The local community has raised over $24,000 to build a park in honor of 12-year-old Abram Sitcer, who was killed riding his bike in the Bluewater Bay neighborhood last year.
Sicher was riding his bike April 28, 2019, when he was struck by a vehicle at the roundabout intersection of Bluewater Boulevard and Southwind Drive. Residents of the neighborhood were “shocked” by the tragedy, said Chris Olsen, board member of the Friends of Bluewater Bay, that are working to establish the park alongside Bluewater Bay Municipal Services Benefit Unit and Okaloosa County (MSBU).
“It really galvanized the community to transform the area,” he said. “Those were some gritty meetings.”
The idea for the park started in late 2019. A GoFundMe was created in January and has since gained support from more than 150 donors.
The hope is that the park will serve as a memorial to Sitcer and be a safe space for children to play.
“We want to honor Abram and his family,” said Olson. “This shouldn’t have happened … we want to make a change for the better and give an alternative to kids to keep them off the streets.”
The park is a public/private partnership between the Friends of Bluewater Bay Corp., the MSBU and Okaloosa County. Olson said the group has worked with the county before on everything from creating more green spaces to benches and even Little Free Libraries. Since the land is already provided, the donated funds will go to purchasing and installing playground equipment. The park will also feature a fitness station, pavilion, benches and a bike rack.
Okaloosa County engineer Scott Bitterman said there were some immediate changes to the area following last year’s accident, including ceramic reflectors, which were purchased by the Friends of Bluewater Bay. The county installed the reflectors, which help with visibility and slowing traffic.
In making more neighborhoods bike and pedestrian friendly, Bitterman said local and state officials are constantly looking for ways to improve.
“The buzzword now is ‘complete streets,’” he said. “It’s a goal of the Florida Department of Transportation to make every roadway a complete street.”
A “complete street,” is a road that serves the needs of several transportation uses, including bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians. But that kind of implementation takes time, said Bitterman.
Over the years, the Bluewater Bay residential community has worked to create more outdoor spaces — they even changed the golf course from 36 holes to 18 to accommodate more spaces to run, bike and walk. The future park aligns perfectly with the group’s long-term plans for the community.
And Sitcer’s family has been involved with the planning as well.
“This is why we formed our group,” said Olson. “We appreciate everyone’s support. And we’re looking for that next community project.”
