Renovations will soon begin on the Palm Coast Community Center, a building that has been in use for more than 30 years. But the work will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars extra to complete and will displace several clubs and groups.

  • Palm Coast Community Center to undergo $8 million face-lift
  • The construction work is expected to begin in February
  • Project, which will cost $500K more than expected, to be done January 2018

Bud Tanis said a change in meeting location of his woodcarving club will take some getting used to.

"It's hard because we make a mess," said Tanis, the club leader. "We've got this place. We do a lot of carving."

For 25 years, the woodcarving club has used the Palm Coast Community Center located at the corner of Clubhouse Drive and Palm Coast Parkway. More than a dozen other clubs use the facility, as well.

But after postponing work for about two years, the city plans to renovate the property with an $8 million project.

"The building is falling apart," City Councilman Steven Nobile said. "It's really a mess."

The city used to hold its City Council meetings at the community center until the new city hall opened in October 2015.

City officials said that when the community center renovations are complete, the facility will be three times the size it currently is, including larger rooms and renovated amenities.

City staff said the project will cost more than they anticipated — about an additional $500,000. That money will come from the city's 2018 capital projects fund.

Nobile said the city put off the project to finish the community wing at city hall and was told the money would be saved, but it wasn't.

"It would have served our community better to have renovated that first than to have built this community wing, which basically served the city," Nobile said.

Mayor Milissa Holland said the cost increase is a result of construction costs and materials, as well as a labor shortage. She said it's worth the price tag, though.

"We want to broaden the opportunities and experiences, so I say once again, this is a wise use of taxpayer dollars," she said. "It's well overdue."

Many people believe the old community center deserves work, but it will be an inconvenience to many clubs.

"We'll just have to have a little patience right now, I'm sure, until everything gets done," Tanis said.

The city will approve the clubs and groups that currently use the community center to host their meetings at the city's pool or community wing. The City Council will vote on approving the contract Jan. 17.

Renovation work is expected to begin by February and will be completed in January 2018.