- April 28, 2026
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When word was sent that Country Club East Park, located next to Willis Elementary School, would be shut down for construction of the three new youth baseball fields as early as May 1, some parents were panicked.
With a month left in the school year, parents wondered where would they park their cars and golf carts to pick up their children to be released from school. Parents have been used to using the park to avoid the congested car line.
The families were notified via email April 20. On April 22, some parents expressed their concerns at a PTO meeting, and also sent their concerns to Richard Tatem, the school board member who represents District 5.
Tony Curtis has two children who attend Willis and utilize the park — his fifth grade son, Bailley and his fourth grade daughter, Fey. He was present at the PTO meeting.
“I'm not against having community programs, such as baseball fields and football fields,” Curtis said. “My son plays flag football, but come on, let's do it right. Let's do it right so the safety of the kids is first. That's all we're saying. It's very important to give us some time to plan.”
In Tatem’s message, he said he was frustrated that Manatee County and the School District of Manatee County didn’t have a better plan of action because the school is in such close proximity to the park. He said there were conversations happening between the parties involved to potentially delay the closure, but said it is ultimately up to the county as it owns the property.
“I wish I could wave a magic wand and delay the project 30 days and make all this better, but we are now dealing with two large government bureaucracies — contracts, legalities and all those types of things — that go along with it,” Tatem said.
On April 24, Manatee County announced it would delay closing off the park until May 29, when school ends for the summer. The decision was ultimately made by Manatee County Administrator Charlie Bishop.
Carolyn Bowerman has children enrolled in preschool, first grade and fourth grade at the school. Prior to the announcement of the delay, she said she was frustrated by the lack of transparency and all of the finger pointing (at Little League, at the school board, at the commissioners).
“We feel like the benefit and the best interest of the kids are the least concern for everybody involved in the project, which is really disappointing,” Bowerman said. “Essentially, they're building but they don't care how it affects our school and our kids day-to-day.”
She said it is a significant relief that the county listened to the community so the end of the school year will not be impacted. She said her focus now shifts to the long-term safety of the children.
“We hope the builders and commissioners will follow this positive momentum by collaborating with parents and school administration to design a safe, temporary walking path around the construction zone for the upcoming school year,” Bowerman said. Ensuring our students retain their right to safely walk to school is non-negotiable.”
Michelle Merenda is a parent who has a second grader at Willis Elementary. She said she knows they are fortunate to have access to the park and she doesn’t take it for granted.
“Walker access serves as a critical support system for both zoned and choice families, many of whom balance long commutes, multiple jobs, multiple kids at different schools and complex schedules,” Merenda said. “It provides a reliable and flexible dismissal option that helps families manage daily logistics. We need walkers back as soon as possible during the school year.”
Nate Carr is the vice president of both Willis Smith Construction, who are building the fields, and Lakewood Ranch Little League, who will use them.
He said the previous request to start construction May 1 — pending final permit approval — was due to logistics.
In order to start receiving deliveries of the needed equipment (including light poles) the space (including the park) needs to be blocked off.
Carr said the reality is there is one roadway leading to the park that will be full of equipment, and it is not safe or responsible to mix construction traffic with kids. The plan was to start fencing off and preparing the land May 1 and the light poles were supposed to be delivered May 18.
Now they are delaying all of it.
“We won’t put equipment or materials on site until the site is fenced off and safe,” Carr said. “We always want to ensure safety for all of our crews and the public.”
Carr said he wanted to begin at the end of the school year versus the beginning of the next in August because the first week of school is always chaotic. There are more parents driving their kids to school compared to the rest of the year.
He said the whole project will take approximately nine months from start to finish. This means it will most likely be at least February before it is complete if they start at the end of May.
The school district sent out an additional statement informing parents that they are reviewing arrival and dismissal procedures and are looking for ways to strengthen both safety and efficiency with the changes. They are working on adding a second car-rider lane.
