Retiring Tax Collector Tax Collector Linda Fugate built a safe and secure bulletproof work area for employees that deal directly with the public.
By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
Work is progressing on the no-name county government building behind the Levy County Courthouse that is being converted to office space for the Tax Collector, Property Appraiser, Levy County Commissioners and other officials.
The building served as Bronson High School and Bronson Elementary School for decades before the current Bronson Middle High School and Bronson Elementary School were constructed off County Road 32.
The age of the former school isn’t a total mystery.
County Construction and Maintenance Director Jimmy Jones said his staff didn’t find any marker on campus giving the actual age of the old school building, but he was told the low concrete wall surrounding the building was constructed to prevent wild hogs from entering the campus back in the day.
Bronson Councilman Robert Partin said he doesn’t know the age of the building either, but his 90-year-old father attended classes in the school, which provides some indication of the building’s age.
No Name Yet
Levy County Commissioners, the government landlords that own the nameless building and all other buildings used by county departments including the courthouse and road department, have talked briefly about what they might name the building. Courthouse Annex and Levy County Government Complex are two of the names they tossed around. No decision has been made.
One customer standing at the counter at the new Tax Collector’s office said he was directed to go to the old school behind the courthouse. He said he asked, “What old school?” He wasn’t familiar with the old Bronson High School. The no-name building has no permanent sign indicating what the building is being used for. Handwritten signs with arrows direct people to the tax office.
Commissioners Relocate
Commission staff moved to their office complex just off the main entrance of the former school last Friday. The only announcement that they were planning to move their offices on Nov. 22 was posted on a Facebook page. The new county commission office complex once served as the site of principal’s office and school administration when the building was used as Bronson High School.
The board opted for a no-frills remodeling job on their office complex. County commission office staff members say they like the new setup. New furniture has been ordered but hasn’t arrived. They have laid new carpeting to give it a more attractive look.
Tax Collector Linda Fugate was the first to move into the building several weeks ago. She said she used a frugal approach to search for local contractors who could do the work at the lowest price.
Her female office staff members work behind a bulletproof glass wall when dealing with customers. Fugate designed the wall on a rough drawing, but it looks like it was designed by an architect.
Getting Good Deals
When Fugate first contacted a Gainesville company about the bulletproof glass, she was quoted a price of $225,000. She shopped around and found Nature Coast Glass, operated by the Pitts Brothers in the Chiefland area, and they agreed provide the same bulletproof glass wall and install it for less than $40,000.
Fugate, who operates her office on fees she collects, spent $174,000 on remodeling and building the office space on both sides of the school’s old wood floor hallway. She used local contractors whenever possible and she said it paid off.
Fugate is a BHS alumnus. She was among other things, a BHS cheerleader. When she hears the clank of shoes on the hardwood hallway floor it reminds her of her days as a student.
Built to Last
There were other expenses associated with remodeling Fugate’s office area. Jones said county construction staff installed about 30,000 feet of computer cable for Fugate’s office. Jones said about 75,000 feet of computer cable is being installed throughout the main school building. He said his construction staff had to tear out a couple of classroom walls to make room for the area that would house Fugate’s office staff and their glass wall. On the other side of the hallway, he said they constructed walls to subdivide classrooms into office space for Fugate and her administrative staff, including a break room.
Fugate also has a room set aside for online driver and concealed weapons written tests and applications.
“We tried to build something that would last us for years to come,” Fugate said, adding that they built two additional staff positions behind the glass wall for future expansion.
Shopping for Deals
Fugate said she wasn’t required to get bids for her remodeling and construction. She shopped for the best quotes. Her budget was approved by the Florida Department of Revenue. She said her office was already in the planning stages when the county commission passed its procurement rules requiring three bids for any purchases. She had already talked to DOR about her plans.
“I’ve been in this office for a long time and I’m very frugal,” she said.
Fugate said she used Bronson businessman Tim Miller, who owns ICS Cabinets, to build the cabinets located beneath the glass wall. She said it worked out well. He built the cabinets and installed them at a good price.
“They built everything from scratch,” she said.
Fugate said using local contractors pumps money back into the local economy.
Security was never a big concern when Fugate operated on the second floor of the courthouse. Visitors to the courthouse were screened electronically for weapons before they could enter and sheriff’s deputies were available in the courthouse if there was trouble. But the county commission has decided to provide no deputies to protect offices in the old school building. Fugate knew she was receiving no protection from the board. She decided to install a protective glass shield for employees that work directly with the public.
The county commission office complex has no protective shield for its office receptionist. She will be stationed behind a counter in the near future. The counter has been ordered but not installed. For the time being, she works behind computer cabinet next to a small table.
County Commission Chambers
The future county commission meeting chambers will be the school auditorium. The plan is to wall off the auditorium stage and build an 18-inch platform on the floor below the stage to serve as a platform for the desk, or dais, that commissioners will use for their meetings. The acoustics in the auditorium aren’t bad, but trying to hear commissioners speak from the back of the auditorium would be challenging. County Commission Chairman John Meeks, also a BHS alumnus, has promised to install microphones and a speaker system to broadcast the board’s public discussions during board meeting, even though he thinks the acoustics are good in the auditorium.
Jones said seats have been removed from the front of the auditorium to make room for tables to be used by office staff during meetings. He said maintenance staff may remove one row of seats from the front of the auditorium to provide more space for the commission desk.
Re-purposing Auditorium Seats
The former BHS auditorium will convert to the county commission meeting chambers. The stage will be walled off and a short platform will be constructed in the area shown in front of the first row of seats to hold the board’s meeting desk, or dais.
The seats removed from the auditorium have been re-upholstered by Fugate and will be used for customer seating in her lobby next to the glass wall.
This is one set of rooms for the property appraiser’s office complex. The offices remain under construction.
Property Appraiser Osborne Barker hasn’t moved into his new digs in the old school building. Jones estimates Barker will relocate in January. The property appraiser’s office complex will be directly opposite the county commission offices.
No decision has been made on where County Attorney Anne Bast Brown will have an office. Two areas are under consideration. One spot would be located in the same building as the future Veterans Service office in a relatively new building directly behind the sailport attached to the back of the courthouse. Another line of thinking is she might be housed in a fairly new building almost directly behind the auditorium. It would be a short walk on a sidewalk to county commission meetings.
County Construction and Maintenance Director Jimmy Jones stands in the office space that will serve as headquarters for Veterans Services. Jones is a veteran.
County building and zoning will also be housed in the campus but there is no word on where the office would be located.
The main building also has its own cafeteria, which appears to be in good shape. The school campus has a gymnasium with locker rooms at the back. The gym is functional. The Town of Bronson is interested in working out some type of deal to use the gym for child sports activities but the town has made no formal presentation to the county commission in a board meeting. The board has talked about using the gym for storage but that idea has been put on hold.
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Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt: County Offices Move to Courthouse Annex Building. Posted November 27, 2019
