By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                Efforts by County Commission Chairman John Meeks to convince fellow board members they should sell the old Bronson High School gym to the town for youth recreation activities never got traction Tuesday but the board voted instead to approach Bronson about leasing the facility.

            County Coordinator Wilbur Dean is expected to contact the town with the lease offer and if the town council agrees, county administrative staff members and County Attorney Anne Bast Brown will make recommendations on what the town’s responsibilities would be through the lease.

            The gym, estimated to be about 70 years old, remains in useable condition for youth activities like basketball and volleyball but has been vacant since the school board constructed the current Bronson Middle High School on the other side of town. It was leased to a church until about the middle of February.

            Commissioners bought the gym two years ago as part of the purchase of the old Bronson High School campus. They have converted the main classroom building to office space for the Property Appraiser, Tax Collector, and the county commission office complex. The auditorium is being used for the county commission meeting room. The building has unofficially been named the Levy County Annex.

            The Bronson Town Council voted 4-0 Tuesday night to approach the county commission about purchasing the gym and gave Town Manager Susan Beaudet instructions to write a letter the following morning indicating the town’s interest in buying the gym, but she chose not to follow orders. Mayor Beatrice Roberts planned to sign the letter on Tuesday morning. Beaudet attended the county commission meeting but never delivered the letter from the town council to commissioners in time for Tuesday’s board meeting.

            Beaudet wanted to hear what the commission would say about the March 2 letter she wrote to commissioners expressing the city’s interest in buying the property, but the letter, while well written, wasn’t what Meeks asked for at the previous commission meeting. Meeks wanted a formal letter from the town council indicating an interest in buying the gym. Meeks was left to fend for himself at Tuesday’s meeting without a formal letter from the town council indicating it wanted to buy the gym.

            “I will say I really didn’t get what I asked for at the last meeting. I wanted something from the town council. We do have a letter from Ms. Sue. It was very well written. We do have a copy of the minutes where they discussed what looks like a rumor of the gym being sold. Obviously, before we go any further we need something more official than that,” Meeks said.

            The motion at Tuesday’s meeting to offer the town a lease also indicated that the county wasn’t interested in leasing the former football field adjacent to the gym for youth recreational activities. The county’s maintenance and building department want to park tractors, trailers, backhoes, and other equipment on the vacant football field, according to Director Jimmy Jones.

            Meeks worked hard to convince commissioners that selling the old gym to the town for youth activities was the best thing for the town’s youth, who are the town’s future leaders, but Commissioners Lilly Rooks and Mike Joyner were opposed to selling the gym for different reasons.

            Rooks felt the county should retain ownership of the building in case the gym or the ground it sits on would be needed in the future for county government operations, but Joyner, a former law enforcement officer, expressed concern about jeopardizing security at the Levy County Annex by having night basketball games of big basketball tournaments at the gym.

            Commissioners Rock Meeks and Matt Brooks broke the political impasse by saying they would embrace the idea of leasing the gymnasium to the county for youth recreation, though Meeks said details would have to work out to ensure the town was responsible for maintaining the facility.

            “I do agree (with the chairman) that building was built for children’s sports. As far as a community center, I feel it’s a disservice not to be used – if we could come to some type of terms,” said Commissioner Rock Meeks. “I’m kind of like Ms. Lilly, I’m selfish in a way for not wanting to sell the property it sits on. What if we do need it down the road? I think we should do something for the kids of the community to use it. For me, if kids are in there playing maybe that’s what keeps them from being out in the street. I think if they’re in there playing sports they will have a different mindset than being vandals.”

            Brooks, who was unable to attend the meeting, spoke by internet connection. He could be heard clearly and John Meeks, as the commission chairman, made certain Meeks could participate in the conversation. Brooks said he has sentimental ties to the old gym just like Meeks. He said the old gym was where he learned how to play basketball.

            “The main thing is bringing an offer to the table for some type of local youth activities in the form of some type of lease,” Brooks said. “I don’t think we should box ourselves in. I think we should try to work together. I have heard the town council and their wishes. I heard rumors swirling and the letter from the town manager. I don’t see any offers that are being brought to the table now. I guess that will be forthcoming. I’m sure we can work out an option to keep the gym available for the greater Bronson area youth. I’d like to hear what their plans are.”

            Brooks ruled out allowing the town to use the football field for youth sports because construction and maintenance needs the space, but he said the gym was another matter. His motion to work with the town on a lease was seconded by Joyner and approved unanimously.

            Jones said he was flexible and would adjust to whatever the board wanted to do with the old gym, but as an active soccer coach for 3-year-old and 4-year-old children in Bronson Youth Sports, Inc., he saw the value in keeping the gym available for youth recreational activities.

            “I think it’s going to be good for the community to keep them in the gym rather than in the streets,” he said.

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Board of County Commission Regular Meeting March 16, 2021; Posted March 18, 2021