Council backs cultural/historical reuse for Fire Station 22, asks staff to proceed to schematic design

Palm Coast on Aug. 26 moved forward with a concept to convert former Fire Station 22 into a public cultural and community space. Carl Cody, the city's stormwater engineering director, summarized stakeholder sessions with the Palm Coast Historical Society, Flagler County Tourist Development Council, the Flagler County Cultural Council, the chamber of commerce and local fire unions. The stakeholder-preferred option (identified by consultants and staff as "Option 2") blends historical museum/visitor-center functions with arts/cultural programming, flexible meeting rooms and a catering-support area. Why it matters: The station, a small civic building, sits near the Palm Coast Community Center and the council sought a reuse designed to add public-facing programming without duplicating existing meeting spaces. Several stakeholders asked the council to prioritize historical preservation, specifically the reconstruction of a historic bell tower that once topped the station. Body: Staff said the community workshops held June 12 and July 29 identified common themes: public exhibit and museum space, rentable meeting rooms, a catering kitchen to support events, storage and archival space for a historical society, outdoor vendor or farmers‑market area and rebuilding of the bell tower as a key preservation priority. Cody presented three conceptual layout options the consultant produced from stakeholder input; Option 2 — a hybrid cultural/arts center with exhibit space, flexible meeting rooms and outdoor activation — was described in the meeting as the community preferred variant. Councilmembers said Option 2 best balanced museum, historical, arts and rental needs and noted nearby community center capacity reduces the need to duplicate large banquet space. Outcome and next steps: Council members indicated consensus in favor of Option 2 and asked staff to proceed to schematic design and bring a scope-and-fee proposal from the architectural consultant (Forefront Architecture & Engineering) back to council. Staff noted the capital and parking improvements already in the budget for surrounding parking and asked that the final design coordinate the building program with planned parking and pedestrian access improvements. Ending: Staff said the design cost is included in the proposed FY2026 budget and will return with a schematic design scope, cost estimate and schedule if council approves the next-phase fee.