Mister Blankenship told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee the Hurricane Harbor building needs design work and possible demolition to move the project forward.

Blankenship said staff want to develop exterior and interior design concepts and renderings so the board, council and public can see proposals before moving into engineering-level detail. He said the city should not leave the existing building standing because it is “not helping anybody or anything” and that staff are considering demolition while seeking funding for that step.

When asked about demolition costs and contamination testing, Blankenship said there is no cost estimate yet and that environmental or hazardous-material testing would be required. He said staff would assess salvageable features—doors, windows, beams and other architectural elements—for reuse in a rebuilt facility, but that an architect or engineer would need to confirm whether specific elements are reusable.

Committee member Paul asked for at least one single-story rendering among the options. Blankenship said staff will provide multiple rendering options for review. Members also asked whether the large banyan tree on the site would be removed; Blankenship said no discussion about removing the tree had occurred and that staff had no plan to cut it down at this stage.

Blankenship said there is a FIND grant for design and permitting tied to the project; he warned that if at least a phase of design and permitting is not completed by September the city risks losing the FIND grant for that work. The committee did not vote on the project at this meeting; members asked staff to continue design development and to explore funding options for demolition.