Hurricane Ian: One Year Later

18 • HURRICANE IAN: ONE YEAR LATER • 2023 Elaine Allen-Emrich Staff Writer PUNTA GORDA — One year after Hurricane Ian severely damage Punta Gorda's Bayfront Center, City Council members are still weighing options for replacing the public building. Punta Gorda City Manager Greg Murray said the waterfront structure at 750 W. Retta Esplanade must be demolished. The Bayfront Center was operated by the SKY Family YMCA and used by other community organizations, including Learn to Sail, the Boy Scouts, the Historic Punta Gorda Civic Association and the Boaters Alliance. Earlier this year, the Punta Gorda City Council wanted to ensure replacement options for the many groups impacted by the loss of the building. They asked for one member of each these organizations to meet as a temporary committee to review locations that might best serve the needs of the groups. The committee recommended the Impac Center at 900 W. Marion Ave., which houses the Military Heritage Museum, as the top choice for the city to purchase. The City Council currently meets at the museum during the $11 million reconstruction of City Hall. The property at 401 Shreve St. was the second choice, and 517 Sherve St. was third. The Bayfront's current location a few feet from Charlotte Harbor was ranked last, due to fl ooding and other concerns. Each of the sites present challenges, such as inadequate parking, potential fl ooding and construction costs — and not all of the properties are owned by the city. The committee learned the city has $980,000 from the hurricane insurance claim to demolish the 70-year-old building and build a new one. During council discussions, Punta Gorda City Council Member Donna Peterman said there wasn't any additional funding set aside to purchase a new building or build one. She said there were other projects the council is focusing on that still need funding. Therefore, replacing the center isn't high on the funding priority list. "We have City Hall, we have Freeman House and we have maybe a public safety facility," she told fellow council members. "I don't see this being a dollar-a-year enterprise, and so again I think it's going to be several million dollars at least and I think we can't just give it away," she said. "And if you look at our capital projects, this is not going to be at the top of the list. We can't just build the community center because it would be a nice thing to do." Councilmember Mark Kuharski said the city needed "to accommodate" Bayfront Center users, including the Learn to Sail program that operated there. "We have to fi nd a solution that's acceptable," he said. "It sounds like they (Learn to Sail) need more than storage and classroom space. We have to consider safety issues. If there's a storm, they've got to get them (student sailors) uncover quickly." He asked if walking two blocks away from the water to the Impac Center is the right answer. "For me, cost and time is going to be a big factor and accommodating the marine activities, and safely is a big concern," he said. Mayor Lynne Matthews said city staff needs to research costs and how much renovation is needed at the Impac Center. "We need to see if this campus is available," she said, adding it already meets the hurricane and fl ood standards for elevation and permitting. "We have some money from the insurance claim (from the Bayfront Center) and some funds from the 1% sales tax to renovate it." At one of the committee meetings, city planner Mitchell Austin said the city doesn't have the money to do everything it wants, so it must prioritize. "It's up to City Council to decide what is the priority based on the community needs," he said. City Council exploring replacing the BAYFRONT CENTER Sun photo ELAINE ALLEN-EMRICH The Impac Center at the Military Heritage Museum is one option for replacing Punta Gorda's city- owned Bayfront Center that was destroyed in Hurricane Ian. SUN PHOTO BY STEVE LINEBERRY Punta Gorda City Manager Greg Murray PHOTO PROVIDED A Bayfront Center Advisory Committee was recently created by the Punta Gorda City Council to give recommendations to the city on what to do with the badly damaged Bayfront Center in Punta Gorda. The council will receive an update on the committee on Wednesday. "It's up to City Council to decide what is the priority based on the community needs."

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