Flagler Estates celebrates community center, set to fully open later this month

Sheldon Gardner, St. Augustine Record
·2 min read
County officials, community members and others gather on Friday morning for the ribbon cutting at the Flagler Estates Community Center.
County officials, community members and others gather on Friday morning for the ribbon cutting at the Flagler Estates Community Center.

Residents of Flagler Estates will soon have full access to a long-awaited community center.

Members of the community, elected officials and others gathered Friday morning at 9960 Oliver Ave. in Hastings to celebrate the center, which is complete except for some finishing touches, said Jamie Baccari, St. Johns County's assistant director of parks and recreation.

'Feathers everywhere': Flagler Estates dog attack stokes concerns, prompts meeting

Looking to beat the Florida heat?: Here are 10 fun things to do indoors around the state

David Williams, Flagler Estates Community Redevelopment Area Steering Committee chair, prepares to cut a ribbon on Friday morning alongside other officials at the new Flagler Estates Community Center.
David Williams, Flagler Estates Community Redevelopment Area Steering Committee chair, prepares to cut a ribbon on Friday morning alongside other officials at the new Flagler Estates Community Center.

Flagler Estates, which is largely rural, sits in the southwestern section of the county.

The county hopes to fully open the community center and start planning events by the end of this month, Baccari said. The playground, basketball court and field are accessible to the community now.

"It's going to be a great opportunity for the community ... We will be able to provide local resources, such as Flagler Hospital, probably a bookmobile ― but we'll partner with other local not-for-profit agencies," she said.

The goal is to provide resources for people and a place for meetings and events, such as family gatherings. The space will be available for rentals, she said. Information on renting a space will be posted at sjcfl.us/Recreation.

According to a county press release, the facility includes:

  • About 1,240 square feet of community space

  • ADA access to everything

  • A walking trail

  • A drinking station and bicycle station

  • A playground

  • Shade structures

  • Upgraded and expanded parking

  • Climate-controlled restrooms

The county's efforts began several years ago when the county Parks and Recreation Department applied for a federal Community Development Block Grant, Baccari said. The funding came through, but the project was delayed by COVID-19.

The grant was for $584,000, according to the county.

David Williams is chair of the Flagler Estates Community Redevelopment Area Steering committee, said there's much more work to be done while the CRA is still active.The CRA uses a portion of property tax revenue from the area to make improvements in the community.

"There are so many important projects that we need to accomplish in the next 10 years," he said.

According to the county, "The development of Flagler Estates Park (community center) will provide additional recreation activities, programming, and public services for the residents within the Flagler Estates community. With the addition of the walking trail, new fitness programming will be available for youth and seniors within the community. The addition of a climate-controlled restroom and community space will allow for youth enrichment programs, summer programming, education programs, senior programming, community gatherings, and wellness programs."

Williams said at the groundbreaking in November that a community center has been a vision of residents for over a decade and has taken the support and persistence of many members of the community to bring it to fruition.

"It's a beginning to what can happen here in Flagler Estates — hopefully, some really good things," he said.

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Flagler Estates Community Center partly open now