Annie Donnelly Park

Annie Donnelly Park. Established October 1924. , In the fall of 1924, J. P. Donnelly, persuaded by the Mount Dora Woman's Club, agreed to sell to the City what is now Annie Donnelly Park for the sum of $45,000. On October 12 of that year, the City accepted the property and authorized the issuance of coupon books to provide the necessary funding. Mr. Donnelly placed one condition on the sale of the land , that the park be named in honor of his deceased wife Annie Donnelly. The concrete block in the entrance plaza with the inscription “Annie Donnelly Park , 1925” is the original. The Mount Dora Park Commission, an elected board, was charged with the duties of developing and maintaining the park. The charter members of this commission were: C, G. Edgerton, Mrs. Ruth Rehbaum, Josephine Simpson, John J. West and Daniel H. Bishop. A band shell, placed in the center of the property, was the first improvement made to the park. In 1926 the Park Commission installed two shuffleboard courts at the southwest end of Donnelly Park and organized the first shuffleboard club in the City. , Renovated November 1999. In 1992, the City determined that the park needed to be renovated. The goal of the renovation was to enhance the features of the park in a manner that maintained its character. An extensive public opinion survey was conducted and numerous public workshops were held to determine how the renovation would be done. The primary needs identified in this public process were to provide an entrance to the park that improved pedestrian access from the downtown, to create a more usable building and to expand the spaces used for outdoor performances. The plan for the park was approved by the Mount Dora City Council in 1998. , , Mount Dora City Council , Paulette Alexander, Mayor , Guy White, Vice Mayor, District 1 , Fay Brooks-Williams, District 2 , George Romano, District 3 , A. J. Bogart, District 4 , Adrianne Lowe, At-Large , Jim Snell, At-Large , Bernice Brinson, City Manager , Rod Stroupe, Public Services Director , Gary J. Cooney, City Attorney. , Financial assistance provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection through the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program, the First National Bank Mount Dora Community Trust, and the Mount Dora Community Redevelopment Agency.