Park honors late town activist
Friends of Bud Zisson, a popular Jupiter resident known for his commitment to improving the town, plan a quiet gathering Tuesday in The Shores to dedicate a park to their friend who died unexpectedly in September 2015.
“He loved The Shores. He loved Jupiter. He wasn’t a complainer. He wanted to make things better,” said Emily O’Mahoney, who lives in the tree-lined community of about 600 residents off Central Boulevard.
The four acre-park was cleared of exotics and replanted with native plants in recent years using about $15,000 in funds from the development and a $5,000 grant from Jupiter.
The waist-high rock marker with a bronze plaque for the park, located across the street from the home of Bud and Caren Zisson, reads “Bud Zisson Park In Memory 1957-2015 For His Dedicated Service to Our Community.”
Zisson was a retired video producer with Florida Power & Light. The New York resident had lived in Jupiter about 30 years.
Many Shores and Jupiter residents remember Zisson, 58, for his constant appearances before local boards and Town Council meetings. Zisson would often come to point out something he discovered during his early morning bicycle rides around the Shores and other parts of Jupiter.
“If Bud saw graffiti, he would buy paint. He would paint it over. He would fix a broken sign. He was our watchdog,” said Bill Thompson, a longtime friend of Zisson who is secretary of The Shores’ homeowners association board of directors.
Zisson was never a board member at The Shores, despite his steep involvement in the community. He also never ran for Jupiter Town Council, even though he attended — and spoke at — almost every meeting.
What gave Zisson credibil- Bill DiPaolo ity is that he did his homework on issues before he spoke about them before the council, said Don Hearing, a Jupiter land planner. Hearing often worked on projects that Zisson had concerns about.
“Bud was fair and practical. He understood there were two sides to all arguments. Whenever he spoke to the council, he was encouraging, not antagonistic,” said Hearing.
Not only was Zisson constantly pushing on local issues, he was active politically, Mayor Todd Wodraska said.
“He was an early supporter of mine. He would get out there and wave my signs on street corners. We shared a love of Jupiter. When we met, we hit it off right away,” said Wodraska.
The park in The Shores at the intersection of Winding Lake Drive and Longshore Drive was known as Slough Park. The renovation turning it into Bud Zisson Park included installing landscaping and park benches with plaques. Most of the benches are engraved with the names of residents of The Shores. But not all of them. One bench is dedicated to Jupiter motorcycle Police Officer Bruce St. Laurent, who was killed in 2012 while helping escort President Barack Obama through Palm Beach County.
“(St. Laurent) was very popular in Jupiter. We wanted to recognize his service to the community,” said Thompson.
One bench has a cellphone-sized plaque affixed to the backrest that reads: “The Bud and Emily Bench. Thanks for making our community better.”
Sitting on the bench on a recent morning, O’Mahoney said she has fond memories of the times she and Zisson would sit there, discussing improvements for their neighborhood.
“Bud would be out riding his bicycle and he would see something he wanted to make better. We would sit here and talk about it. He liked working behind the scenes,” said O’Mahoney.