AUBURNDALE, Fla. — A new $20 million civic center and park along Lake Ariana is serving the Auburndale community in multiple ways.
The facility finished construction last year and features five different rooms available to rent for events like weddings, birthday parties and corporate meetings. There are also plenty of outdoor areas for families to enjoy, including a playground and a sand volleyball court.
Anyone can come to enjoy the amenities at the facility, but there is a cost for parking if you are not a resident of Auburndale.
“We do have a parking permit or a parking charge to come in if you're a non-resident. So it's $1 to come into the park, $3 to park here, but it's a really easy process. You come in, utilize the facility, whether it's the playground, the boat ramp, or just coming in to see the facility,” said Auburndale Parks and Recreation Director Cody McGhee.
Many in the community may remember when the property was once called Mac's Beach. City leaders said they tried to preserve that feeling in the concept for the new facility.
"In 1922, the McDowell brothers, they came in and built a nice facility to be able to come in and get a Coke or to be able to see the lake,” said McGhee.
“It was utilized for a long time, so the recreation, history right here on this side of the lake has a huge, long-standing effect on the city of Auburndale, and we wanted to make sure to bring in that history. So, Mac’s Beach was kind of founded as an homage back to the McDowell brothers.
There is also a boathouse on the property. McGhee said they expect to offer kayak rentals from the property in a few weeks.
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