The Gainesville City Commission voted to take out a $22 million loan to build the new Gainesville Police Department Property and Evidence building and to continue forward with the 8th Avenue and Waldo Road project.
The commission also had a long discussion and split vote to change course on redesigning two streets east of UF’s campus to only allow one-way traffic.
Commissioners Ed Book, Desmon Duncan-Walker and Cynthia Chestnut voted to stop the plan, citing safety, parking and funding concerns. The total project cost is estimated at $1.2 million, and the plan has been in the works since 2019, when a previous commission approved it.
Chestnut also said the project will hurt the Fifth Avenue neighborhood. She said she plans to stop the city’s destruction of neighborhoods while still in office.
“Our neighborhoods are being impacted and are being destroyed, and so at some point we’ve got to stop,” Chestnut said.
The city recently changed streets north of campus into one-way pairs as part of its VisionZero plan to increase pedestrian and cyclist safety.
The commission voted to sign a loan with Regions Bank for no more than $22 million. The City Commission has that revenue coming in through the Wild Spaces, Public Places surtax, but those funds are spread out over the coming years. The loan allows the city to immediately begin the construction on the evidence building and pay back Regions Bank as the new surtax funds are collected.
The commissioners also signed off on a contract that sets the limit for the police department’s evidence building at $19 million.
City staff updated the commissioner on the 8th Avenue and Waldo Road project. The city is leaning toward renovating the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center while focusing dollars on the two amenities that could fail soon: Citizens Field and the Dwight H. Hunter Pool.
Currently, the city has identified $30 million in funding. The scenario looked at on Thursday calls for $53 million, and staff said the city could start with remediation, multipurpose fields, stormwater, trails, stadium, parking, competition pool, demolition of the existing pool, a community pool and a pad where a future senior center could be built.
The additional funds would cover building the senior center, renovating the multipurpose center, a new playground and lighting the fields.
The City Commission didn’t take action on Thursday, but staff plan to open the project to bids later this month.
The city also started negotiations to sell the Citizens Field property to the School Board of Alachua County. The tentative price is $5.5 million.
Suggested Articles
No related articles found.
Goodbye taxpayer’s money! The fools on the GVCC have nothing but spend on their mind! They are in a close race for Wasteful Spending Local Government organization of the year with the Alachua County School Board (buy me a broke down football stadium (for who? Tina Certain)! It’s all just taxpayer’s money, not theirs! So please blow it on all your individual legacy whims!
Smart people will flee the City and School Commission money pits!
Love it here and staying here. Best wishes.
What is the per capita debt load of GNV? What do the credit markets (Firch, S&P, Moody) think of the financial risk of default of GNV.
A smart person like you certainly knows the answers to these types of questions.
Here you go smart person-
Fitch Ratings: Affirmed ‘AA’ Issuer Default Rating (IDR) and ‘A+’ for GRU revenue bonds, with a Stable Outlook in 2024, citing financial resilience and strong management.
Moody’s: Maintains an ‘Aa3’ rating with a Stable Outlook for Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU), acknowledging debt reduction efforts and stable financial position.
S&P Global: Recently upgraded the City’s rating to ‘AA’, recognizing prudent fiscal planning and strong reserves.
The City of Gainesville has made some poor financial decisions in the last ten years. But over the last 2 years they are doing much better, as noted by these 3 Credit Rating Agencies.
Furthermore, this is a good economic development bet. The red-lining that occurs in Gainesville has damaged the east side of Gainesville resulting in underutilization of real property and real people. This is a chance to reverse many years of neglect and increase the economic output of a large section of Gainesville.
Why didn’t you list the per capita debt load?
It would help to have an all out effort greatly reduce crime in East Gainesville. Until you do that efforts are wasted. Until Gainesville elects a different commission this wil never happen
Citizens Field will become a giant parking lot + tennis courts. That’s it. The stadium and pools get rebuilt. 30 million dollars
Living above our means is what we voted for.
No wonder they want GRU back so badly. That way they can throw away even more money for things no one else wants.
Well, congratulations to the Gainesville City Commission because once again, they’ve proven they’re absolute masters at one thing: setting taxpayer money on fire with Olympic-level enthusiasm. Truly inspiring work. If there were a trophy for blowing public funds with zero accountability, the GVCC would need a bigger shelf.
But don’t worry they’ve got stiff competition! The Alachua County School Board is sprinting right behind them, proudly wasting money on a broken-down, bargain-bin football stadium that no one asked for except maybe Tina Certain and whoever else needs their personal “legacy project” checked off this year. What a gift to the community assuming the community asked for overpriced junk. Spoiler it didn’t.
And the best part. They spend this money with the carefree joy of someone playing with Monopoly money, because of course it’s not theirs. It’s your hard earned cash is their personal hobby fund. What a heartwarming arrangement.
Meanwhile, taxpayers get to watch their dollars evaporate while these officials pat themselves on the back for “investing in the future.” Yes, because nothing says “future” like dumping piles of cash into political ego projects that should’ve been left on the cutting room floor.
Honestly, who wouldn’t want to flee the City and School Commission’s financial quicksand?
What a stunning embarrassment. What a tribute to waste. What a legacy of failure.
Taxpayers deserve so much better than this clown show masquerading as leadership.
Honestly, who wouldn’t want to flee the City and School Commission’s financial quicksand?
Regions Bank and the municipal bond market have not fled the “financial quicksand”.
Well that’s why there want GRU back so more wasted money AND THE VOTES KEEP PUTTING THEM ( DEMOCRATS BACK IN THE OFFICE ) tax and spend that’s always been going on here in Gainesville since I moved till 12 years ago now the rate finally with GRU are coming down Gainesville city commissioners are not happy with that. They want to keep raising the rights and taxed and spend the voters keep putting the Democrats back in office. Shame on you.
The 4 Wrong-Way City Commissioners who fatally damaged urban neighborhoods and local businesses are hard at work on our local streets.
Now we are all going the Wrong way …faster
A poorly-written article.
A $22 million dollar loan…but the City of Gainesville, FL can’t adequately fund its Zero Waste Initiative?