Coehadjoe Park zip line project canceled

Officials with Marion County Parks and Recreation no longer plan to open a zip line project at Coehadjoe Park [Courtesy of Marion County Parks and Recreation].

Editor’s note: This story was clarified to reflect that the funding for supplementary materials for the zip line was already allocated within the Parks and Recreation budget, and that site preparations were done internally.

Officials with Marion County Parks and Recreation no longer plan to open a zip line project at Coehadjoe Park.

The $35,500 project at the park, at 4225 NE 35^th St., Ocala, began in January but was halted in June due to safety concerns, said Marion County Parks and Recreation spokesperson Sara Lambert via email.

“We explored the possibility of a zip line with enthusiasm,” said county spokesperson Stacie Causey via email. “However, after installing and prior to opening this piece of playground equipment for public use, potential safety concerns led our Parks and Recreation team to cancel the project and schedule removal.”

The county’s concern for safety came from the actual use of the zip line after its installation.

The project is scheduled to be removed during August, Lambert said.

The site preparations were done internally and installation was done by Kompan Inc., a playground equipment manufacturer.

The county spent about $25,000 on the zip line project before it was scrapped. This does not include the money that was spent on ramps, borders and mulch, but those materials will be reallocated to other parks, Lambert said.

Funds for materials such as ramps, borders and mulch were already allocated within the Parks and Recreation budget.

In the wake of the zip line cancellation, no other projects have been planned to enhance the park in its place.