County commissioners on March 24 unanimously approved a $14.5 million contract with The Diaz/Fritz Group to build a two-story, 28,000-square-foot recreation center that will double as a hurricane shelter on the 16th Street campus.
The new facility, at 1500 16th St., will replace an aging building next to the Senior Center and is expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete. It came in slightly above the original estimate of about $13 million.
Seven bids were submitted. Staff recommended The Diaz/Fritz Group as the lowest responsive bidder. Funding comes from the Capital Improvement Program’s Penny for Pinellas, a 1% sales tax.
“This project represents a huge step forward for recreation in Palm Harbor and marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in both community recreation and safety,” Parks and Recreation Director Erica Lynford said on the department’s Facebook page. “This will be so much more than a recreation center — it’s a hub for wellness, connection and safety for all Palm Harbor residents.”
The center will feature a full-size gymnasium that can be configured for basketball, volleyball or three pickleball courts, along with a state-of-the-art suspended indoor walking track, multiple flexible programming areas, a kitchen and event space capable of hosting up to 400 people for weddings and other gatherings. Additional parking is also planned.
When the project was announced in November, Lynford told Tampa Bay Newspapers she was thrilled about the walking track in particular.
“We don’t have a place to walk inside unless we go down to the mall,” she said. “This climate-controlled, safe track will be accessible via an elevator, ensuring residents with mobility issues can still get their exercise. Palm Harbor is finally getting a well-deserved, long-awaited recreation center.”
Officials said the facility’s focus will be on multipurpose community use, not competition with the nearby YMCA.
Beyond recreation, the center is designed to serve as a hardened, 800-person American Red Cross-compliant hurricane shelter equipped with auxiliary generator power. County Commissioner Dave Eggers said the facility will also function as a “step-down shelter” after storms, providing families a place to stay while utilities are restored.
The shelter addresses a shortage of non-school board emergency facilities in north county, officials said and is designed to withstand critical events beyond hurricanes.
The Senior Center opened in 1999, funded through Penny for Pinellas, state grants and a contribution from the North Pinellas Community Action Council. A partnership between the Senior Center and Parks and Recreation began in 2004.