August 28 Alachua County Commission and Gainesville City Commission Joint Meeting

Press release from Alachua County
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – The Alachua County Commission and the Gainesville City Commission will conduct a Joint Meeting on Monday, August 28, 2023. The meeting begins at 3 p.m. in the Jack Durrance Auditorium on the second floor of the Alachua County Administration Building (12 S.E. 1st Street, Gainesville).
The meeting can be viewed on Cox Channel 12, the AC TV app (Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku), or online.
In-person public comments will be taken for the agenda items, and the public will also have an opportunity to speak about items not on the agenda. Members of the public who wish to speak are asked to limit their comments to three minutes.
Meeting items of interest:
- Gun Violence Prevention
- Homeless Services Funding Gaps/Needs
- Thelma Boltin Update
Regarding the Thelma Boltin Center:
I prefer “Repair & Reopen” to the “Partial Restoration” (Demolition) Plan.
I am hoping the city commission will ultimately decide to repair and reopen – new roof, truss work, and fix the AC system. That option would save the Historic structure and allow future maintenance to qualify for Historic Preservation grants.
The “Partial Restoration” option selected last April would demolish all but 2 walls, with plans to build a larger building at that site.
Repair & Reopen costs $450,000. “Partial Restoration” (demolition) costs $5.6 million.
The City Commission has revisited other decisions after public input, and I am hoping they will revisit this one.
So, panhandling in the medians all over the COG is very legal, but “Funding for Homeless shelters” is on the ‘agenda’ for discussion.
Wow! Just wow.
Yo, Im at a loss. I literally got nuthin…. 🤣