- April 18, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
Some disagree with using ECHO funds for purchase
Sitting in their living room at the Argosy Motel, looking out toward the Atlantic Ocean, owners Greg and Sharon Clark laugh when you say running a beachside motel must be a dream.
“What you have to understand is that you have to work,” Greg said. “It’s not what it appears to be.”
The Clarks recently agreed to sell the 0.69 acre property at 1255 N. Ocean Shore Blvd. to Volusia County for $1.25 million. The county plans to convert it to a parking lot for 56 cars.
It’s been in the Clark family since his dad, Douglas, built it in 1952, and it’s the kind of place that patrons return year after year. The hardwood furniture has been maintained through the years and provides a retro, 1950s, decor.
The Clarks have been hearing from guests about the closing.
“The emails people send are really sad,” Sharon said. “I went to work crying the other day.”
She said one couple who have vacationed there for 40 years said they are coming one more time.
Greg Clark said he is getting tired of people “pouting” about the motel closing, but after growing up there , he’s feeling nostalgic, too. He said someone told him he was going through the same things a grieving person goes through after losing a loved one.
He said the benefit of running the motel was not being on the beach, but rather meeting people and making friends through the years. He said when people are on vacation, they have time to talk.
“The walls come down and they exhibit their heart,” he said.
He is glad it’s going to be a parking lot.
“It’s thrilling to me that I can buy a house over here, and park my truck and visit my beach,” he said.
Greg Clark said that stretch of beach with its natural dunes is the best beach in the area.
But the years have taken their toll on the motel and it’s requiring a lot of upkeep.
“It’s very tiring,” Sharon said.
Also, they have four children and 10 grandchildren (with one on the way) that they would like to visit more often.
The final straw was the failure of one of the septic drain fields for one of the cabins. They are faced with replacing drain fields or hooking up to the sewer along State Road A1A and both would be too much of an investment for the aging structure.
Greg was born in 1954 and moved away as a young man to work in construction. In 2000, he and his wife took over the motel after his mother, Phyllis, passed away.
Some local residents not happy with ECHO funds being used
While Greg is happy the place is going to be a parking lot, some are not in favor of using the ECHO funds.
“I don’t think the community knows how ECHO funds are being used,” said Amy Murphy-Demeo, of Ormond Beach.
The county is getting the money for the property from three sources, Ponce Inlet Port Authority, Volusia ECHO and general fund reserves, with each source providing $416,000.
ECHO funds come from voter approved taxes to be spent on environmental, cultural, historical, and outdoor recreation projects and institutions.
County officials believe the parking provides access to recreation but Murphy-Demeo does not believe a parking lot fits the definition of how ECHO funds should be used. The description can be found on the volusia.org website, by searching for “ECHO.”
“Parking will not enrich the lives of the citizens of Volusia as does community theatre, arts and science museums, cultural events and historical places,” she wrote in an email.
“Do we want an ocean front view to be a parking lot?” she asked. “I wouldn’t want to look down on a parking lot from a hotel.”
Dave Byron, Volusia County spokesman, said there are three ways that ECHO money can be spent. A government or agency can apply for a grant, which will be considered by the ECHO board. If granted, ECHO funds will provide in a 50% match. The second way is emergency repairs to historic structures, which are also approved by the board.
The third method requires no approval by the ECHO board. The County Council can spend ECHO money in a “direct expenditure,” with a majority vote. Byron said that method of spending has always been in the ECHO bylaws.
