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Around 40 people attended a public meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 2, to review plans for phase one of Daughtery Road Park, 12 acres on the northeast corner of a 28-acre property between West Daughtery Road and Gibsonia-Galloway Road.
While some residents were pleased that the county is working to meet demands for recreational sports in the area, others shared concerns about the development’s impact on traffic, light pollution and property values.
Michael Callender, parks and recreation administrator for Polk County, said they will begin the permitting process soon and they hope to complete construction by fall 2027.
Phase one includes:
- Three multipurpose artificial turf fields for sports
- Concession stand and restroom facility
- Musco field lighting
- Infrastructure including roads and parking areas
If budgeting allows, the county will also add an inclusive playground and picnic pavilions, said Coral White, Polk County parks project manager.
The development is part of a larger $12.6 million improvement project that includes updates to Hunt Fountain Park, where the county is already in the process of converting four existing soccer fields to artificial turf.
More fields needed
Callender said that Hunt Fountain Park has been overcrowded for years as a demand for field space outpaces the county’s current resources. The three turf fields at Daughtery Road Park will accommodate various sports, including football and lacrosse, but the need for soccer fields has been a primary driver of the project.
Callender said they’ve chosen turf largely because it is safer and easier to maintain. “We just can’t keep up with the amount of kids, children and adults, and everybody else that wants to play on these fields,” he said. “The upkeep on natural grass, we just can’t do it.”
Artificial turf “provides a much safer, consistent surface, no matter what the weather is. No matter what happens out there, these kids are going out there, and they’re playing on a good, smooth, level surface.”
Daughtery Road Park Master Plan | Courtesy of Polk County Parks and Recreation 
Phase One Daughtery Road Park Site Plan | Courtesy of Polk County Parks and Recreation 
Daughtery Road Park Lighting Plan | Courtesy of Polk County Parks and Recreation 
Daughtery Road Park Berm Sections | Courtesy of Polk County Parks and Recreation
The fields will also be equipped with LED lights with glare and light-spillage protection. They’re provided by Musco, a company that has worked with Polk County for “probably 30 years,” Callender said.
“All the light that those lights produce goes directly on the field. You can walk 10 feet away from that field, and it’s dark,” Callender said. “You can use less light fixtures if you direct all the light on the fields, which means less electricity.”
Lights will be scheduled by the county in collaboration with youth leagues, then controlled remotely by Musco. Leagues will be provided with a turn-off code to be used as needed.
Nearly 20 years in the making
Callender explained that the Daughtery Road project began in 2006 when the board of county commissioners identified the need for additional recreational space in north Lakeland. The land adjacent to Daughtery Road was purchased in 2007 for a little over $2 million, he said.
The county held three public meetings at the time and developed the original master plan in 2008. “Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough funding to carry through and build the park at that point in time,” Callender said.
Now, 17 years later, “Our county commissioners were very generous, allocating some additional funding this year to get this off the ground.” The 2024-2025 Polk County budget allocated $6.925 million from the general fund for Daughtery Road Park, plus an additional $5.676 million from the parks municipal service taxing unit, Callender said.
The original permits for the development have expired, meaning the county will have to go through the design and permitting process for a second time. Callender expects to complete the permitting process by the end of May, at which time, the county will ask for construction bids.
If all goes to plan with no big hiccups, he is hopeful that they will complete phase one of Daughtery Road Park in fall 2027.
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