CITY SPOTLIGHT
Town Square’s new splashpad.
REDEVELOPMENT
Downtown Enhanced, History Preserved Crystal River revitalizes downtown with Town Square by Leslie Bollin City of Crystal River
T
he City of Crystal River is a small coastal town known mostly for the West Indian Manatee, the large mammals that call it home every winter. Tucked away, it is home to the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, which houses hundreds of manatees every winter in Kings Bay and includes the Three Sisters Springs. Crystal River is the only place in the United States where you can swim with and interact with nature’s gentle giants. This small city welcomes approximately 500,000 visitors per year while retaining its quaint, small-town feel. City officials have looked for ways to
18 QUALITY CITIES | FIRST QUARTER 2022
CRYSTAL RIVER Citrus County Pop. 3,190
enhance the City for residents and the increasing numbers of visitors. Mayor Joe Meek, who was born and raised in Crystal River, had the vision to create a “town center,” a gathering place that would be the hub of activity downtown.
After his election in 2019, he set his eyes on a property in the center of downtown that had remained vacant for many years. With the guidance of City Manager Ken Frink , another longtime local, the City Council set out to make his vision a reality. Later that year, construction began on the new Town Square in the heart of downtown, and the ribbon was cut in July 2020. Meek said, “This project, in the most visible part of our town, highlighted that our city was serious about investment and would mark the beginning of a dedicated and focused strategy of redeveloping our city.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF CITRUS COUNTY CHRONICLE
QC
