Project One Health JAX and the City of Jacksonville are making a practical investment to help families stay comfortable and active outdoors during Northeast Florida’s hottest months. Together, we are installing two types of “cooling hubs” in four neighborhood parks across Jacksonville’s urban core to support safe play, community connection, and more time outside.

Heat is one of the most practical barriers to outdoor time in Jacksonville, particularly in parks where shade and cooling options are limited. These upgrades are part of our broader work to make “less screen, more green” easier to choose in everyday life.

Two types of cooling hubs designed by Vortex International were selected for the four parks.

Glomist

Two parks will receive Glomist, a solar-powered cool mist system designed to release a light, cooling mist that can cool the body by up to 15 degrees on a hot day. Glomist includes:

  • On-demand activation with the touch of a button
  • Solar-powered operation
  • Ambient lighting for evenings

Glomist locations:

  • Mitchell Center Park (New Town)
  • Liberty Park (Springfield), at 10th and Liberty Street

Glomist is designed to extend the range of Vortex’s CoolHub concept with a fine mist that refreshes the surrounding air and passersby, offering quick relief during peak heat.

Abrio

Two additional parks will receive Abrio by Vortex, a larger cooling hub with a more substantial footprint that blends shade structures and water play. Abrio is designed as a sustainable oasis that supports comfort and social connection across generations, with water conservation at the forefront.

Abrio features include:

  • Multiple ways to engage with water, including soft rain and mist technologies
  • Architectural canopies that provide shade
  • Solar-powered LED lighting that offers gentle illumination in the evening
  • Seating configurations that help make the space welcoming for caregivers and groups
  • An activator that manages water on demand
  • Optional playful elements that foster social interaction 

Abrio locations:

  • A. Philip Randolph Heritage Park (Eastside)
  • Catherine Hester McNair Park (Brentwood)

Both Glomist and Abrio are designed with efficient water and energy use in mind. Their on-demand activation helps ensure water runs only when people are actively using the feature. 

The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services will begin installing the cooling hubs later this spring, with the goal of having all four installed before the peak of summer.

Photos courtesy of Vortex