- April 18, 2024
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First United Methodist Church of Ormond Beach announced it sold 42 acres of a 75-acre parcel on Williamson Boulevard to Bridgepoint LLC on Monday, Dec. 20.
The parcel, located next to AdventHealth Daytona Beach, sold for $6.6 million, according to the Volusia County property appraiser. The church purchased the entire parcel in 2000 for $2.4 million.
“Twenty years ago, First United had the foresight to purchase property in the undeveloped area on Williamson between Granada and LPGA with plans for the future,” said Senior Pastor Scott Smith in a press release. “We are excited that for such a time as this we can create a place and a space for people to connect with God and each other.”
The plan is to use the remaining 35 acres of the parcel for The Gathering Place, a new church affiliated with First United Methodist Church. The Gathering Place was created on April 4, and hosted its first in-person service on Sept. 19. It currently meets at Westside Elementary School, located at 1700 Fifth St., Daytona Beach.
According to the press release, The Gathering Place’s mission is to “rediscover ways to meaningfully encounter God and neighbor by gathering differently, welcoming everybody, and loving abundantly.”
But the church has no plans to build a traditional church campus on the parcel, said Amy Armistead, pastor of The Gathering Place.
“Instead, we plan to build a multi-use structure on the property that will serve local residents and the Gathering Place community,” she said.
The press release continues by stating The Gathering Place has focused on “going outside the walls of a conventional church,” by hosting unique Sunday services such as “Kayaks and Communion” at Tomoka State Park as well as “Healing Hikes” at local trails.
Bridgepoint LLC, the company which purchased the 42 acres of land from First United Methodist Church, is based out of Tennessee, according to its website.
Ormond Beach Police are hopeful that evidence collected at Sanchez Park after a fire damaged a jungle gym, pieces of vinyl fencing, a swing and a plastic car on Wednesday, Dec. 15, will lead to at least one suspect.
According to a press release by OBPD, officers arrived at the park, located at 329 Sanchez Avenue, at around 7:39 a.m. Ormond Beach firefighters were already on the scene extinguishing the fire, which police believe to have been intentionally set. Damages are estimated to cost the city $50,000; the city does plan to replace it.
The playground was a memorial to Cameron Brenneman, a 12-year-old Ormond Beach Middle School student who was killed in a car crash in 2012. The plaque installed at Sanchez Park details that Cameron “spent many hours fishing, riding his bike and enjoying nature in Sanchez Park with his friends.”
People who may have information about the incident should contact contact Officer Marianne Mele at [email protected]
Since Christmas and New Year’s both fall on a Saturday, there will be no change to the city’s residential garbage, recycling or yard waste collection schedule.
The same goes for residents living in unincorporated areas, such as Ormond-by-the-Sea.
Volusia County recently announced that the Highbridge Boat Ramp in Ormond Beach will close beginning Thursday, Jan. 6, for improvements.
The upgrades include the replacement of walkways and two floating docks.
The boat ramp will be closed to all vehicles and pedestrians during construction. The county expects the work to be completed by summer 2022.
Ormond Beach Police arrested a second man in relation to the recent series of antisemitic vandalism incidents in town on Dec. 14.
Jeremy Imbler, of Ormond Beach, along with Daniel Howard McGinnis, has been charged with criminal mischief for placing antisemitic stickers and graffiti on city-owned property. Imbler said the symbols were of personal meaning to him and that he has no intentions of harming Jewish people, according to his arrest report, which also details Imbler dressed up as a rabbi for at least one of the vandalism incidents.
“This type of behavior, and targeting our citizens with hate, will not be tolerated in Ormond Beach,” OBPD wrote on Facebook.
