Following a successful community cleanup, Okaloosa County Facilities and Parks Maintenance crews continued the progress of the future waterfront park at the foot of the Shalimar Bridge on Thursday.

• Crews began clearing out vegetation, additional trash, along with some of the old concrete slabs on the property.

The approximately three-quarter acre property has been an eyesore for years, attracting trash, homeless individuals, and illicit activities due to its vacant, unkempt state.

The new park could provide parking, bathrooms, a fishing pier, elevated observation platform, temporary boat slips, picnic pavilions, a small store/bait shop, and other amenities accessible by land and water.

This is just the first of many steps toward making the waterfront park a reality. According to the county, as the preparation continues, the property will be fenced off as construction begins.