Palm Coast Opens Southern Recreation Center

Recreation isn’t all fun and games and the city of Palm Coast’s new Southern Recreation Center and Lehigh Trailhead are proof.

The center, adjacent to the Palm Coast Tennis Center on Belle Terre Parkway, is the result of a significant investment in the community, according to a city media release. The project was funded in part by the Flagler County Tourist Development Council and includes a Community Building with offices, restrooms, locker rooms with showers, kitchen dining space, public access to 2 multi-purpose rooms, lobby space, an exterior patio and a balcony. In addition, the facility’s exterior features 12 pickleball courts, six of which are covered for year-round use, the release states.

The Lehigh Trailhead includes park enhancements with a state-of-the-art restroom building, community gardens with six ADA plots and 12 standard plots, a large and small dog park, ADA-compliant paved parking lot with more than 70 new spaces, enhanced lighting, utilities, pavilions, benches and sidewalks. The Florida Department of Transportation played a crucial role in supporting this initiative by providing a grant in the amount of $1,240,000, the release states.

Additionally, the Southern Recreation Center project was designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The LEED rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is the world’s leading green building project and performance management system that delivers a comprehensive framework for green building design, construction, operations, and performance.  As part of the project, the city is actively pursuing LEED certification for the Southern Recreation Center, according to the release.

“This initiative reflects our City Council’s unwavering commitment to prioritize safety and reliability in our services and underscores the remarkable partnerships and cross-agency cooperation between Palm Coast, the Tourist Development Council, the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners, the Florida Department of Transportation, and the River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization,” said Palm Coast City Manager Denise Bevan, in the release.

Residents are encouraged to get involved in helping to shape the city’s future by participating in the comprehensive plan update, Imagine 2050. This initiative offers an opportunity for community members to contribute their ideas and aspirations for the blueprint of the city’s future.

Imagine 2050 is an ongoing initiative to update the community’s vision for the future. Residents can actively participate in this process and help shape upcoming projects and programs by visiting the Imagine 2050 Website for more information.