Palm Beach design panel sends Mandel Recreation Center shade structure back for edits

In a surprise move, the Palm Beach Architectural Commission has sent a town proposal for a new pergola at the Mandel Recreation Center back to the drawing board, after members criticized the design of the shade structure and even questioned the need for it.

The Feb. 28 split vote to defer the project to the commission’s March meeting also put the board at odds with the town's planning staff, who had noted their full support for the project in a memo distributed before the hearing. Additionally, the staff had scheduled the project for a vote without discussion under the meeting's consent agenda, but the commission voted instead to transfer the project to its regular agenda.

Presenting the project was architect Nelo Freijomel of Spina O’Rourke + Partners, who said the pergola at the southwest side plaza was the best solution to shade the architecturally challenging location.

“There’s a real pragmatic challenge here ... It’s a difficult portion of the building to try to integrate other types of covered area,” Freijomel said. “We did look at fabric awnings, we looked at other things, but really this seemed to serve the purpose and architecture the best.”

But some board members disagreed.

Commissioner John David Corey, who was attending his final commission meeting because of term limits, said the design of the pergola was passable but he wished for something more “romantic.”

“I think we spent a lot of time and angst on this building,” he said, referencing the drama that engulfed the center's development. “I know we don’t have infinite money to spend on this ... but (the design is) like a C-plus.”

Vice Chair Richard Sammons also questioned why the project proposed what he called a “common pergola.”

“You know, the fabric awnings that come across on the cables that you see in Greece and everywhere else —wouldn’t that be nicer?” asked Sammons.

Chair Jeff Smith stepped in, noting that the project had already received an endorsement from the Town Council and the town staff.         

“I just need to inform the commission that this was approved by staff, shop drawing is done, it’s ready to be ordered, the purchase money is ready to go,” Smith said. “And I understood that (the Town) Council wanted to make sure that we went through the right channels for approval.”

But that didn’t stop alternate Commissioner K.T Catlin from questioning why the recreation center needed the additional shade structure, calling it a "waste of the town's money," since it would only offer shade during the middle of the day.

“I actually lament the fact we are losing the only section back there that is open,” she said. “I think there are people like myself (who) even in the dead of the summer, I like to be out in the sun, and there is no longer a choice when that (pergola) goes in.”

Catlin also accused the project of sidestepping town processes and was coming to the commission “asking for forgiveness, as opposed to asking for approval.”

Responding to the commission's comments, Mark Bresnahan, the town's director of recreation, noted that the project was fueled by local feedback. People have complained, he said, about the lack of shade when they are watching sporting events at the center's southern field.

He also noted the limited outdoor shading areas available at the center.

“During the peak of winter, you do get more shade from the west side of the building, but we utilize that building 12 months out of the year,” he said. “Right now, we have no place to bring our kids for camp during the summer, where they can have a relaxed shaded spot in the middle of the summer.”

Moreover, Bresnahan noted the Friends of Recreation's support for the project. The fundraising group agreed to provide a $25,000 grant for the project during its May 2023 board meeting.

The Town Council had also shown strong support for the project when officials unanimously voted to approve the pergola during their June 2023 meeting.

"I've sat out there on that patio and roasted," Mayor Danielle Moore during the June 13 meeting. "You can't get it in soon enough as far as I'm concerned."

During the Architectural Commission meeting, Bresnahan also noted that the pergola is identical to those found near the Mandel Recreation Center's basketball courts.

After a vote to approve the project failed, commissioners voted 4-3 to defer the project by one month, with Smith dissenting with commissioners Ken Karakul and Thomas Kirchhoff. The vote count was a reversal of the failed motion to approve.

"I think we should take one more shot at this thing," Corey said when he voted to defer the project.

A replacement for the town's original recreation center, the Mandel Recreation Center opened in 2019 and features multipurpose rooms, an after-school room, a gym, game room, renovated pro shop and an expanded playground.

Change on the horizon for makeup of Palm Beach Architectural Commission

At the end of the meeting, Kirchhoff, an architect, surprised his colleagues by announcing he would not seek a reappointment to the board by the Town Council in March. He completed one term on the commission.

Corey, who served a total of seven years on the board as an alternate and regular member, is running for the Group 3 Town Council seat currently held by Maggie Zeidman, who announced in October that she would not seek reelection. Corey will face Landmarks Preservation Commission member Bridget Moran in the election, which is scheduled for March 19.

Smith also is up for reappointment to the Architectural Commission. The application period ended March 1, and the Town Council is expected to make appointments to the commission during its March 12 meeting.

Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach board unhappy with design of rec center shade structure