- December 28, 2024
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A tennis court at Wadsworth Park in Flagler Beach will become four pickleball courts, and the Flagler County government is also considering renovating the park’s skate park.
“God knows we don’t ever have enough pickleball courts,” County Commissioner Donald O’Brien said at a Nov. 20 County Commission workshop. “Plus, you know, if it keeps the seniors off the streets and out playing pickleball, then we’ve got to have it. “
The park contains three tennis courts — a double court and one single court.
The Flagler County government initially planned to build the new pickleball courts in separate areas of the park near the volleyball courts and the park’s entrance, but doing so would have cost more money — $175,000, rather than the currently proposed $100,000 — and would have likely required the county to shift overflow parking areas or the park’s volleyball courts.
“Both of those locations kind of create a challenge for us, because as you know, Wadsworth Park is heavily used,” County Administrator Heidi Petito said. “So we really are not trying to impact an area that has been historically used for overflow parking.”
County staff members measured use at the three tennis courts and found that the single court was seldom used, Petito said.
“I think we’ve all seen it across the community, where more and more people are leaning towards pickleball rather than tennis,” Petito said. “So it seems to make good use of the space, and it doesn’t seem like it would create an impact as far as taking away parking by utilizing that area.”
The county can use park impact fees — fees levied on developers to pay for the impacts of new growth — to pay for the park renovations. The county’s park impact fee fund contains about $392,000, Petito said.
Wadsworth Park’s 24,000-square-foot skate park may also see improvements, though perhaps not as many as advocates who’ve organized a Change.org petition pushing for renovations would prefer.
The ramps at the park were added more than 20 years ago, Petito said, and are made of steel.
“You’re in close proximity to the ocean, so I don’t have to explain what salt does to metal,” Petito said. “It was recently closed for repairs. It is in need of replacement.”
Replacing all of the damaged equipment with new equipment from American Ramp Company would cost just over $233,000, including installation, Petito said. But those ramps would also be steel.
County Commissioner Andy Dance asked how much it would cost for the county to install concrete ramps instead.
Petito said she looked into those costs several years ago and found that a Winter Springs-based skate park construction company called Team Pain could build a small concrete skate park for about $350,000, a medium-sized one for $750,000 or a large one capable of hosting regional events for about $1.5 million.
The numbers now are likely about double or triple those amounts, she said, with a regional skate park costing about $3 million to $5 million.
Local advocates said that a larger, concrete park would give the county a greater return on investment.
“A concrete park ... would be a more longstanding, longterm solution to this rather than continuing to repair, or neglect and then have to repair,” said Carla Cline, a Flagler Beach resident and the owner of Flagler Surf Art & Cool Stuff. “I’m pretty sure skateboards and scooters are something that everybody has had in their lifetime at some point in time with their children or children’s friends. It’s definitely something that the community needs.”
Flagler Beach resident and professional skateboarder Steve McKaig said a larger skate park could attract visitors to Flagler County.
“Having a concrete skate park ... will bring in contests; it could potentially bring other professional skateboarders out of Flagler Beach to have the opportunities that I was able to have growing up,” he said. “And I just think that would be a positive impact for Flagler Beach, with all the growth we’re having. ... I just feel like every kid needs that safe place to come to and just potentially have the opportunity that I was able to have.
Jay Wolfington, who organized the Change.org petition — which had 1,239 signatures as of the morning of Nov. 21 — said a larger skate park would draw tourists who would then spend money at local businesses.
“The local businesses will benefit, the local hotels,” he said. “Because these people are traveling, and they have to stay somewhere. They spend money to go to the local shops; they go to local restaurants. Every time somebody pulls a permit for a contest, that’s revenue. I think if you budget for that bigger expense, it will pay off more in the long run.”
O’Brien asked where the nearest regional skate parks are.
Petito said there are skate parks in Lake Butler, Deltona, Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach and St. Augustine.
Commissioner Greg Hansen said it seemed like the skate park plan wasn’t developed enough for the commission to make a decision.
Commissioner David Sullivan suggested the county consider approaching the skate park renovation as a tourist development project, possibly in collaboration with the Flagler Beach city government.
