- April 19, 2024
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The Flagler County School Board is preparing to accept bids for the Corporate 1 Plaza parcel.
Michael Collard Properties, the Winter Park-based developer responsible for the redevelopment of the Island Walk Shopping Center on Palm Coast Parkway, offered the district $1.8 million for the 7.4-acre vacant plot of land last year, but the board decided not to move forward.
They wanted to inventory the district’s capital project needs and have the property appraised before making a decision. The parcel was appraised at $1.4 million in 2014, but that was before the old, defunct ITT building on the site was demolished, likely raising its value.
The board is now preparing to accept bids, due by May 2. Three new appraisals are being undertaken but have not been completed.
Speaking at a School Board workshop March 6, board members decided against setting a minimum bid amount, wary of picking a number before the appraisals are in, or of skewing the bid results.
There will be a pre-bid meeting at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 4, at the Government Services Building at 1769 E. Moody Blvd., Building 2 in Bunnell. Parcel information is available at bit.ly/2FmKO9E.
Flagler Schools teachers and staff may get $140,553 in new fitness equipment — if the School Board approves the expenditure.
The purchase would come out of the district’s insurance fund, and school staff’s use of the fitness facilities would lower the district’s insurance costs.
Staff members would enter the new fitness centers with a key card that would track their use and report it to the district’s insurance company.
“I feel uncomfortable with this at this point in time,” Board member Colleen Conklin said during a board workshop March 6. “I understand that our budget categories come with strings. … But it feels very uncomfortable spending this kind of money on this when we know that there are going to be necessary expenditures on other facility items.”
Finance Director Tom Tant replied that the money in the fund can only be used for insurance payments for measures to decrease the district’s insurance rates through an employee wellness program.
District staff members, said district attorney Kristy Gavin, were surveyed about the possibility of adding fitness centers at six locations, and most respondents indicated interest. At some locations, staff members are using exercise equipment that they brought for home and donated, creating a potential liability for the district.
The new equipment — including treadmills, ellipticals, exercise bikes, stair climbers and dumbbells — would be installed at the Government Services Building, Bunnell Elementary, Rymfire Elementary, Matanzas High, Buddy Taylor Middle and Indian Trails Middle.
Staff at Wadsworth Elementary would be able to use the equipment at Buddy Taylor, and staff at Belle Terre Elementary would be able to use the equipment at Indian Trails.
Flagler Palm Coast High School doesn’t have space for a new facility but already has a workout room, and Old Kings Elementary doesn’t currently have any space for additional fitness equipment. District staff are considering options. The proposal will come to the School Board for a vote at a future meeting.
