Art, Recreation and Culture Committee adopts priorities for 2026–27, from community garden programming to racquetball rehab

The Art, Recreation and Culture Committee of Atlantic Beach approved a ranked set of priorities to present to the city commission for the 2026–27 budget cycle, focusing on community‑facing programming and facility improvements.

Committee members and staff gathered a list of candidate priorities — community garden programming at Marsh Oaks, a city signage and marketing awareness campaign, a beach volleyball court setup, monthly social events for residents, rehabilitation of the racquetball courts, and a community pool as a stretch goal — and discussed program details before voting to adopt the list.

Committee member (S4) moved the motion laying out the six recommended priorities and their order. In the motion, Committee member (S4) said, “I make a motion that ARC recommends in our priority list in the order of, biggest priority to least … 1st would be a community garden engagement, classes. 2 would be signage in the city for events, like in the marketing awareness campaign. 3 would be beach volleyball setup or courts. 4, monthly social events … 5 would be the racquetball rehab, and 6 would be community pool.” Chair (S3) called for the vote and members responded in the affirmative; the committee approved the motion.

Staff member (S2) explained the committee’s priorities will be summarized and presented to the commission on April 27 as a general overview to inform the commission’s budget planning. Committee members agreed to refine the recommended items in a shared document and return detailed language by a deadline set for April 23 so staff can prepare the commission presentation.

Why it matters: The prioritized recommendations will shape which programs and projects the commission considers for funding in the coming budget cycle, from low‑cost marketing and programming steps to higher‑cost capital projects such as court rehabilitation or a pool. Committee members emphasized a mix of achievable, near‑term items (signage, programming, racquetball rehab) and longer‑term stretch goals (community pool), and asked staff to clarify implementation steps before the commission review.

What’s next: Committee members will collaborate on a draft document of program descriptions and implementation notes; staff (S2) will compile the committee’s responses and present a summary to the commission on April 27.