A.G. Gancarski
Those in West Ormond Beach looking for more to do will soon be in luck.
House and Senate budget conference committees have agreed to allocate $522,639 to Ormond Beach for its directionally named West Ormond Recreational Community Center, a priority of Sen. Tom Wright.
The state money will be matched dollar for dollar by local money.
Ormond Beach’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan envisioned the facility as a way to fill the gap and provide services to the fast-growing western part of the city, allowing for indoor and outdoor activities. The nonrecurring funding will help to fulfill that vision and facilitate a shovel-ready project.
Locals hope the project creates opportunities on the west side of the city, rectifying a geographical imbalance west of Interstate 95.
“I think something really fabulous needs to go out there to keep making Ormond Beach better and better,” City Commissioner Susan Persis said last year.
Though this issue appears to be resolved, budget negotiations have days to go.
Budget conference subcommittees will meet throughout the week to resolve differences in each area. When remaining issues reach an impasse, they will be “bumped” to the full budget conference committee.
Lawmakers must reach an agreement on a final spending plan by May 2 to meet the 72-hour “cooling off” period required by the state constitution before they can vote on the budget to avoid pushing the Regular Session past its scheduled May 5 end date.
