Vista Construction Projects Underway

Work is underway at Vista to open the site to the public. The results will provide a pathway and dock providing access to the Suwannee River, a welcome replacement for the beloved River Walk, located a few hundred yards away, which was destroyed during the 2024 hurricane season.

Deterrent fencing around historic structures

While the future of Vista's existing structures is still being decided, hog wire fencing and signage has been installed around all of them as a safety precaution.

Architecture students present their concept, providing visitor engagement with the Vista landscape

Vista has become the site of an exciting academic partnership. The Friends helped bring a University of Florida architecture project to the refuge. A 4th year undergraduate design/build course called Reflective Building: Design/Build with the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, taught by Professor and author Charlie Hailey uses Vista as a project site. We hope they will continue to do so in future years. It's a good fit since students get a real-world building experience in an impactful setting, and the Refuge benefits directly from their work. We hope this collaboration continues for years to come.

Professor Charlie Hailey demonstrating a laser level

The concept includes loungers along the riverbank and seating at points along the path where narrative panels will one day be installed describing the history of the place.​

​Much of their work involves hand tools. Here, tenons are being cut in cypress boards.

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Dock - Southwest Elevation - View from the Boat House

The dock itself is a major project in its own right. Now in the engineering phase under a FL Department of Transportation grant, it is scheduled to be rebuilt and open to the public in 2027. The new structure must stay within the footprint of the original dock, which historically included a floating section. We're hopeful that a floating dock can be incorporated into the new design to provide boat access, though that is still to be determined.

Some of the pieces are falling into place at Vista, and we look forward to welcoming the public to this new gateway to the Suwannee River at the Refuge.