EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine May 2020 | Page 15

Port Orange Gymnasium Expansion Rendering
Port Orange leaders particularly are proud of a current
community-oriented expansion of the gymnasium within City
Center. Aside from expanded fitness and athletic facilities, “we
are renovating it to be a true community center,” Ferreira stresses.
There will be multi-purpose and meeting rooms, a versatile game
room, rental space for events, connectivity to the adjacent skating
park and a new home for ArtHaus, a non-profit cultural group that
provides opportunities for artistic creation in children K-12.
“Interconnectivity” is the goal of Deltona planners visioning a
series of trails throughout residential areas (particularly along the
Providence Boulevard thoroughfare) to extend to the scenic nature
parks and Lakeshore Drive overlooking expansive Lake Monroe.
Such connector trails also would link with Florida’s regional trail
system that converges in the Lakeshore area. Deltona’s dedication
to trails has garnered it designation as a “Trail Town” by the Florida
Office of Greenways and Trails.
Jerry Mayes has the unique title
as Deltona’s Economic Development
and Ecological Tourism Sustainability
Manager. As such, he sees vast economic
and eco-tourism potential for Deltona’s
numerous nature parks – along with
the county’s Lyonia Preserve, renown
for its extensive scrub jay habitat and
environmental learning center. Mayes
notes that Lyonia alone attracts more than
10,000 out of town visitors a year.
As a designated “Pollinator
Friendly City,” Mayes is asking the city
Jerry Mayes
commission to name this as the “Year of
the Butterfly” in Deltona and is planning
a monarch festival for late summer.
Port Orange and Ormond public and private business leaders
also see economic benefits to outdoor activities and recreational
amenities underway in their cities.
Along the Halifax River in Port Orange, the first phase of a 12-
foot wide waterfront trail has been completed within the Riverwalk
park north of Dunlawton Avenue. The paved trail complements a
playground, splash pad park and open recreation, picnic and event
area, boardwalk and fishing pier. As the trail and park are fully
completed, most of the remaining private land in the Riverwalk
district is planned for restaurants, retail, residential condominiums
and boat dockage – including an upcoming waterfront seafood
restaurant. The trail will be named the Robert E. Ford Trail, in honor
of the late council member who was a main promoter of Riverwalk,
comments Mayor Burnette.
Port Orange-based Dredging
& Marine Consultants (DMC)
designed the Riverwalk park.
DMC President Shailesh Patel
stresses that Riverwalk was
based on much public input
and is meant to promote a
“community healthy lifestyle,
bringing families together” for
recreation, picnicking, socializing
and entertainment, kayaking
Shailesh Patel at Riverwalk
and fishing. Noting the number
of ongoing community events
within Riverwalk, Patel says “it has exceeded expectations of what
this park means to Port Orange and our community.”
Patel also sees economic benefit to downtown Ormond Beach
with upgrades being made to Cassen Park along the waterfront on
the west end of the Granada Bridge. Dredging and an extensive
floating dock will accommodate up to 12 40-foot vessels. This
project will follow up with a complete renovation of the park and
bait house. Patel envisions that these enhancements will facilitate
boat travelers to dock at the park and easily walk to nearby
downtown restaurants and shops.
Environmentally, Ormond
Beach’s Central Park through
the middle of the city is
149 acres of nature trails in
ecologically-rich habitat,
parks and recreation areas,
community gardens and five
lakes that are interconnected by
navigable channels for fishing,
kayaking, paddleboarding
and scenic beauty. An
Environmental Discovery
Center is situated along one of
the lakes in the heart of Central
Park. Stressing his appreciation
for this environmental learning
Ormond Beach Central Park
center, Mayor Partington says
“it is so important that we teach
our youth an understanding
and caring for our environment as they will be the ones who
ultimately take over the efforts to improve our sustainability and
resilience efforts.”
Buschman Park in the heart of Port Orange is a “hidden gem,”
comments Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Ferreira. Off
Spruce Creek Road, the park is 30 acres of nature and hiking trails,
streams and passive recreation areas surrounding a lake. “It’s really
a quaint spot,” he says, good for fishing and bird watching, being a
Halifax River Audubon Society bird sanctuary.
And Deltona’s numerous lakes scattered throughout the
city are ideal settings for the city’s current and future parks,
comments Mayes and Parks and Recreation Director Ryan Reckley.
Mayes outlines extensive plans for parks including Thornby
near Lake Monroe, the 60-acre Audubon Nature Park, Brewster,
Beechdale, Snook / Rookery and Campbell parks. A Lakeshore
Drive boardwalk overlooking Lake Monroe also is visioned, as
is redevelopment of Deltona’s old community center complex
on Lakeshore Drive as a Lakeshore EcoVillage of nature-oriented
lodging and service facilities such as a bicycle rental shop and
restaurant.
Ormond Beach Leisure Services Director Carolin and Deputy
Director Stefan Sibley give much credit to city leadership for
the strides that have been made in the city’s environmental
and recreational / athletic programs. “We are blessed to have a
commission that will listen and provide,” comments Sibley.
“Whether it is a splash pad, open green space, an environmental
camp, boundless playgrounds, fishing tournaments, or a
Championship softball field – Ormond Beach wants to make sure
that our residents, young and old, have as many opportunities
as possible to enjoy and learn about the beautiful community we
live in while building healthy and wholesome habits with their
families,” adds City Manager Joyce Shanahan.
And the cities’ recreational directors also stress that
“inclusiveness” is a big consideration in the design of recreational
facilities. They want to ensure that the amenities and playgrounds
are accessible to everyone, young and old – and especially the
physically handicapped. Two prime examples are Deltona’s
‘Inspiration Playground’ in Thornby Park and the ‘All Children’s
Park’ in Port Orange, another elaborate playground area that
was built by citizen volunteers and funded through community
donations.
“Whether you are age 8, 18 or 80, we should have something for
you. And I think we do,” says Port Orange Mayor Burnette.
David Castagnacci worked at the Daytona Regional
Chamber of Commerce for 31 years where he
served as Executive Director of the Volusia
County Association for Responsible Development
(VCARD), a non-profit association of planning and
development professionals. Prior to that, he was a
news reporter and New Smyrna Beach Bureau Chief
for the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
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