The St. Cloud City Council delayed two major projects—a $13 million Hopkins Park renovation and the annexation of the massive Whaley Platt development—during a marathon meeting that stretched past 12:30 a.m. last week.
A proposed agreement between the city and the Boys and Girls Club to operate a new community center to be built at Hopkins Park led to discussion about the possibility of downsizing the entire construction project. The park is planned to undergo a $13 million renovation—including the 17,000-square-foot community center—starting this fall.
The proposed agreement would offer the Boys and Girls Club a 50-year lease agreement for $1 per year, which city officials estimate would save the city $300,000 annually in operating costs. The city would maintain outdoor facilities, and exterior-accessible restrooms would remain open to the public.
However, members of the community shared concerns about the proposal, asking if the community center’s access would be restricted.
“There’s a big difference between children’s afterschool care and a community center,” said resident Teresa Mailhot. “I myself have attended many, many events out at Hopkins Park, and not all of them were for children. Some were for adults, and that’s what a community center does.”
Stephanie Gilbert, president of the nonprofit Hopkins Heroes, asked the council to delay the vote on the proposal for six months to allow time for community workshops to refine the agreement.
“This is not about opposing any organization,” Gilbert said. “It’s about making sure the heart and soul of Hopkins Park remains central to the vision. A 50-year agreement is a massive milestone, and we all want to ensure it is a resounding success.”
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board also requested a postponement, according to Bobbie Lantry, the board’s chair. “Given that this proposal only became public last week, our board felt it was important to carefully consider the potential impact before such a significant long-term agreement was approved,” she said.
The council voted unanimously to delay final approval of the agreement for six months. However, Mayor Chris Robertson warned, “If the property tax reform does pass, then we do have to do an agreement with an outside entity or we close the doors of the facility. We can’t afford $300,000 a year to operate this thing if we build it.”
Council then decided to continue a vote that would award a contract to Mulligan Constructors, Inc., for the Hopkins Park construction project after discussing the possibility of downsizing the park project.
“I think there’s still a lot of questions here, especially to see if we’re going to downsize,” Robertson said. “I would like to just move this to the next council meeting so I can get some more information on the scope of this project.”
In other action, council members heard from attorneys representing the Osceola County School Board and the developer of Whaley Platt in what was expected to be a routine final vote to formally bring the 743-acre master-planned community into the city’s jurisdiction.
The council passed the previous two readings for future land use and zoning designation back in March and May. However, Attorney Tom Callan asked for a continuance because the developer’s plan only sets aside an eight-acre charter-school site, well under the state’s required 20–24 acres for a site meant to mitigate a development’s student impact.
“One of the big concerns by the school district,” Callan said, “by not having a public-school site designated in this site for purchase, is that in five to ten years down the road, you will have the need for excessive busing of children out there to a school site, if one’s not provided.”
Logan Opsahl, an attorney representing the developer, told council the project has cleared every review stage—concept plan, preliminary site plan and final site plan—with school board signing off at each step. He argued the land-use and zoning items that were before council at Thursday’s meeting had nothing to do with the school-site question and said a continuance would only delay the project.
Robertson questioned how the project got this far through the process—first with Osceola County and then through two of St. Cloud’s hearings—without this issue arising. He called for a delay in the vote to give the school board and the developer time to work out a solution.
Council voted 3-2 to continue both ordinances to a special council meeting on August 6. Deputy Mayor Ken Gilbert and Council Member Shawn Fletcher opposed, with Fletcher arguing the land-use application itself has no bearing on the unresolved school-site question.
City staff said they will continue processing the developer’s applications during the delay, though no final approvals can be issued until the land-use and zoning ordinances are adopted.
