- November 7, 2024
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A rendering shows a view of the proposed new community center from Palm Coast Parkway. (Images from City Council workshop backup documents)
A rendering shows a view of the proposed new community center from Clubhouse Drive.
An overview of the proposed community center building
The proposed new building will have three large function rooms, and two small ones.
Head facility clerk Matt Jackson takes a call at the Palm Coast Community Center (Photo by Jonathan Simmons)
The former City Council chamber s used by clubs and community associations that need a large room.
Palm Coast’s new community center will be about three times the size of its current one, and construction is slated to begin in February.
The renovated, expanded center will total 21,232 square feet, with three large “function rooms” — the smallest of which will be the former City Council chambers — plus two smaller rooms. Outdoor features will include a full-size basketball court, a play area, bike racks, a pond, a patio and a trailhead with restrooms.
The project will update and enlarge the current community center, which was constructed at the intersection of Palm Coast Parkway and Clubhouse Drive by ITT in 1975, and has had minimal updates since. Many of the trees on the property will remain there after the expansion. Palm Coast first unveiled plans for a major renovation and expansion of the community center in 2013.
“I’d like to see this project moving forward quickly, because the sooner we get construction complete, the sooner our residents get to use our facilities,” Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland said at a Jan. 10 City Council workshop.
The current plan for the expansion project has Jan. 31 as the last day the center will be open, with construction beginning in early February and “substantial completion” in January 2018. The building would be ready for use in March 2018.
All of the function rooms will have attached storage that could be used for city equipment of by community groups, said city Construction Manager Carl Cote, and all of the community events scheduled at the community center during the renovation period have been rescheduled or relocated.
The City Council has not formally approved construction for the new building, but council members gave no sign at the Jan. 10 workshop that they won’t approve the plan when it comes up for a vote at the council’s upcoming business meeting.
The total project cost is expected to be $7,997,500, with a proposed guaranteed maximum price of $7,830,036 for the construction phase. The council has not yet voted to approve the guarantee maximum price, which is higher than the city had estimated when the project was first conceived.
“We’ve seen a substantial increase in cost of construction, just due to materials,” Holland said. A labor shortage has also increased the cost, she said.
The proposed contract with the builder, Ajax Building, is an at-risk contract, with any cost overruns becoming the responsibility of the builder. Any savings would be divided between the city and the builder, with the city receiving 80% and the builder receiving 20%.
For details and photos as the project progresses, see palmcoastgov.com/communitycenter.
