DAYTONA BEACH If Jim Chisholm s missile launcher pitching arm and talent for darting into an end zone with a football had taken him farther than high school championships and a college scholarship, he might have never found his way to Daytona Beach.
And if he hadn t grown bored working for financial companies in his late 20s, he might have never become a city manager who applied in 2004 to become Daytona Beach s next city manager.
If Chisholm had never sat behind the desk in the big City Hall corner office overlooking Ridgewood Avenue, the Daytona Beach Pier might have stayed under private ownership and deteriorated into an even more dangerous and crumbling eyesore than it was when the city purchased it.
DAYTONA BEACH If you ve been in COVID-19 hibernation and haven t come out much over the past year, you re going to find part of the downtown riverfront almost unrecognizable.
The northern end of the park that runs along the western bank of the Halifax River has been undergoing a $25 million transformation over the past 10 months, and the recreational space is starting to offer glimpses of the esplanade it will become. Dozens of replanted mature trees are settling into their new home, sprawling retention ponds are being carved out, and berms are turning the once-flat expanse into artful waves of rolling land.
Ormond Memorial Art Museum to undergo $3.5 million renovation
At the corner of Granada Boulevard and South Halifax Drive is a beautiful garden shaded by the Ormond Memorial Art Museum.
Sprawling palms and ferns overcast smooth ponds, and walking paths and wooden benches offer places to soak in the sights or meditate. The sound of cars and busy streets are easily replaced with the gentle murmuring of a waterfall fountain at the entrance of the garden and the white noise of nature.
Many people may not realize the spacious garden is even there behind the museum. But after almost $4 million was raised to expand and renovate the art museum, Ann Burt, former museum director, thinks that’s going to change.