Pinellas County broke ground April 17 on a $14 million rec center at 1500 16th St. The new building will take the place of the 1979 Palm Harbor Senior Center. It will also serve as a reinforced emergency shelter for North Pinellas when storms strike. The 28,457-square-foot structure gets its funding through the Penny for Pinellas sales tax.
Plans call for a full-size gymnasium. Basketball and pickleball will happen there. An elevated indoor walking track sits above the gym floor. There are multipurpose rooms, dance and arts spaces, and a full kitchen. Engineers designed it to shelter up to 498 people when hurricanes blow through, and backup power keeps lights on when the grid fails.
The design sprang from surveys done in 2016. Erica Lynford, director of Palm Harbor Parks and Recreation, said residents pushed hard for specific amenities…