Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Updated: 9:11 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Posted: 9:08 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, 2011
RIVIERA BEACH — The architectural firm C3TS will design a new Newcomb Hall and a site plan for the marina property.
The city council, sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency board, decided Wednesday to hire the firm, ending a design competition between C3TS and Song & Associates, which presented their visions for the Newcomb Hall community center and the surrounding marina property to an evaluation committee on May 2.
The CRA staff will negotiate a work order with C3TS and its design partner, Gentile, Holloway, O'Mahoney & Associates, and bring it back to the council for final approval.
Song & Associates was chosen Wednesday to design improvements to the Riviera Beach Heights, Blue Heron South and Broadway West neighborhoods.
C3TS has proposed a Bahamian-style, three-story Newcomb Hall located on the southeast corner of Bicentennial Park. The new Newcomb Hall would include an amphitheater facing northwest into Bicentennial Park and a third floor that could be rented for parties and weddings.
The C3TS concept, dubbed Marina Place at Riviera Beach, includes a public market building next to Newcomb Hall, a tiki-style restaurant and small vendor huts for waterfront businesses.
On April 27, the CRA board agreed to borrow $25.6 million to rebuild Newcomb Hall, build a parking garage, beautify Riviera Beach Heights, and make other improvements around the marina and along Broadway to stimulate redevelopment.
Also Wednesday, the CRA board approved a plan to issue a request for proposals for a nonprofit company to operate a community boating program that would provide boating education and boat access to youths and their families.
The board approved searching for a community boating program provider in a 3-1 vote, with Councilwoman Dawn Pardo dissenting.
Pardo said the boating program seemed premature because construction work to replace the marina bulkhead is set to begin in June. Proposals for the boating program must be submitted to the CRA by June 18.
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