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Mayor’s Message

ood things are happening in Fort Lauderdale! Over the past month, new
developments have transpired that will not only improve our quality of life,
Gbut they will serve as a hallmark to the leadership that our community is
now known for.
Opportunities for recreation and entertainment are expanding in our city by leaps
and bounds. We are entering an agreement with the Florida Panthers hockey team to
reimagine War Memorial Auditorium. We are negotiating the final details of a deal
with David Beckham’s professional soccer team to rebuild the Lockhart Stadium site.
And, we’ve broken ground on renovating the aquatic center and Parker Playhouse.

When these projects are completed over the next two years, they will serve to
confirm that Fort Lauderdale is “the city you never want to leave.”
War Memorial has served as home to community events since opening in Holiday Park
almost 70 years ago. Many families celebrated graduations, attended concerts by the
likes of Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly, bought a plant at the Orchid Show, or perused
Dean Trantalis the collector car auction. The facility increasingly needed costly repair work, and the
Mayor Florida Panthers stepped forward with a proposal to re-enliven it at their expense while
also bringing a presence for the team to the east side of Broward County. They will make
a multimillion-dollar investment to add rinks for ice skating and hockey and to renovate
and restore the existing interior. The Panthers organization also would build a training
facility for their team, which would use one of the rinks at times for practice. Both rinks
would be available for youth hockey and for public skating by all ages.
The Panthers are going to work with LiveNation on concert planning and see the
renovated auditorium as filling an important niche in local entertainment by offering
touring performers a flat-surface facility. They will take charge of programming the
auditorium and ensure its availability for events like graduations and family-friendly
events. The interior will be designed so it could be used for indoor soccer, lacrosse
and other sports and fitness programs – something that would be nice for families in
our hot summer months.
The rejuvenation of War Memorial is part of a larger overhaul underway at Holiday
Park. The YMCA plans to build a new facility there to serve residents from all parts
of the city. Fundraising is still underway to complete that facility.

With voters having approved the parks bond referendum, one of the signature projects
will be enhancing Holiday Park. These plans include the revitalization of the Jimmy
Evert Tennis Center. Tennis legends such as Chris Evert and Jennifer Capriati practiced
there. And, we need to ensure it continues to be one of the nation’s premier public
tennis facilities and an incubator for rising talent.
Next to War Memorial, we also have a major undertaking commencing at Parker
Playhouse. Like the auditorium, Parker has a storied history – one of year’s lively
theatrical performances – but it too needs refreshing. Upgrades totaling $25 million
are about to start. When finished, Parker will have a new central lobby and box
office, a VIP lounge, a signature bar area, state-of-the-art video and sound
equipment as well as other important internal upgrades. Parker will retain its classic
elegance, but the upgrades will ensure a great future for the facility. The renovations
should be completed by winter 2020, but construction will temporarily halt so that
CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE
the facility can be open for the 2019-2020 theater season.
8 rio vista civic association • www.riovistaonline.com