Palm Coast – The Florida Inland Navigation District will continue its support of the City of Palm Coast with new grant contributions in 2024 that are aimed at providing new recreation and public safety offerings, as well as continuing conservation efforts through the city’s annual waterway cleanup.
After completing phase 1 of the newly renovated Waterfront Park enhancements, which included a new floating dock, kayak and paddleboard launch, activities area, shoreline stabilization, and dredging of the waterfront area in August of this year, the second phase is now set to begin construction in 2024, which will see a large expansion of parking for the popular park. The total cost of phase 2 is estimated to cost $600,000, with FIND contributing $228,000 towards the cost while $258,000 will come from park impact fees and $114,000 from capital funds. This contribution from FIND is the third of a three-part grant for the project, with the organization contributing a collective total of $533,00 of the estimated $1.2 million by the completion of the project, which is also slated for 2024.
“Waterfront Park is one of our city’s most popular parks and having the ability to provide these new amenities, especially the additional parking, is something of a necessity for this area,” said Mayor David Alfin. “Working with FIND to see this project through to completion has been a great experience and we look forward to seeing the final result next year.”
Additionally, 2024 will see FIND making a significant contribution public safety in the City of Palm Coast via a grant contribution to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office as part of its waterway assistance program which is aimed at supporting public safety efforts along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The new grant from FIND will benefit the Marine Unit of Flagler County Sheriff’s Office by providing funds for a new marine vessel which will allow for the expansion of patrol units along the intracoastal waterway, marine search and rescue efforts, law enforcement operations, crime prevention and boater safety and education along the 90 miles of Flagler County’s fresh and saltwater canals. The terms of the grant will see FIND contributing $38,568 or 50% of the total cost of the new Tidewater 2110BM marine unit vessel, with the FCSO matching that grant to cover the remaining costs.
“With the expansive amount of waterways that we have in Flagler County, and an ever-growing number of residents, it’s essential that we continue to strive to find new ways to keep our waterways safe for our residents and visitors alike,” said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. “Working with FIND to address these needs and finding synergy to enhance these efforts for the safety of the community is a partnership that we are thankful to have.”
To learn more, watch the video at the following link: https://youtu.be/ZHqQizEWoBg?feature=shared.
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