- January 25, 2025
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Manatee County is preparing to reopen John H. Marble Park in phases during 2025.
The 27,000-square-foot recreation center that includes a gymnasium, fitness center and three multipurpose rooms is expected to be open by the end of February. A new pool and splash pad are slated to open ahead of summer.
“Summer camp will finally have a home again,” said Molly White, director of Sports and Leisure. “We’ve been using the schools out east because this facility has been closed.”
The recreation center services thousands of residents through memberships, programming and camps.
Information Outreach Manager Bill Logan said the approximately $22.6 million center was remodeled to suit the demographics of the area, which has a lot of families with younger children.
There’s a “child watch” room when first entering the building. It sits across the hall from the fitness center and will be staffed, so parents can leave their children to play for up to two hours.
White said the staff will start off with a few hours in the morning, but the goal is to open from 9 a.m. to noon and again from 5 to 8 p.m.
From the start, the recreation center was established for families by families. Citizens of Oneco paid to construct the South County Youth and Recreation Center in 1962.
In a nod to its roots, Oneco Elementary School students were asked to help design the new playground at the now John H. Marble Park.
White said her department avoids using the color red because the color is reported to cause stress. The playground at Marble Park will stand out from other county parks because the kids want to see red.
The elementary students also requested a climbing wall. For safety reasons, a compromise was made.
“We’ll have climbing apparatuses,” White said. “A lot of kids break their arms on climbing walls.”
The main feature of the facility is the double gymnasium. There are two basketball courts with 12 hoops that can also be used as three volleyball courts or six pickleball courts.
The fitness center features an array of equipment, such as treadmills, elliptical machines and free weights. Each cubby is equipped with an outlet, so they can hold personal items and charge devices.
However, the center is not only intended for recreation. There are three community meeting spaces, plus a catering kitchen. Two of the meeting spaces can be opened to create one big space.
Logan said that space will host community meetings and workshops in the future. Clubs and community members can rent the rooms, too.
Staff members are calling the space in the back of the building “the birthday party room.” It has a door that leads out to the pool area and is attached to the catering kitchen.
The center sits on seven acres. Outside facilities will include a pool, splash pad, playground, pavilion and bocce courts.
The tennis courts and basketball courts are being demolished. Replacements are on a list of “future improvements.”
A long patch of artificial turf parallels the front of the recreation center. It was added after G.T. Bray staff received such positive feedback on its turfed area.
The space will be used for exercise classes, but White said a lot of the feedback came from parents, who said they liked that there was no mulch for their children to put in their mouths.
The old 25-meter pool will be upgraded from six lanes to eight and include a resurfaced pool deck.
The splash pad will be adjacent to the pool and feature a giant orange octopus, a pink flamingo and a couple of colorful palm trees. Water will spill from the trees’ coconuts.
White said the park has a bocce ball following, too. The Gulf Coast Senior Games hosts a bocce tournament at the park. A newly paved walkway flanked with palm trees leads to the two courts on the far side of the property, both of which are being replaced.
“Another thing we’re planning on doing (at Marble Park) is putting in a community garden,” District 2 Commissioner Amanda Ballard said. “The nice thing about these community gardens is that for a low cost, you can build something for the whole community to enjoy that teaches people sustainable skills.”
Ballard said she’s drumming up support but could use the help of some citizens to champion the project.
