PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) — After months of delays, work can finally begin on the new Martin Luther King Jr. Recreational Center in Glenwood.
Thursday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) informed the city it has completed its Environmental Historic Preservation (EHP) review.
That means city officials can now move to advertise the project for construction.
The community center was badly damaged in Hurricane Michael and demolished last year.
Panama City City Manager Mark McQueen said the new and improved rec center will be 30,000 square feet and a major asset for Glenwood.
“This is such an important asset to the Glenwood community,” McQueen said. “This is one that we shared with the administrator that needed to be fully expedited in the review process, as well as to gain as much funding out of it as we possibly could from FEMA.”
The city has secured $4.7 million in FEMA funding. The project will now go out for bid nationwide.
Officials hope construction will start sometime in September. They anticipate the build to take around 18 months.
