Wakulla County’s Parks & Facility director works to make this a great place to live
By LINDA ANN McDONALD
Correspondent
Cody Solburg is the Director of Facilities for Wakulla County. His love for the county he was born and raised in is evident in Solburg’s outstanding ability to make Wakulla County a great place to live.
Parks and recreational areas are designated public spaces that provide opportunities for leisure, recreation, and relaxation, often featuring green spaces, trails, playgrounds, and sports facilities. These areas promote physical activity, mental well-being, and community interaction.
Parks and amenities are important to the community because they:
- Increase community engagement.
- Create space for people to meet, socialize, and hang out for free.
- Help develop a sense of community within a community.
- Establish and maintain the quality of life in a community, ensuring the health of families and youth, and contributing to the economic and environmental well-being of a community and a region.
- Promote community wellness.
- Encourage activity in kids.
- Create safe gathering places.
Solburg’s projects are areas that bring the Wakulla community together with the common goal of enjoying the beauty and resources Wakulla has to offer. Solburg has worked on Azalea Park renovations with a new walking trail with rubberized surface, new Shell Point boating facility and boat ramp, new Mashes Sands boating facility, boat ramp, floating docks, parking lots, boardwalks, pavilions, and a kayak launch. Wakulla River Bridge parking lot and boating facility upgrades are also credited to Solburg’s expertise.
Projects in Panacea include Woolley Park walking trail and park upgrades and fishing pier, Panacea Community Center building renovations, and the Ochlockonee Bay Trail Head.
The Rock Landing floating dock and finger pier system are also a part of Solburg’s projects to be enjoyed by the community.
“We set out to bring projects in on budget and on time,” Cody says. “A lot of our grant funding projects have strict guidelines and timelines, we always strive to complete these projects the best we can to product he best results possible.”
Cody was born and raised in Sopchoppy, and grew up enjoying Wakulla’s outdoors and natural resources. He is an outdoor enthusiast and loves fishing, hunting, and swimming in Wakulla’s rivers and springs. Cody is supported by his loving family and beautiful wife Jillian and their daughter Emma Grace. Dogs Lucky and Rooney are also a part of the Solburg family. Cody enjoys playing music and has been in multiple bands over the years playing at local venues and surrounding area gigs.
Cody graduated from Wakulla High School, Tallahassee Community College, and Florida State University.
“Most of my life prior to working for Wakulla County, I worked in the construction business building custom beach homes on St. George Island,” he says.
“There are many rewarding aspects to my job. Being able to work for the citizens on projects that benefit the public and seeing the public enjoying our parks and county facilities really means a lot to me. My crew and I take a lot of pride in our county and are very proud of the work we perform in our department. One of the most rewarding aspects of this job is being able to work and live in the county you grew up in and love.”
Cody said his favorite project is the Azalea Park new walk. “It was a project started in the fist week on the job for me,” he says. “I am proud of it and I love to see the amount of people walking on it everyday.”
“Working with Cody Solburg has always been a great experience,” says Christie Mathison, Public Health Preparedness Planner for Department of Health in Wakulla County. “The first thing Cody says is, ‘Just let me know what you need.’ When we are working on a project. Cody responds quickly, he is organized, and whenever I ask to use the Community Center as a special needs shelter in emergencies or to practice a full scale exercise, Cody is always on-board without hesitation, he is always so helpful.”
Listening to the voice of the community is a practice Solburg takes to heart. “People approach me to thank me for the projects in the county and I tell them they are welcome, when concerns and issues arise, I try to address as quickly as we can. We never stop trying to better our community with upgraded public parks, facilities and areas for outdoor recreational activities.”
“Working as the Parks and Facility Director for Wakulla County can be very rewarding and challenging at times. My department is very large and unique in terms of the large scope of work we do. We have our hand in just about everything related to our county’s facilities. We oversee the maintenance of over 50 county-owned facilities, 20 parks and boat ramps. We also handle mowing, landscaping, rentals of facilities, as well as construction management for new construction, renovations and grant related projects.”
Teamwork is what makes the dream work.
“I could not do this job without my staff,” he says. “I have a dedicated team who loves their county and shows up for me every day to do their best for this county. It takes the hard work from all county departments, administration, and elected officials. I want to thank them all.”
Parks and Facilities has a list of projects to enhance the quality of Wakulla living by introducing the construction of a new boat ramp at Wakulla River Lower Bridge, construction of Hudson Park Walking Trail and pavilion renovations, construction of the Pro Shop and concession stand and restroom building at Wakulla Sands Golf Course, construction of Wakulla County Sheriff’s office maintenance garage, the installation of four stand-alone emergency generators for county buildings, Smith Creek Fire Station renovations, installation of shade structures at Woolley Park and installation of ADA mobi-mats at Mashes Sands beach and Shell Point Beach. Newport Campground will also see site and road improvements.
Future projects include a new Emergency Operations Management building, a new Wakulla County Library, a new fire station in St. Marks, walking trail lights for Hudson Park, Azalea Park Trail resurfacing project with bathroom renovations, new playground and pavilion.
Renovations will be taking place at the Animal Control site and Mashes Sands parking lot and beach upgrades are forthcoming.
“Wakulla County will always have a special place in my heart. I love all of Wakulla’s natural wonders and the people that make Wakulla County a great place to live, play and raise a family. I’ve visited a lot of places in my life and there is no place I would rather be than right here in Wakulla County.”
