Commission authorizes $100,000 demolition and remediation budget for Orange Avenue Recreation Center

The Daytona Beach City Commission voted 5–1 on Nov. 5 to approve a project budget of $100,000 for demolition and environmental remediation at the Orange Avenue Recreation Center, 108 Orange Avenue.

City staff said the authorization will allow the city to award a purchase order for demolition work and to fund an environmental survey — testing for asbestos, lead and other hazardous materials — and any subsequent remediation necessary before demolition work proceeds. Public Works Director David Waller told commissioners that the continuing services contract format used by the city establishes travel reimbursement rules but does not itself authorize travel; individual purchase orders may include travel only when appropriate (for example, an out-of-state consultant).

Several residents urged the commission to preserve the building and to develop a reuse plan before demolition. Sandy Murphy said the building is an important site tied to the Women’s Army Corps’ history and asked the commission to consider an interpretive memorial or interactive play area honoring that history. Mayor Derek L. Henry and other commissioners responded that the structure has reached a state of disrepair and that removing the hazard now does not preclude an ambitious reuse of the site once it is cleared and surveyed. The mayor also suggested forming a citizens’ committee to develop reuse ideas.

Staff said the demolition contractor will typically engage an independent, third-party asbestos surveyor and will include abatement costs in the contractor’s scope; the city will review the environmental survey results and return with details of remediation costs and a plan to the commission.

The motion authorizes the city manager to make procurement-related expenditures and approve work authorizations as necessary, and waives conflicting sections of the purchasing code to the extent required for timely execution of the project.