The chief operating officer for the Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy assured the Sarasota County Commission on Aug. 25 that the planned multi-sport complex and boathouse would be ready for the World Rowing Championships in 2028.
“We will be completed in the summer of 2028,” Bruce Patneaude, the conservancy COO, said.
Construction on the complex is scheduled to begin in November.
The World Rowing Championships, nicknamed the “Mega Worlds,” are scheduled for Aug. 7-13 at Nathan Benderson Park.
How much will this new Benderson facility cost?
The multi-sport complex carries an estimated price tag of $75 million to $80 million.
Currently Sarasota County has committed $20 million in funding from the Tourist Development Tax and this year the state Legislature approved $10 million to make the athletic
complex a disaster response staging area.
Patneaude reminded the board that Benderson Development has already pledged to fund at least 20% of the cost.
"But more importantly,” Patneaude added, “we have a guarantee from Benderson Development to cover the gap as we are now in our capital campaign … Benderson Development will fund that gap so we can get started and get finished by World Rowing, and that’s critical."
For more than a decade, private donorshave not stepped up to funda boathouse at the park.
Patneaude’s assertion bookended discussion of the complex that started during the morning public comment period, when Terry Galvin, a former Herald-Tribune business editor and 17-year volunteer at Nathan Benderson Park, said he was barred in June from volunteering at park events because of his public criticism of current management priorities.
“The park has turned its back on serving the citizens of Sarasota-Manatee and instead has been dedicated to serving Benderson Development Co,” he said.
He urged the commission not to approve an extension of its agreement with the Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy — an extension that passed unanimously as part of the consent agenda — and later told the Herald-Tribune via email that, “it was very disappointing to watch as commissioners failed to pin down NBP COO Bruce Patneaude on how to pay for this $80 million building.”
What would the athletic facility at Benderson be like?
Patneaude noted that the gym would have 100,000 square feet of hardwood flooring, which could be eight basketball courts, or 16 volleyball courts or 32 pickleball courts.
“That will allow us to bring in dance, cheer, you name it — wrestling, martial arts, whatever can be done in a floor-type sport to bring in additional economic impact,” Patneaude said.
He added that when he was brought in to run the program, Nicole Rissler, now an assistant county administrator, told him “This building needed to elevate the current situation with rowing.
“Not that it was bad, it was spectacular, but it had to make it even better.”
So far, Patneaude noted, the building appears to do just that, with theUSRowing board of directorsconsidering moving its training center from Mercer Lake in West Windsor, New Jersey — near Princeton — to Sarasota.
The USRowing Hall of Fame may move its base to Sarasota too.
“I think, from that perspective, we have accomplished making it a better facility for rowing in general,” Patneaude said.
How will the new Benderson boathouse be used for disaster response?
The facility, which is located on a man-made island along with a six-story finish tower, is not a hurricane evacuation center.
Instead, Patneaude said, the $10 million in state funding will allow it to be a “post recovery logistics shelter.”
What’s next?
The consent agenda vote extended the management contract with Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy another two years.
Information on what the park can offer can be found at https://nathanbendersonpark.org.
The facility, which is being built to attract sports tourism, is projected to generate upward of $50 million in economic impact.
Sarasota County Commission Chairman Ron Cutsinger, who sits on the conservancy board, said “It’s great because we're going to bring in some really wonderful events but it’s also going to be great for our kids and our schools to use this facility.”
Earle Kimel primarily covers local governments in Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook, and X. He can be reached by email at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota’s controversial $80 million Benderson Park boathouse set for 2028
