![]() Strickland still maintains it's worth it. Saving it would require "a lot of work, money and effort," he said. "Nobody loves old buildings more than I do, but sometimes there's a limit." "It was well built for its time, but it needs major rehab," Green said. ![]() "It's hard to imagine how you make this a functional building in today's time," he said. Things that are basic to construction now, including roof tiedowns and building features that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, are missing in the 1940s-era recreation center that was built three feet off the ground.Īll that's salvageable in the stucco-covered structure is the wood framework and foundation, Morris said, but he added that even those basic parts of the building are permeated with mold. When Morris was in the building with someone recently, he said the floor started to give way. Green, who recalls the rec center being used for dances, said there's "multiple colors" of mold in the building now, some of which can be health hazards. Water damage would have to be remedied and the heating and cooling system would have to be replaced. The leaking roof would have to be completely replaced, asbestos would have to be removed, mold would have to be remediated and many parts of the structure would have to be brought up to current codes. The building, beat up by eight decades of tropical storms and hurricanes, needs major repairs. By the time all of that would be complete, the cost would probably climb to $2 million, Flagg estimated. Frank Flagg, a former general contractor and current facilities manager for the city of Port Orange, weighed in at the same time with an estimate of $1.08 million.įlagg's new revised figure is $1.5 million – if the work could be tackled immediately.įlagg said even if commissioners made the decision now to restore the building, it would take eight months to work through bids and what engineers and architects would have to do before rehab work could start. They performed their inspections and drew up their estimates in November last year, but those figures probably need to be bumped up by 40%-80% because construction costs and inflation have been soaring, said Deputy City Manager Jim Morris.Īllen Green, founder and head of Allen Green Construction, determined four months ago it would cost about $940,720 to rehab the building. Rec center overhaul could cost $2 millionĪt last week's meeting about the recreation center, two longtime contractors who thoroughly examined the building gave their cost estimates to make the structure useful again. I definitely wouldn't want the liability on us if someone got hit or killed crossing the road."Ĭity Commissioner Stacy Cantu said she was torn between saving and leveling the building, but she concluded it's best to take it down since rehabbing it would probably wind up costing even more than $2 million.Ĭity Commissioner Quanita May said "the overwhelming response" she received from residents in the zone she represents is that it's "not a good use of city money." She said her constituents told her they'd rather spend money on code enforcement and police. "Who will it serve? I wouldn't want my 80-year-old mother to cross the street to get there. "What will be the purpose of the building?" Henry asked. "I think we need to count our losses and just do better from this point forward."Ĭity Commissioner Dannette Henry also doesn't see the $2 million expenditure as a wise investment for the 8,000-square-foot building with a small number of parking spaces. but I am not in favor of saving this building," Reed said. "We need to be better stewards of city facilities. ![]() Learn about Daytona's earliest years: A fun look at Daytona Beach's founding years and early decadesĭelve into more Daytona Beach history: Bethune-Cookman University, founded 118 years ago, still standing proudlyīut Trager and Strickland were outnumbered by the five other commissioners who said it's not worth the estimated $2 million it would take to save the nearly 80-year-old building. City Commissioner Paula Reed said she's "just not willing to spend that." More about efforts to save Daytona's City Island Recreation Center: Daytona recreation center appears doomed City Commissioner Ken Strickland also argued for a stay of execution and a chance to fully renovate it. ![]() ![]() Now, for at least the third time since it was shuttered, city staff members have asked commissioners if they want to tear it down.Īt a meeting last week, City Commissioner Ruth Trager made an impassioned plea to keep the structure standing and restore it. ![]()
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