PANAMA CITY BEACH: Local officials are running to map out the long-term of two main recreational amenities on the beach.
City councilors held a workshop Tuesday to discuss a master plan for Frank Brown Park and Aaron Bessant Park. The plan is proposed through Goodwyn Mills Cawood, an architecture and engineering firm with offices in the southeastern United States.
The assembly came about eight months after the council approved a more than $100,000 service agreement with the company to expand the plan, which included long-term expansions that officials said at previous meetings they would like to see in the parks.
“A World-Class Facility”: Frank Brown Park, a boon for Panama City Beach’s economy
Order: Panama City Beach Approves Order Authorizing Special Event Zones and Blackout Dates at Aaron Bessant Park
“There are a lot of other things in many other places that (the council) wanted,” Holly White, deputy city manager of Panama City Beach, said at the meeting. “It’s just an initial conceptual plan. . . And none of this is set in stone. These are just a few concepts about where things are going. “
White also said the goal of Tuesday’s assembly was for the council to review the plan and talk about how to amend it to move forward. It was the first time board members had reviewed Goodwyn Mills Cawood’s plan after approving the service agreement in March.
According to Councilman Phil Chester, some long-term advancements defined in the plan include a skate park, safe pickleball courts, new basketball courts and a BMX rink at Frank Brown Park, as well as a dock for kayaking and boat release along Seahorse Lake in Aaron Bessant Park.
Chester said the board could hold some other workshop on the master plan before it’s finalized. While the plan does not set an express timeline for long-term progress at parks, it does limit the projects officials must undertake.
It may still take about a year before the paintings begin on any proposed park progression.
Those interested in viewing the full master plan, as well as a progression wish list created by local authorities, can locate them in Tuesday’s assembly schedule folder, which is located on the city’s online page in pcbfl. gov.
“For a city of our size, we’re very fortunate to have the park formula that we have,” Chester said. “(The Master Plan) gives us a purpose. It gives everyone a voice about what’s going on with our parks, and (responds) to the wishes we hear (from the community). “