ECHO panel recommends four projects to Volusia County Council

The Volusia County ECHO Advisory Board Grant Review Panel recommended four projects for County Council consideration, saying each application met the county's grant requirements and met the committee's scoring threshold for a recommendation.

Panel members reviewed and scored individual grant applications and removed the highest and lowest scores per the adopted procedure before computing averages. The projects recommended to County Council are: Little Theatre of New Smyrna Beach (LED cyclorama and LED panels), Hub on Canal (arts and cultural education expansion), Conservation Florida (D Ranch Preserve nature center), and the City of DeBary (Bill Keller Park pickleball and court improvements). The County Council meeting for consideration is scheduled for March 18, according to staff.

Why it matters: ECHO allocations fund local arts, cultural, recreation and conservation projects across Volusia County. Panel recommendations do not appropriate funds; they forward projects for County Council action.

Little Theatre of New Smyrna Beach: The panel recommended the theater's $57,500 ECHO request for production-improvement equipment, a 32-foot-wide, 11-foot-tall LED cyclorama screen to replace the theater's fabric backdrop and LED panels to improve visibility and announcements. Rick (applicant representative) described the LED wall as, "just like an LED television" that "we can program with any content we want," and said the vendor will provide two years of support and a five-year warranty; manufacturer life is estimated at roughly 100,000 hours. The panel recorded an average score of 89 and will forward the application to County Council.

Hub on Canal: The Hub on Canal asked for $600,000 (request and match reported the same in the packet) to construct a roughly 3,100-square-foot education building with two ceramics studios, two classrooms, storage, restrooms and a covered outdoor area. Richard England (applicant representative) said the Hub will maintain the Jane's Art Center brand after the 2023 donation and that the addition would allow the existing studio space to operate as open studio while classes run in the new building. The average panel score for the Hub on Canal was 91.8; the application was recommended to County Council.

Conservation Florida ' D Ranch Preserve and Nature Center: Conservation Florida requested $600,000 in ECHO funds toward a roughly $3 million project to renovate a 5,000-square-foot building as a nature center on conservation land. Mark Rizzo (applicant representative) described planned exhibits, a wraparound porch, parking improvements and trails; he said some outreach programming will include geocaching and "conservation on taps" events that partner informal education with local breweries to raise awareness. The panel recorded an average score of 93.4 and recommended the project be forwarded to County Council.

City of DeBary ' Bill Keller Park improvements: DeBary requested $110,000 (ECHO) with $110,500 in match to expand pickleball facilities from two to three courts, resurface tennis and basketball courts, and add fencing and LED lighting. Staff explained a "clean hands" check required by the ECHO guidebook found outstanding water/sewer fees the city must reconcile before the County Council meeting; staff said the city is working to resolve that and staff will require repayment before final action. The panel's computed score for the DeBary project was 91.4 and the application was recommended to County Council.

Votes at a glance (panel scores and next step): - Little Theatre of New Smyrna Beach — ECHO request $57,500; match $63,000; average score 89; panel recommendation: forward to County Council (March 18). - Hub on Canal — ECHO request $600,000; match $600,000 (per packet); average score 91.8; panel recommendation: forward to County Council (March 18). - Conservation Florida (D Ranch Preserve) — ECHO request $600,000; total project roughly $3,000,000; average score 93.4; panel recommendation: forward to County Council (March 18). - City of DeBary (Bill Keller Park) — ECHO request $110,000; match $110,500; average score 91.4; panel recommendation contingent on the city resolving outstanding county fees before County Council consideration.

What happens next: These recommendations will be placed on the County Council agenda for March 18; Council makes the final award decisions and any funding appropriations.