Officials hope to get first phase of Marine Enhancement Center open in three months

By Jennifer Sheppard, Hometown News | View Source

The sound of crumbling bricks delighted the crowd gathered at the old New Smyrna Beach High School last Friday.

Some residents rushed to pick up a discarded brick to take home as a souvenir.

“It’s for posterity,” said Diane Yeaton, board chairwoman of the Marine Discovery Center, while she picked up a brick out of the rubble.

The demolition of several buildings at the site is the first step towards the construction of the $1.2-million Mosquito Lagoon Marine Enhancement Center, an education and outreach center planned for the old high school site on the Indian River estuary.

Long-range plans for the project include a fish hatchery, eco-tourism center, boardwalks, a boat ramp and kayak launches. All of the facilities will be open to the public.

At the demolition, Mayor Adam Barringer said the center has “been a long time coming.”

“The commissions before me and even before that started on this,” he said.

The idea for the project was first raised in 2007 after Volusia County Schools discovered it would not be allowed to sell the property to developers because the state was enforcing a deed restriction that prohibits the land to be used for anything other than educational purposes. That’s when the Wildlife Foundation stepped in. The state agreed that a “marine enhancement center” would qualify as educational and agreed to give the non-profit organization – which frequently partners with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission on projects such as this – a 50-year lease on the property.

This first phase of the project, which includes the demolition of some buildings and the restoration of others, is being funded with a $600,000 Volusia County ECHO grant, along with $130,000 provided by the city and $150,000 from The Wildlife Foundation. The Artists’ Workshop and Marine Discovery Center, which will have facilities at the center, each donated $10,000.

Major Paul Ouellette, of the Conservation Commission, the state agency responsible for protecting the state’s fish and wildlife resources, said the center will be a “great benefit” to the community.

“This is probably the epitome of partnership,” he said. “It’s a really great thing that didn’t cost much.”

At the old high school, Judy and Bob Dabrowski said they came out to the demolition because they were curious.

“I’ve never seen a building knocked down,” said Ms. Dabrowski, a New Smyrna Beach native of more than 30 years.

The new center, on Barracuda Boulevard near the North Causeway, will offer hands-on marine science lessons inside research labs and classrooms.

“Our grandchildren are going to love it,” Ms. Dabrowski said.

The first phase of the project should relocate the Artists’ Workshop and The Marine Discovery Center to the site within three months. Another building will house offices for the Conservation Commission.

Brett Boston, executive director of The Wildlife Foundation, said the complete project is expected to “take a bunch of years” and will cost an estimated $20 million.

“Stuff will be coming down, stuff will be going up,” he said. “We would love to open up the shoreline here, take the fences out and make this a nice park for the community.”