shade for the respite area. A single pole will support the durable, all-weather canvas umbrella.
“A lot of runners and bikers stop there for a drink or just to take a break, and in summer, it gets pretty hot,” said Randy Elia, who’s part of the friends group. “So this will really help.”
The umbrella isn’t like other shade structures found in parks throughout the city. It was selected to fit in with a “residential feel,” Elia said; the respite area, near the trail’s intersection with East Mockingbird Lane, is surrounded by neighborhoods.
Maintenance on the umbrella may include rinsing off pollen, but that’s about it.
The group has raised $13,500 and needs to raise $2,500 more to buy and install the umbrella.
In the future, the group is considering adding a bike rack or art to the respite area. Signs to help trail users orient themselves are also on the wish list, Elia said. The trail connects the White Rock Lake Trail to the Ridgewood Trail.
The party, which is free to attend, is planned for 1-3 p.m. April 30. There will be sidewalk chalk art and an opportunity to paint pots. Lemonade and refreshments will be available, and a beekeeper will be there to do demonstrations.
