Officials and staff from Sarasota County helped celebrate the groundbreaking for the new finish tower at Nathan Benderson Park (NBP) on Thursday

County helps break ground on new
finish tower at Nathan Benderson Park

The finish tower will be part of the world-class rowing facilities at the 600-acre community park, which is owned by Sarasota County and operated by Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates (SANCA). NBP will host the 2017 World Rowing Championships.

“It’s amazing to see the progress made here in just a few short years,” said County Commission Vice Chair Alan Maio. “Not only is this a wonderful community park, it has also become a world-class rowing facility. The finish tower will only add to Sarasota County’s international reputation as we prepare for the World Rowing Championships.”

The finish tower, an elegant, four-story structure designed by Sarasota architect Guy Peterson, in coordination with Fawley Bryant Architects, is being privately funded through the Nathan Benderson Community Park Foundation. It will house park offices, event officials and media and will feature meeting rooms, community space, and decks with views of the entire park and surrounding area. The foundation intends to donate the building to the county through SANCA.

Representatives of SANCA and the foundation were joined by County Administrator Tom Harmer and Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Director Carolyn Brown in celebrating Thursday’s groundbreaking.

“Nathan Benderson Park is a great example of a public-private partnership that has created a world-class venue for our whole community and region to enjoy,” Harmer said. “It takes a great deal of planning, effort and collaboration to make a project like this successful. It is great to see the private investment in the park that allows us to continue to develop this great community asset.”