The Bill Keith Preserve is the newest addition to our neighborhood. In 2005 Broward County purchased the 4-acre tract of undeveloped riverfront land with park bond funds. The county then leased the land to the City of Fort Lauderdale for development as a nature preserve. This new park has been named the Bill Keith Preserve in memory of Bill Keith, a dedicated preservationist and friend of Shady Banks.
When purchased by Broward County, the property was a jungle in need of extensive cleanup. For over two years, city staff and volunteers for Shady Banks and Broward Urban River Trails spent one Saturday morning each month cleaning up the property. The cleanup was hard work because many non-native trees and most of the underbrush had to be cut down and hauled to a chipper, where it was ground into mulch. Since the cleanup was completed in 2009, the city has made a variety of improvements to the Preserve and it is now a beautiful shaded green space. The improvements include: mulch footpaths, a riverfront boardwalk, a gazebo, several picnic tables, a small parking lot and a few solar-powered lights.
Our Shady Banks neighbors are proud of the Bill Keith Preserve, and we thank Broward County and the City of Fort Lauderdale for making it possible.