A new Panama City marina civic center is coming! Officials move forward on project

PANAMA CITY — Residents might soon get to see some of their favorite artists and entertainers perform locally.

The Panama City Commission moved forward with its planned replacement of the defunct civic center at the marina on Tuesday, setting aside $500,000 to hire a project consultant and giving the go-ahead to negotiate with architectural and engineering firm Wilson Butler Fentress.

The previous civic center was located on the marina in downtown Panama City before it was severely damaged by Hurricane Michael in 2018. City Manager Mark McQueen said the new center will be a replacement for the old one.

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“This action is further commitment on the commission's part to ensure that the arts continue to be in the city of Panama City,” McQueen said.

City officials in July last year sought competitive proposals from architectural and engineering firms to handle the project. Officials narrowed the submissions down to four firms, each of which gave public presentations in October.

McQueen said while they felt each firm was qualified, they decided to negotiate a contract with Wilson Butler Fentress.

“What we found was we felt that Wilson Butler Fentress would be the best fit for the city and what we’re striving to accomplish,” McQueen said. “Although, if I’m unsuccessful in negotiating a successful contract with them, I’ll go to the next firm because they were also qualified.”

The Phase One contract is for $494,000, McQueen said. City officials are anticipating a host of funds to go toward this project, such as FEMA dollars, insurance funding, Triumph grant assistance and other performing arts grants.

“This ensures that we build the right budget, that we do the site selection and the market analysis to assist the city as we embark on this process with our architectural and engineering firms to ensure that we’re getting exactly what we want to build,” McQueen said. “The performing arts and events center for the future.”

Commissioner Billy Rader said he hopes the work on the center will not be too long, especially once the city gets its ducks in a row.

“When we get the money, the funds and we’re all rocking and rolling as you might say, it should not take four years to build something like that,” Rader said. “We needed it yesterday and I’ve been an advocate since day one.”

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The civic center held an importance to the local community, Rader said. Adding that nothing in the area came close to it, he said bringing it back could have huge positive effects to the area and arts community.

“It brings people to Panama City to stay here and eat here, shop here that normally wouldn’t,” Rader said. “We’re able to bring big-name artists to town and do some promotional shows that are of the utmost importance. And this sets us apart from all the other cities in the Panhandle in Florida.”

Rader, whose family has a long history with entertainers and artists in Bay County, said both he and the commission have always been committed to restoring the arts back in the county and bringing back the performing arts center.

“It means so much to our community,” Rader said. “I’ve rented out the building myself in the private sector so many times and we brought incredible artists here, Grammy-winning musicians, great shows. Broadway shows that it just adds to our culture. It adds to our quality of life. It’s vitally important and needed.”

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City Florida moves ahead with replacing old marina civic center