Manatee County begins $19 million John H. Marble Park renovation. Here’s a sneak peek
A new day is coming for John H. Marble Park, where $19 million of improvements are planned.
The park at 3675 53rd Ave. E., Bradenton, closed May 22 and won’t reopen until late 2024 or early 2025.
Demolition crews this week were dismantling the white metal structure with blue awnings that has been a neighborhood fixture since the 1960s.
“John Marble facility has deteriorated over the years. The county took ownership of the facility in the mid 1990s. The park requires significant infrastructure upgrades and facility replacement. The upgrade to this facility will enable the county to provide after-school and health and wellness programming that was offered by the YMCA, but was discontinued due to the economic downturn,” according to Manatee County Government.
Planned at the site:
▪ Replacement of the current gymnasium with a double gym.
▪ Expansion of the deck on the existing pool deck and construction of a picnic pavilion.
▪ Removing the existing pavilion and replacement with a pavilion/restroom facility.
▪ Adding a 4,000-square-foot splash pad.
▪ Repaving of the parking lot.
▪ Widening of 37th Street East with new turn lanes to reduce vehicular stacking at the intersection of State Road 70.
The park property was originally purchased and developed by families in Oneco who built the recreation hall and gym, according to Bradenton Herald archives.
No tax monies were used to build what was known as the South County Youth Center, but the nonprofit group eventually turned over the property to the county.
In 1999, Manatee County Government completed extensive renovations of the building, which served as the YMCA East County Outpost at that time.
“Rain no longer falls on the gym floor through the leaky roof. The termite-infested interior walls have been replaced. The toilets flush properly in the new handicapped-accessible restrooms,” the Bradenton Herald reported in 1999.
In 2010, however, the YMCA moved out of the building, saying it was too small and needed more than $1 million in repairs.
“It’s a maintenance nightmare,” said Sean Allison, YMCA president and chief executive officer, in 2010.
In recent years, the pool remained a central attraction at Marble Park, which also saw duty as a school district COVID-19 testing site during the pandemic, and was most recently a FEMA disaster center after Hurricane Ian.
