PANAMA CITY – A new nearly $14 million recreation center is just around the corner.
Panama City commissioners on Tuesday approved a request for the city to begin accepting structural bids for the structure of the new Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, which will be adjacent to East 14th Street in Panama City.
This is the same location as the old facility that was destroyed by category five Hurricane Michael in October 2018.
“We’re coming back bigger, bigger and far beyond what existed before,” said Panama City Deputy Director Jared Jones. “There probably wouldn’t be a recreational facility like this anywhere else in Bay County. “
MLK Jr. Rec Center: demolished to make way for facilities. Find out more
“It’s state-of-the-art”: Panama City approves master plan for new MLK recreation center
Jones noted that the former MLK Recreation Center featured a single-field gymnasium, with a recreation center housing some study rooms and activity rooms. There was also a paddling pool, volleyball courts and outdoor basketball courts.
The new center will come with a 12,000-square-foot network center, an 18,000-square-foot dual-court gymnasium, a lighted basketball court, an educational box and a playground for soccer or soccer. It will also come with a STEM lab, art room, recording studio, coaching kitchen, reading rooms, and a giant multipurpose room.
Jones said he expects the structure of the new medium to begin in January 2023 and last between 18 months and two years.
The approximately $14 million allocation will be funded through another federal emergency management company and insurance budget from other city appropriations.
“It’s going to (offer) opportunities,” Jones said. I think that’s precisely what the network would like to see there. “
In addition to offering more recreational opportunities, it is vital to reopen MLK Recreation Center, as it has been an essential component of the local Black community,” said Commissioner Kenneth Brown.
Brown also recognized the younger generation as a driving force in the task of not only rebuilding the team, but also giving citizens an even greater center they can be proud of.
“It’s one of the historical (amenities) that each and every African American (local) has come here at one time or another since I was 3 or 4 years old,” Brown said. “The younger generation that has stepped up is doing a super taskArray. . . And I can’t say enough about the welcome and the wonder I’m that we’re doing everything we can with this group. “