Nathan Benderson Park boathouse, events center begins to take shape

If building a boathouse and indoor sports events center at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota could be compared to a rowing event, park officials would be pulling oars early in the race.

But the competition is beginning to heat up.

A week after giving Sarasota County commissioners, who have pledged $20 million toward the project, a July 9 update on the progress of the boathouse and events center, Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy Board Member Louis Kosiba talked about some milestones.

Kosiba said the planning process should be complete sometime toward the end of this year. That will be an important moment for the park.

"A lot of time has been spent in feasibility of the project and getting designs together," Kosiba said. "You can't undertake a major fundraising event until you can show (potential) sponsors what it will look like. It's hard to raise money without having a good plan.

"So let's get it designed, and let's have the plans where we can go to the major donors. We want to show a picture of what it is going to look like. (Sarasota County) provided the seed money, and Benderson Development is a big sponsor that covered most of the cost of the design. Benderson Development will also be a major contributor once the project is designed and ready to go, and a big contributor during construction."

Sarasota County backing

Sarasota County commissioners gave their financial commitment to the project in 2022, and while there has been turnover on the commission, Kosiba said last week's update was just that, a continuation of the project and a "permanent commitment."

In 2022, the project was pitched as an estimated $40 million project. In today's dollars, Kosiba said it might be a $60 million or even $70 million project.

If the county's commitment stays the same, and Benderson Development covers 20% of the cost as has been discussed, that means the conservancy must raise approximately $30 million or more.

"We have board members who are ready to begin working on getting major corporate contributors," Kosiba said. "When we talk about this internally, and we look at detailed plans and cost estimates, we look at breaking ground in the third or fourth quarter of 2026."

However, he said that remains a best guess until the plans are finalized and the board members test the market for contributors.

He said the commissioners seemed pleased with the progress made to this point.

"The county commissioners understand this is a game-changer for the park," Kosiba said, "The rowing lanes are world class and the finish tower is spectacular. We get a lot of compliments on those. But when it comes to facilities ... storing boats, workout spaces ... we need a facility that meets the needs in a world-class sense. The commissioners realize the proposal includes an indoor sports facility for pickleball, volleyball, basketball and wrestling tournaments. It's a facility we don't have in this area."

Kosiba joined the board in 2021 and he said the board's main focus since that time has been the construction of a boathouse and events center.

He said during the final phase of planning, the board needs to look at all the proposals to see if they are economic feasible.

"What will that glass wall cost?" he said. "Will it be effective?"

Courtesy image

Lots of court space

The actual boathouse and storage area will be on the first, or main floor, which also will host the sports courts, which will cover 85,000 square feet of hardwood. The area over the sports courts will be open to the top of the facility. The second floor will host meeting rooms, offices, a medical facility, and workout and locker rooms.

Kosiba lives in Lakewood Ranch and he pointed toward Premier Sports Campus, which he said works in a reciprocal way with Nathan Benderson Park.

He said both facilities will be attracting people from all over the Southwest and Florida to tournaments and events here.

"The key is making this a dynamic economic engine for the area," he said of the boathouse and indoor sports events center. "People are excited to get it out of the ground."

In terms of construction time, Kosiba said he wouldn't be able to offer a good estimate until the plans are finalized. His best guess at this time would be under two years.

"I know with our board, this is our key focus. It is something we want to get done," he said. "We've been managing the park as it has grown, and the activities here have grown. We are building a world-class facility that will make this park more than a rowing facility."

"The planning of the indoor sports facility represents a transformative moment for Nathan Benderson Park and the entire Sarasota-Manatee region," said Bruce Patneaude, the chief operating officer of Nathan Benderson Park Conservancy, in a release. "We are meticulously designing a year-round venue that will not only serve our local athletes but also will attract regional, national and international events, generating substantial economic impact for our community through increased tourism."

In 2022,  Sarasota County staff had recommended dedicating the funding from the third additional 1 cent levy of tourist development tax to the boathouse and indoor sports complex.

A study performed by the commission in 2022 said the facility could generate an economic impact of $20 million a year.