Since the groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 28, a new recreational center has been under construction at Coral Reef Park.
When finished, this center will connect many existing areas of the park and host community events such as classes, workshops, summer camps, school events, fitness, and educational opportunities.
“It’s going to be for everybody. And I think that’s the super exciting part,” Mayor of Palmetto Bay Karyn Cunningham said. “The building is going to be used for senior activities, teen activities, youth activities. We’re going to have exercise programs, informational programs, and also a space for a summer camp here.”
Providing more than just a space for community events, Cunningham also hopes that the 5000-square-foot facility will bring in revenue for the village by serving as a venue for outside events and showcases.
“I imagine we’ll have art shows there, and possibly be able to have some revenue come into the village – make a little bit of money by being able to rent out the facility, perhaps for a birthday party or some other activity that someone needs a place for because their home isn’t big enough to do it,” Mayor Cunningham said.
Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Inc. designed the building to provide community members with countless resources while maintaining the park’s natural beauty. The new building will be in the same place as the park’s former recreation building, which was removed for safety reasons in 2017. However, without an immediate budget to replace the building when it was torn down, efforts to work on a new one could not officially be started until 2023.
“We had to have it torn down because the building was condemned. It had health issues so we weren’t allowing people to go in, but we didn’t have money to build a new one,” Cunningham said. “So that was poor planning at that time in 2017. Fast forward to 2023, we dedicated $5 million to build a new facility there.”
With outer bands of Hurricane Milton recently threatening Palmetto Bay, concerns about the construction site and progress arose in the community. However, Cunningham was confident that the village’s safety codes would protect the site from both Hurricane Milton and any future storms.
“We send code enforcement all throughout the village to every construction site, and everything has to be secured,” Cunningham said. “So yeah, with the [recreational center], same as every other construction site in Palmetto Bay – all of the sites have been secured.”
