"If you go there, you'll see the pavilion is gone," Community Recreation Director Fred Couceyro told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on Oct. 8, according to the Coral Gables Gazette. "We were going to refurbish it, but we have to rebuild it. There's only a pile of mulch where it once stood."
That pile of mulch tells you how this winter will go for city recreation in Coral Gables. Phillips Park in the North Ponce District has reopened, but only partly and only in daylight. The Country Club pool on North Greenway Drive is about to close for a deck renovation whose planned start has already slipped a month past what the city's own contract memo called for. One facility is coming back and another is going offline, and both are running behind their original targets. If you're working out where your kids will play or where you'll swim laps between now and spring, go by what is open today. The posted finish dates have already moved.
The Park That Was Due Last Summer
Phillips Park closed in November 2025. In an October 2025 board presentation, the city projected it would reopen by early summer 2026, as the Gables Courier reported. By September, the target was a soft opening at the end of that month. Restroom work was expected to finish by mid-October, and the pavilion would stay fenced while crews rebuilt it.
The park did reopen, but on different terms. Couceyro called it "a soft opening, a provisional opening," the Gazette reported. He also said he isn't ready to hold a formal grand opening while work is unfinished. Full operations are now projected for March 2027. That is about 16 months after the park closed and roughly nine months past the first target.
The park held National Night Out the week of the Oct. 8 meeting, with food, games and bounce houses, so it is already working as a gathering place.
What You Can Use at 90 Menores Avenue Right Now
The city's park directory lists Phillips Park at 90 Menores Avenue. Here is what the October board update said about each part of the park:
- Playground: open. "People seem to be pretty happy with the playground," Couceyro said. He pointed out that the screws holding the slide panels sit on the outside of the slide, so they are less likely to catch on clothing.
- Restrooms: open. They were reported complete.
- Evenings: closed. "It's really dark. We are not comfortable with the visibility you need when you have a full active park," Couceyro said. The warranty covers the lighting repair, so the city pays nothing extra. Staff expected the contractor to fix it within weeks, and most of the work should take one business day.
- Pavilion: gone. An inspection meant to scope a roof repair found structural damage. The city chose to demolish the pavilion and rebuild it, citing cost and time.
- Turf field and courts: check first. The September plan listed the synthetic turf field, pickleball courts, basketball court and tennis court as part of the soft opening. The October update covered only the playground and restrooms. Ask Community Recreation before you plan a pickleball morning around Phillips. The city's pickleball reservation page currently covers the Salvadore and Biltmore centers.
Once the lighting repair is done, the remaining gap is the pavilion. That covered shade is what makes a park usable for a birthday party or a long afternoon. The city hasn't published a rebuild date.
The Price Tag Grew, and Phase 2 Is Still on Paper
In September, the Courier described the renovation as a $5 million project. The Gazette now calls it $6 million. The city's FY2026–2030 Capital Improvement Program lists the Phillips Park Renovation and Enhancement at $6,054,470.
At the board's May meeting, Couceyro described Phillips as the city's first park to put a synthetic turf field, a destination playground, pickleball, basketball and tennis in one place. A future Phase 2 would add a splash pad and a community building. Its estimated cost is $4.5 million, and it is not funded. The capital plan says its later-year figures are planning numbers, not funding commitments, and need future approval. For anyone hoping for a splash pad in the North Ponce District, no date or funding has been set.
Across Town, the Pool Clock Starts
The second calendar belongs to the Country Club pool at 997 N. Greenway Drive. On July 7, 2026, the City Commission approved a bid waiver with John Bell Construction for the pool renovation, capped at $1,591,988. According to the city's memo, staff asked three general contractors for bids and John Bell Construction was the only one to submit a proposal.
The work is mostly below the surface. It includes demolishing the deck and adding a new stone-tile finish and coping, concrete and structural-steel repairs, waterproofing, new perimeter gutter piping and deck drains, and new deck and post lighting.
The schedule has already shifted. The July memo says construction had to start no later than October 2026 to reach a May 2027 reopening. The advisory board's September and October agendas now say construction will begin in November. The Gazette reports the pool is expected to stay out of service until summer. The city hasn't announced the last day the pool will be open, so if you swim there regularly, ask the front desk this week.
| Project | Original target | Where it stands now |
|---|---|---|
| Phillips Park reopening | Early summer 2026, per an October 2025 projection | Provisional daytime opening in October 2026; full operations projected for March 2027 |
| Phillips Park pavilion | Refurbish the existing structure | Demolished after structural damage was found; no published rebuild date |
| Country Club pool construction start | No later than October 2026 | Expected to begin in November 2026 |
| Country Club pool reopening | May 2027 | Expected out of service "until summer," per the Gazette's October report |
Where the Swim Routine Goes
The obvious substitute is Venetian Pool, and the city's fee schedule favors residents. Under the FY27 fee schedule, resident daily admission is $7 for adults and $6 for children all year. Only nonresident prices change with the season. Adults pay $23 from April through October and $18 from November through March, and children pay $18 and then $12. So when the Country Club pool closes, Venetian Pool switches to winter pricing. The resident rate stays the same, and nonresident visitors pay less than they did all summer.
To get the resident rate, bring proof of Coral Gables residency. The schedule is the bigger adjustment. Venetian Pool is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is closed Mondays. Early-morning and after-work swims don't fit those hours, so lap swimmers who usually go before or after the workday will need another option until the Country Club pool reopens.
More Parks Join the Line
Phillips and the Country Club pool are the first two of several city projects. At the same Oct. 8 meeting, the board heard updates on three more, the Gazette reported:
- Granada Golf Course rain shelters. Crews will build the larger shelters first and the smaller ones in phases, so the course doesn't have to close.
- Rotary International Park, near Ponce de Leon Boulevard and Southwest Eighth Street. Renovation designs are being developed with nearby homeowners in mind.
- William Alexander Cooper Park, near U.S. 1 and Washington Drive. It is in the same design stage, and a street-related issue has delayed progress.
The city had already awarded the Cooper Park and Rotary Park construction contracts by September. Phillips took about a year to reach a provisional opening, and its pavilion went from a repair to a full rebuild partway through. A design stage is no guide to when Rotary or Cooper will close or reopen.
The November calendar is also busier than usual. The city plans its first Veterans Day celebration on Nov. 11, with a tribute, live entertainment and booths along Giralda Avenue. Couceyro said some November and early December events were moved earlier because police resources are expected to be stretched during the G20 summit in mid-December. If you're planning a weekend this winter, use the playground at 90 Menores Avenue in daylight, swim at Venetian Pool from Tuesday through Sunday, and spend Nov. 11 on Giralda.
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