- April 26, 2024
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The lobby renovations to the Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center could soon get a significant funding boost.
The lobby renovations to the Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center could soon get a significant funding boost.
The Ormond Beach City Commission unanimously approved the submittal of an ECHO grant application via its consent agenda at its meeting on Tuesday, March 22, for the renovation of the Ormond Beach Performing Arts Center, a project that has been in the works since 2019. ECHO, which stands for Environmental, Cultural, Historical and Outdoor Recreation, is a Volusia County voter-approved program that funds projects in these categories. The city is requesting a $600,000 grant, which is the maximum allowed, since the renovations are estimated to cost $1.4 million.
The city is planning to provide $810,384 in a cash match from its general fund reserves, according to a city memo. The Friends of the PAC, a nonprofit whose mission is to assist in the facility’s renovation, is committed to paying any additional costs, beyond the ECHO grant and city match funding. The Friends of the PAC have received three grants from the Daytona Beach Racing and Recreational Facilities District since July 2020, totaling $423,250.
In 2019, the City Commission OK’ed plans to redo the lobby and main hallway of the PAC, which is located at 399 N. U.S. 1. The 1982 building used to be a church. The city purchased it in 1988, and opened it as the Performing Arts Center in 1991. No major updates have been conducted since.
In attendance at the commission meeting was Lucy Jackman, president of the Friends of the PAC. She was recognized for her work spearheading the PAC’s renovation efforts.
“I’m so proud of all the hard work you’ve done all these years for it,” City Commissioner Susan Persis said. “It is not easy, and unfortunately, the wheels kind of turned a little slowly. I think you know we’re all behind you. Thank you for trying to make Ormond Beach even better.”
City Commissioner Dwight Selby added that, though Jackman is surrounded by other hardworking individuals in the effort, it was her dedication and commitment that has moved the project forward.
“Thank you for doing that,” Selby said. “Thank you for loving the Performing Arts Center and working hard on it and being a part of a community in making it better.”
Mayor Bill Partington asked Jackman to stand during the commission comments’ portion of the meeting, held at the end. Members of the audience clapped for her.
“This woman and her team that she’s put together ... has singlehandedly worked so hard for the Performing Arts Center in Ormond Beach,” Partington said. “It’s been amazing to watch her passion for that, and so the results of that ECHO grant being on tonight’s agenda, I think it’s wonderful and we’ve come a long way.”
