PALM COAST, Fla. — A brand-new recreation facility recently opened in Palm Coast. The Southern Recreation Center is located on Belle Terre Parkway, and what you might not know about the facility is that it was designed as a green building.

What You Need To Know

  • The Southern Recreation center offers 12 pickleball courts, 10 tennis courts, a community garden and more

  • The center was designed as a green building, which means it is energy-efficient, conserves water, and is currently pursuing LEED-certification

  • The building has 200 solar panels, heat-reflecting roof paint, and native plants that help to reduce water usage

  • The center is located at 1290 Belle Terre Parkway and opens every day at 8 a.m.

While the Southern Recreation Center appears to have your standard pickleball courts, above them are 200 solar panels working to offset the building’s energy usage. 

“What you don’t see that’s on top of these courts is actually solar panels,” Maeven Rogers, the city’s Chief Sustainability and Resiliency Officer said. “So, 75% of this building is being offset with its energy usage.”

It’s one of the many green elements of the recreation center, which was designed to meet certifications for the world’s leading green building rating system. Rogers said the center is currently pursuing LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. 

According to the council, there are more than 110,000 LEED-certified projects worldwide. In Florida, there are more than 3,000 LEED-certified buildings as of April. Per the council’s database, five buildings in Palm Coast are LEED-certified. Eight projects in the city are currently seeking certification, including the recreation center. 

The Southern Recreation Center has been one of Maeven Rogers' first projects as in her role as the city’s first Chief Sustainability and Resiliency Officer.

“What this position’s about, it’s about promoting efficiency and reducing costs while protecting residents,” she said. 

Rogers said her interest in sustainability and environmental work started with her passion for nature.

“I’ve always really liked nature and so I think that’s kind of the first start of it to be honest,” she said. 

In her current role, Rogers is creating initiatives to “promote environmental, social and economic sustainability” for the city. 

“Being able to say, ‘Wow, we can protect the neighborhoods through the initiatives that are coming out of sustainability and resiliency,’ I think is one of the most important things I could do in my career,” she said.

Rogers said the goal of the recreation center was to create a community space while incorporating green design. So while the facility created 12 new pickleball courts, it also has low-flow water fixtures, LED lighting, and heat-reflecting roof paint that reduces energy usage.

“Instead of maybe getting those sun's rays and kind of warming up the whole building, we’re actually reflecting that,” Rogers said. “We’re creating more energy efficiency inside the building so the building won’t use as much energy.”

At the entrance of the center, you’ll also notice native plants, which help to cut back on water use. 

“We’ve really planted a lot of native plants,” Rogers said. “We incorporated that into our landscape to really save water.”

Inside, there are workout rooms, a locally-owned restaurant and recreation space. Rogers said part of resiliency is public health and creating a place for residents to come together. 

“This is where you congregate,” she said. “This is where strangers get to know each other. This is how we create a stronger community and that is resiliency to me.”

The facility also features a community garden, which is ADA-accessible and gives residents a way to grow their own food. 

“As a government, we can do,” Rogers said. “We can provide spaces for our residents to come out, eat, play, meet other people, and a community garden is definitely one of those.”

Rogers said the center shows how local governments can create spaces that are both community and environmentally-centered. She said this is what sustainability and resiliency are all about.

“This is what that means,” Rogers said. “Having people experience that and become happy from that and their lives are more fulfilled is actually what I am happiest about.”

The Southern Recreation Center is located at 1290 Belle Terre Parkway. It opens every day of the week at 8 a.m. and more information can be found on the city’s website. To learn more about the City of Palm Coast’s Office of Sustainability and Resiliency, visit its website. 

Reagan Ryan is a 2023 — 2025 Report for America Corps Member, covering the environment and climate across Central Florida for Spectrum News 13. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.