Headlines on PNJ.com: This is the news from Wednesday, August 28
Old, abandoned state hospital in N. Palafox listed for $2 million, Santa Rosa explores interest in a water sports center and Four Winds Fine Foods remodels
Santa Rosa County officials should be able to begin assessing the level of interest in a proposed aquatics center later this week. That comes after a series of meetings on Wednesday in which the companies conducting a feasibility study will meet with stakeholders in the swimming community to discuss an initial analysis of the project.
Pensacola-based engineering firm Baskerville-Donovan, along with Counsilman-Hunsaker, a national firm and “industry authority on aquatics,” will meet in three short sessions with select individuals, such as school swim coaches, to discuss what they have learned so far about the proposal, County Commissioner Colten Wright said.
Meetings are held Wednesday afternoons at 1:15, 2:30 and 3:45 p.m. at the Tiger Point Community Center.
Topics discussed will include information gathered so far from a nationwide survey being conducted by Counsilman-Hunsaker.
The 11-question survey is designed to gauge general interest in water sports activities, where in the county there is the greatest interest in an aquatic centre and how an aquatic centre can best be used, whether for competition, recreation, fitness or other purposes.
The survey and stakeholder meetings are aspects of the community outreach effort. Officials from Baskerville-Donovan and Counsilman-Hunsaker assured county commissioners in November that if they were selected from among three competitors, they would hire them to conduct a feasibility study for an aquatic center.
More: Should Santa Rosa build an aquatic center? The county is investigating
Jim Waite, the leader of the Baskerville-Donovan team, told commissioners that the feasibility study, when completed, will provide “several concepts” of what an aquatic center could look like. In addition, engineers will provide the board with a “visionary concept” and “the minimum requirements” to consider.
“We want you to have an understanding of the scale so you can say, ‘For $20 million I can get this, and if I spend $30 million I can get that,'” Waite said at the time. “There will be a lot of requests, I can assure you of that.”
Baskerville-Donovan did not provide a timeframe for completing its feasibility study, but county commissioners estimated the study could take eight to 10 months.
Baskerville-Donovan officials said public hearings would be held following the stakeholder meetings.
The idea of a county-run aquatic center actually originated in Gulf Breeze at a park advisory board meeting attended primarily by South Santa Rosa residents and Gulf Breeze High School students who wanted to discuss the need for a swimming pool, said Samantha Abell, Gulf Breeze city administrator.
The idea of a swimming pool within city limits fizzled out after an informal survey of city residents found that many of them did not support funding for a municipal pool that would be attended by swimmers from across the county.
County Commissioner Colten Wright, whose 5th District includes southwest Santa Rosa County and Gulf Breeze, took up the aquatics center issue, noting that there was general consensus among other board members to explore building such a facility in a location accessible to everyone.
Wright has said he would prefer to see the aquatics center located in the Midway area between Gulf Breeze and Navarre, with the Garcon Point Bridge providing access to residents of the town of Milton and further north.
