PAL building demo being questioned

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

To demolish or not to demolish?

That is the question Key West City Commissioner Richard Payne wants to put back on the table regarding the old Police Athletic League (PAL) building located in the Truman Waterfront. A 2012 report by city engineers says it would be less expensive to knock the building down than to repair it but Payne isn’t convinced. Since the master plan for the new Truman Waterfront Park calls for building a new 24,000-square-foot community center, why not repurpose the 23,000-square-foot PAL building to fill that need, he asked.

“There are all kinds of things that could be utilizing that [PAL] space. I would hate to think we are contemplating in any way demolishing this building,” he said.

But there is another problem, in addition to the 2012 report recommending demolition. There are several interlocking pieces to the new waterfront park. Currently, there is a sports field located on 3.4 acres near Bahama Village. The city is contemplating putting affordable housing on the site but commissioners earlier passed a resolution stating that cannot happen until a location for a new field is found within the waterfront park. That field is now slated to be built where the PAL building is located and the only other space large enough to put an athletic field is where the new amphitheater is going to go.

“We’ve got sort of a Catch 22. It’s not going to work,” said Commissioner Clayton Lopez. “We’ve always from the beginning been trying to put 10 pounds in a five-pound sack. When you have that much input into what you want and you don’t have that much space, then everybody’s going to have to be somewhat flexible.”

Another option, however, is to expand the Douglass Gym, which is currently undergoing repairs. By extending that building out to the edge of its parking lot, the structure might be large enough to accommodate a new recreation center, eliminating the need for both a PAL building and a new community center.

Commissioner Sam Kaufman said that while Payne’s idea to keep the PAL building is “common sense,” the 2012 engineering report is clear on where city staffers stand on the matter.

“All of these issues have already been reviewed… I’m just concerned we’re kind of going in circles. And we should stop that,” he said.

Still, the decision to ask city staff to review the PAL demolition passed unanimously.

“There are going to be some hard decisions to be made,” said Mayor Craig Cates. “I think this is just information to make an informed decision, in my opinion.”

And Jean Zeman, a long-time PAL supporter, urged the commission not to lose sight of the big picture. Since the PAL building is slated for demolition, the organization needs to find a new home.

“We don’t want to be sitting out here in limbo not having a place for the children,” she said.

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