Assistant Director Matt Libby, of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, told a city parks meeting that Lancaster Ranch Phase 1B has broken ground and includes a pavilion, a playground and an internal trail; Mount Durbin Park Community Center remains in the design phase; and the city is negotiating with a private developer to demolish and rebuild the Civic Center with an attached hotel.

The update matters because the projects affect city event capacity, park amenities and near-term scheduling for rentals and festivals. Libby said the Civic Center redevelopment will require a full shutdown and demolition early next year and will pause larger private rentals while staff shift events to smaller city venues.

Libby summarized current project status and timelines. "We've broken ground on Lancaster Ranch Phase 1B," he said, describing work on dirt-moving for the trail while permitting continues for the pavilion and playground. He said the Mount Durbin Park Community Center is still in design and that the center is part of a bond package the city approved last year.

Regarding the Civic Center, Libby said the City Commission approved entering negotiations with the Azure Group for a combined Civic Center and hotel project. He said the anticipated schedule calls for a complete shutdown and demolition in the January–March timeframe next year, followed by a full rebuild. "Knock down completely," he said.

Libby said the city’s events team will continue operating and scheduled public festivals and parades will proceed during the Civic Center redevelopment, but larger private rentals that previously used the Civic Center will be paused or moved to smaller facilities such as Oak Street Community Center and Chambers Park Community Center.

Staff also said they will apply for two Florida recreation grants. Libby said the department will seek a Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP) grant of about $112,500 to expand a half-court at Quail Hollow Park to a full basketball court. He also said the department is pursuing an approximately $200,000 grant to supplement previously budgeted capital funds to move the Lakefront Park splash pad’s pump and electrical equipment above ground and add related amenities; Libby said staff recently repaired an underground broken pipe at the splash pad that was not covered by the earlier budgeted work.

In response to a board question, Libby said the Berlinski House renovation is a separate project that is still working through the city’s historic preservation review and that the city manager’s office is pressing to speed that process so the house might be available to host larger groups after it is refurbished. He said unresolved questions remain with historic preservation consultants and boards.

No formal votes were taken on capital projects or grants during this meeting; the items were presented as informational updates from staff. The meeting did record routine procedural votes: the board voted to approve the June ’25 meeting minutes and later voted to adjourn.

The director’s update included multiple forward-looking items that will return to the commission or appear on future agendas for approvals, permitting or contractor negotiation.