PALM COAST
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 16, NO. 12
Dentist finishes 6 marathons 1B
FREE ON NEWSSTANDS | THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2025
Mayor Norris censured in 4-0 vote Norris admitted he ‘requested’ resignations of staff. Investigation says he’s created a hostile environment. 3A
Battle for the future of beach sand
$16 million YMCA is planned for Palm Coast
County Commission continues debate over who should pay. PAGE 2A INSIDE BENCH BUDDIES
Buddy Taylor Middle School unveils a little bit of nature transformed from 500 pounds of bottle caps PAGE 4B
WELLNESS CENTER
Flagler Schools plans to open Wellness Center at Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club in July PAGE 5A
White View Parkway improvement project begins this spring The $7.9 million White View Parkway Safety Improvement project that has been in the works since 2017 is finally ready to begin construction; it’s expected to take around nine months to complete. Council member Charles Gambaro pointed out that the project is funded through transportation impact fees and the street improvement fund. The city also received a grant of $1.6 million because the Rollings Sands intersection was noted in a 2017 study as “one of the top 10 for crash severity.” The project will add a flashing pedestrian beacon, sidewalk and path extensions, multiple turn lanes and drainage improvements. Turn lanes will be added at the following median openings: Wood Ash Lane, Rolling Sands Drive, White Mill Drive, Whippoorwill Drive, Ravenwood Drive, Princess Rose Drive and Pine Tree Drive. Several median openings will be changed as well, including a major change at Rolling Sands Drive. To add in a combined westbound left turn lane onto Rolling Sands and a westbound merge lane onto White View from Rolling Sands, the three median openings that currently exist will be merged into one. For further details, see this story on observerlocalnews.com.
A rendering of a YMCA building being proposed for Palm Coast’s Town Center.
The Volusia Flagler Family YMCA is asking for a contribution of $3 million from both Palm Coast and Flagler School Board. SIERRA WILLIAMS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
It’s been 14 years since Palm Coast’s YMCA gym closed. Now, the Volusia Flagler Family YMCA is ready to start again with a new $16 million facility in Palm Coast. All Palm Coast needs to contribute is $3 million, said Chris Seilkop, the president and CEO of the Volusia Flagler Family YMCA. The YMCA will ask the same amount from the Flagler County School Board, he said, as the YMCA plans to work with the schools to offer space and programs for young people. Seilkop said he’s rarely seen a community as invested in having their own YMCA as this one. “This is by far the most energetic
community I’ve seen in wanting a YMCA,” he said. “The zeal is very refreshing, to be honest with you.” The biggest draw is the Olympicsized swimming pool. Seilkop said he has analyzed the needs of the Flagler County and Palm Coast communities and the two biggest needs, he said, are a pool and a gym. The proposed facility is planned for Central Avenue, adjacent to The Stage at Town Center. According to the Flagler County Property Appraiser’s website, the lot is a 12.4-acre lot that is owned by Palm Coast. Meeting documents state the facility would be 44,000 square feet in size and feature multiple amenities, including a sports gym with three volleyball courts, childcare rooms, a wellness center, a group exercise room and locker rooms. The swimming pool with 18-21 lanes, according to the meeting documents and be 8.5 feet deep on the deep end. The pool will be zeroentry, meaning the entrance will be sloped, without steps or stairs. There will not be a diving space. “I’ve tried to design the pool
based on the needs I’ve heard of the community,” he said. A zero-entry pool would allow for physical therapy treatments for patients, Seilkop said. Additionally, he said, the programs offered at the facility would be tailored to the Flagler County community, possibly including programs like synchronized swimming, lap lessons and water aerobics. The Y is not making plans to take over but to “fill in the gaps” of what a community needs for programs. “My job is to create win-winwins,” he said. “Wins for the community, wins for the YMCA and wins for the city.” While the city has struggled to keep the Palm Coast Aquatics Center running, Seilkop, in contrast, was confident. He even suggested that, with the council’s approval, the YMCA team could help city staff with running the Freida Zamba pool and possibly save the city money. “We think we can do it more efficiently and provide the same services, if not more,” he said. Down the line, the goal would be
City turns 100 Flagler Beach begins centennial celebration with a block party.
INDEX
Business..................... PAGE 8A Calendar..................... PAGE 2B Cops Corner............... PAGE 6A Letters.......................PAGE 10A Public Notices............ PAGE 9B Sports......................... PAGE 5B Real Estate................. PAGE 9A
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ON NEWSSTANDS.
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Over easy Flagler Palm Coast athletes win 10 events at district track meet. PAGE 6B
Young talent
Soccer player Micah Reynolds plays with National 13U Olympic Development Program team.
$52 / Y E A R
ON YOUR DRIVEWAY.
to replace the facility. “With approval from the city, approval from the School Board, our conversation changes from ‘coming soon’ to ‘coming,’” said Volusia Flagler YMCA board member John Walsh. But the funding request is no small matter. Previously, Palm Coast and Volusia Flagler YMCA have sought funding for a Flagler County YMCA through state appropriations in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, the YMCA received a $5 million grant, $1 million of which was intended toward a new facility in Flagler County. Palm Coast’s $6 million request for state appropriations toward a YMCA was vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2024. Flagler County has not had a YMCA since its last facility — which rented space from thenFlorida Hospital Flagler — closed in 2011. Seilkop said fundraising would take around 18 months. “It’s fluid,” he said. “Maybe two years, maybe sooner. It all depends.”
FPC’s Tanner Cauley-Bennett clears the pole vault bar. Photo by Brent Woronoff
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