Editorial: Griffin gift continues Palm Beach record of collaboration for public good

It was welcome news last week when word came that billionaire Ken Griffin, Palm Beach's largest property owner, had donated $7 million to the revitalization project at Phipps Ocean Park.

Mr. Griffin's residential holdings are on the south end of the Estate Section, close to where the park is located, so it makes sense for him to want to enhance the area. But, from our perspective, it is important to acknowledge his decision to contribute to a town entity for a project on the island.

We recently editorialized on the importance of residents giving to local nonprofits and charities, including those that serve the broader Palm Beach County area.

Mr. Griffin, who also owns two major office buildings on Worth Avenue, is a Miami resident, but he's building a home in Palm Beach for his mother on part of his estate just south of The Mar-a-Lago Club. Last year, during a talk at the Society of the Four Arts, he speculated that he might one day retire to a home he planned to build in Palm Beach. We take his donation to mean that he has a level of commitment to the town and ensuring that its amenities are up to par.

"This project will elevate the park into a world-class public space and ensure that it remains an important destination in Palm Beach for families and friends to gather," Mr. Griffin said in a prepared statement about his donation.

Kudos to the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach on its leadership of the Phipps Park Project. It seems the initial goal of $30 million to complete the project, plus an endowment, is edging closer to reality for the project, which was designed by landscape architect Raymond Jungles.

Griffin's donation brings the total raised by the foundation to $29 million. Additional costs have increased the overall project budget to $33 million, leaving about $4 million left to secure.

The town also has done its part in ensuring that the project is able to proceed smoothly, including the approval of a $30 million contract for construction-related services.

The project is the latest in recent examples of town officials, businesses, nonprofit institutions and residents collaborating to elevate recreational facilities.

The Preservation Foundation also led the redevelopment of Bradley Park, which was completed in 2017. The Foundation paid for the $2.7 million project, which included $400,000 for redesign work and $2.3 million for construction. SMI Landscape Architecture designed the new look for Bradley Park; and resident Stephen A. Levin donated a historic green buttonwood tree that was relocated from his house and replanted in the park.

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That project was part of a revitalized northern gateway to the town that includes the Flagler Memorial Bridge, which opened in 2017, and the reinvigorated Royal Poinciana Plaza.

The addition of a tidal garden in 2021 along the Lake Trail by the Garden Club of Palm Beach helped to enhance Bradley Park. The sunken-gardens system, which features native plants, directs water from King Tides back into the water table at the 4-acre park and was created by SMI Landscape Architecture.

The tidal garden is a beauty to behold when it does what it was built for.

More recently, we saw where resident Scott Snyder led the charge to raise money for the redesign of Lake Drive Park, which is adjacent to the Town Marina.

The original plan to build a new $38 million marina, a super-yacht destination, did not include any changes to the park, but the redesign effort for the park began with a fundraising campaign led by Snyder, an interior designer. The public/private fundraising partnership raised $2.5 million. Landscape design firm Nievera Williams donated its services for the project.

The 6.5-acre park south of the Royal Park Bridge's entrance into town now incorporates more than 30 species of native plants, expansive lawns, paver walkways, dog fountains and decorative benches at the vista next to the Town Marina.

Last year, the redesign of the Lake Drive Park received the Preservation Foundation's Lesly S. Smith Landscape Award.

It's good to see the commitment everyone has to helping to make Palm Beach a place where residents have top-tier amenities to play where they live as they so chose.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Editorial: Griffin gift continues Palm Beach record of collaboration