- The Alachua County School Board voted 4-1 to not proceed with purchasing Citizens Field or proceedings with the city of Gainesville for future site work.
- Instead, the board asked its staff to return with more options, including building a stadium at each of the three high schools or using Loften Magnet School for a shared stadium.
After a lengthy discussion and several failed motions, the School Board of Alachua County (SBAC) voted 4-1 on Tuesday night to not proceed with either a purchase agreement or interlocal agreement with the city of Gainesville pertaining to Citizens Field.
The vote comes two weeks after the board delayed making a decision on the agreements, with board members concerned about not having enough time to review the contracts. Citizens Field is the primary athletic home to all three of Gainesville’s public high schools for football and soccer.
Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) staff previously explained that both agreements go together.
With the purchase and sale agreement (PSA), the SBAC would have purchased the Citizens Field property from the city for a price of $500,000. Gainesville currently owns the 4.7-acre property, but the district has taken care of upkeep and programming under a 40-year lease of Citizens Field.
The proposed PSA required the school board to put down a $100,000 deposit within 20 days after both the SBAC and City Commission approved the contract. The SBAC would have then received a 90-day inspection period to conduct surveys, engineering and environmental studies, and other examinations of the property.
The school board could have terminated the PSA at any time during that 90-day period and received a refund of its deposit. The PSA also allowed the SBAC to extend its due diligence period twice for an additional 180 days.
The interlocal agreement outlined how the city and school board would have shared responsibilities in making renovations to the Citizens Field property.
Per this agreement, Gainesville would have been responsible for improvements that included “constructing or providing utilities, paved vehicular access, parking facilities, stormwater facilities and landscaping on the City’s property but which is necessary to serve the Stadium and Stadium site.”
The city would have had 24 months from the closing date to complete its required improvements, according to the interlocal agreement.
The SBAC, meanwhile, would have been responsible for the costs associated with demolishing Citizens Field, as well as all costs to build a new $22 to $25 million stadium, the interlocal agreement said.
That new stadium would have included a natural or synthetic turf playing field for football, soccer, lacrosse, and track and field events; seating for 3,000 to 5,000 spectators; a press box with media facilities; home and visitor locker rooms with restroom and shower facilities; concession stands and public restrooms.
Interim Superintendent Kamela Patton said during Tuesday’s meeting that the stadium would be funded through the district’s capital funds, adding that this option doesn’t divert resources from teacher or staff raises.
Per the interlocal agreement, the SBAC had to have the stadium built within 18 months of the city finished its site improvements or the completion of the permitting for the new facility, whichever was later.
The interlocal agreement also stated that the school board would be responsible for the maintenance of the stadium and stadium site, while also requiring the SBAC to pay half the remediation costs, estimated at roughly $5 million.
Before the board got into a discussion, a motion was made by Board Member Tina Certain to approve the initial signing of the contract so the district could do an environmental evaluation of Citizens Field for transfer. The motion was seconded by Board Member Sarah Rockwell.
During board discussion, Chair Thomas Vu thanked his colleagues for agreeing to table the agreement at their last meeting. With just a quick glance at the contract, Vu said he had “a lot of misgivings” and that those misgivings increased as he got into the agreement.
Vu expressed concern about Florida’s proposed homestead exemption if approved by residents and where Gainesville would find the money for its side of the project.
“[The city] only get [the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area] for another three years. They only get $7 to $8 million a year through that [program],” Vu said. “That’s the number that’s going to go down if this tax exemption passes. And then even then, there is no guarantee that the county will reauthorize the GCRA. So, then where is the money going to come from for this project?”
Vu said he would prefer building two different stadiums at Buchholz and Eastside High School “and then trying to figure out an option for GHS [Gainesville High School].” He acknowledged that this was among the options the board initially looked at.
Vice Chair Leanetta McNealy expressed concern with GHS, adding that the school is “certainly landlocked.” She noted that she would never agree to GHS sharing a stadium with Buchholz and EHS if the two schools had their own stadium.
Like Vu, Rockwell said she also had reservations with the contract, specifically related to potential environmental problems.
“Yes, we can pull out [of the contract] if we find serious environmental issues, but there is nothing in here that makes the city responsible if we do find them,” Rockwell said. “That would be tacking on potentially to our price.”
In addressing possible stadiums on the Buchholz and Eastside campuses, Rockwell said she was under the impression that while Buchholz technically has the room for a stadium, there wouldn’t be enough space for stormwater mitigation on the property.
Suzanne Wynn, executive director of planning, construction and maintenance for ACPS, said she couldn’t give a yes or no as to whether Buchholz’s campus could fit a stadium without looking at it in more detail. She also said the school with the largest space constraint is GHS.
Board Member Janine Plavac brought up Professional Academies Magnet at Loften High School as a potential option for a stadium, noting the amount of property on the campus and its proximity to Citizens Field.
“We don’t have to do anything to remediate the current Citizens Field, and we start fresh,” she said.
Rockwell said Loften was previously brought to the board as a possible option.
“Part of it is that there’s additional costs in getting the infrastructure for utilities and plumbing, and all of that,” she said of Loften. “Citizens Field already has it.”
While some of the board members shared reservations with the contract, Certain was in favor of proceeding forward and urged her colleagues to reconsider their hesitation.
“We have to make the best decision today to serve our students today, into the future,” Certain said. “What is going to do that for us, and to serve all three schools, and to serve them well right now is to pursue and go forward with the Citizens Field property.”
The first motion on the floor failed 1-4, with only Certain voting in favor.
Certain then made a second motion to move forward with the agreement and authorize Patton to further negotiate the contract given board hesitations. The motion failed 2-3, with only Rockwell and Certain voting in favor.
A third motion was made by Rockwell to have Patton and staff bring back a presentation of all the available stadium options. The motion was seconded by Plavac and approved 4-1, with Certain in dissent.
Wynn told the board that they would “need time to do a more thorough job at coming up with conceptual designs and costs.”
“I’m OK with taking that time to make a better decision,” Vu replied.
The SBAC lease for Citizens Field ends in December 2026 following a six-month extension at the June 2 meeting.
Principal transfers
Also, during Tuesday’s meeting, the board unanimously approved a list of principal transfers.
The transfers, which take effect July 1, are:
- Kelly Armstrong (Santa Fe High School to Mebane Middle School)
- Christopher Beland (Williams Elementary School to Duval Early Learning Academy)
- Laura Creamer (Meadowbrook Elementary School to Wiles Elementary School)
- Tami Delaney (Parker Elementary School to Meadowbrook Elementary School)
- Sherry Estes (Kanapaha Middle School to Santa Fe High School)
- Margaret Gardiner (Duval Early Learning to Littlewood Elementary School)
- Katherine Munn (Wiles to Oak View Middle School)
- Justin Russell (Littlewood Elementary to Williams Elementary)
- Anyana Stokes (Foster Elementary School to Parker Elementary)
- Jared Taber (Oak View Middle to Kanapaha Middle)
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.