According to the June 9 Town Council minutes, Tweddle Park was already closed, but its tennis and pickleball courts were still open. Pickleball was expected to close within the week, and the Town was working to keep tennis open as long as it could. At the September 15 meeting, the plan was reversed in order. The Town Manager said he plans to open the tennis courts before the holidays. The Wellness Center and the rest of the park would follow after the first of the year.
Golden Beach is building Tweddle Park and the Wellness Center as one campus. It has one budget, one schedule, and one approach to opening: the Town takes delivery, works through the punch list, and only then lets residents in. That explains why the date moved and why the courts come back first.
How the opening date moved
Each Town document has given a slightly later target than the one before it.
| Source | Date | What it said |
|---|---|---|
| FY 2026–27 budget book | Summer 2026 | Wellness Center "slated for completion at the end of 2026" |
| June 9 Council minutes | June 2026 | Wellness Center "operational in December"; a "very soft opening" possible by the second week of December if the summer stayed quiet on rain |
| September 15 Council minutes | September 2026 | Both projects open "after the first of the year"; tennis courts before the holidays |
The June forecast came with a warning. The June 9 minutes record that the schedule was weather-dependent and that nothing would be sacrificed to meet the deadline: "We want to make sure everything gets delivered in a proper manner." In September, that warning became the plan. The Town will take delivery, finish the punch list, and then open.
Why the courts come back first
The tennis courts are the one part of the project that can open without the building. Pickleball closed with the rest of the park in June, and tennis stayed open longest. That makes tennis the shortest gap to close, and the September update puts those courts on a holiday-season timeline.
The Town also keeps paying for the details around the courts while construction continues. On September 15, the Council approved drinking fountains, dog drinking fountains and a bike-repair station for the park. The agenda item put the purchase at $31,595 from Most Dependable Fountains, Inc. It described the timing this way: "As we complete the various installations at Re-imagined Tweddle park." The recreational facilities themselves are being installed by John Bell Construction, Inc., under a Town resolution awarding that contract.
What the rebuilt park holds
The budget book describes the new Tweddle Park as built for "residents of all ages." Its features include:
- Two age-specific playgrounds
- A padel court
- A basketball court
- A dog park with separate areas for large and small dogs
The same document's "What $76M Built" summary gives a longer list for the finished park: tennis, pickleball, padel, basketball, bocce, putting greens, dog parks and a children's area. The summary also calls the Wellness Center the "capstone of the Civic Center Complex." That puts the park, the building and the Civic Center into one group of public spaces.
The money treats them as one project too. As of the June 9 meeting, the combined figure stood at $11,930,000, which included "Reimagined Tweddle Park, the Wellness Center facilities, furniture, equipment, planning, and all of the landscaping." The fiscal-year budget resolution summarized in the September 15 minutes also lists beautification work for the park, including improvements to the pavilion, the pump station, and the roof of the Police Department and Public Works facility.
Inside the Wellness Center
By the budget book's account, the building's construction phase "has almost been finalized." The Council awarded the gym equipment contract to LifeFitness, LLC, and all furniture orders have been placed. The Town's Wellness Center project page shows design concepts for a lounge, a reading area, a reception desk and a gym. These are renderings of the intended rooms, not photos of the finished space.
The staffing plan shows how closely the building is tied to the Town's existing beach and park operations. The budget discussion recorded in the June 9 minutes described a plan that relies on staff the Town already employs:
"We will open the building using public works and beach staff, and we will close the building using police and park rangers. We will also have a staff member that manages the building and does the programming."
The same discussion mentioned a budget allocation for three Wellness Center staff members. It also said plainly that "we have not voted on anything so this can change." Wellness Center staffing was one of the "must haves" listed while building the budget that proposed lowering the Town's millage rate from 8.40 to 7.99. By September 15, the budget resolution included buying "the supplies, furnishings, equipment, and other materials necessary to outfit and operate the new Wellness Center." It also included a wall and security gate at the Public Works facility as part of the project.
The holidays come before the building does
Under the September plan, the courts open while the Wellness Center is still in its punch-list phase. The holiday season falls in that gap. The Town's budget resolution has already authorized spending for that season. It funds holiday gifts, which the minutes say are "expected to cost more than in prior years," using money from both the 2025–26 and 2026–27 fiscal years. It also covers holiday lighting.
Next on the list, with no dates yet
Once the Wellness Center and the park open, the Town has more projects lined up. None of these has a published schedule:
- Beach Pavilion and Guardhouse. The budget book says the Town is "planning important improvements to our Beach Pavilion and Guard House," along with work on the Town entrance. The adopted budget lists $188,313 for the Historic Beach Pavilion project in FY 2026–27. Temporary repairs to the guardhouse roof trusses were approved on September 15.
- The Strand. The June 9 minutes record a plan to "kickstart the Guardhouse, Beach Pavilion, and The Strand" during the July and August recess to begin looking at those projects.
- Wellness Center hours and access. The Town has not yet published hours, an opening day, or rules for resident use. The staffing plan above is the most detailed description of how the building will run.
Opening order
Here is the sequence as of the Town's September 15 update. The tennis courts open before the holidays. The Town then takes delivery of the Wellness Center and the rest of Tweddle Park and finishes the punch list. Both open after the first of the year.
At Wolsen Real Estate, we follow Golden Beach's Council agendas as closely as we follow its waterfront. Whether you're planning around the new courts or want to understand how the Civic Center campus fits into life on Ocean Boulevard, we're happy to talk it through. Book an Appointment.
