Photo by Terry Witt: Bronson Council Woman Beatrice Roberts is shown at Monday’s Town Council meeting.
By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
The town of Bronson won’t be allowed to purchase the gymnasium of the former Bronson High School for youth sports.
Levy County Commissioners, who own the former Bronson High School gymnasium, said Tuesday they would retain ownership of the gym in case they need the space.
Town Councilwoman Beatrice Roberts wrote a letter to Commission Chairman John Meeks asking if the commission would sell the gym to the town. Meeks brought the letter to the board for consideration.
After mulling over the possibilities with the board, Meeks pronounced the final verdict.
“It appears to me we don’t want to get rid of it,” Meeks said.
Commissioners said they wouldn’t object to the town using the gym for youth sports but the town needs to go through proper procedures to obtain permission. The town would have to contact County Coordinator Wilbur Dean.
The gym was used by the town for the youth basketball league last fall. It has also been used by Otter Creek Christian School for a basketball game.
“I’m not opposed to anyone using it for youth recreation,” said Commissioner Rock Meeks.
“They just need to do it the proper way,” said Chairman John Meeks.
The gym and the remainder of the former Bronson High School were purchased by the county commission from the Levy County School Board for $1.5 million.
Commission staff is remodeling the main BHS classroom building to house the property appraiser, tax collector, building and zoning, veterans’ services and county attorney’s office among others. The building is directly behind the Levy County Courthouse.
The school board and the county commission are of the same opinion regarding the sale of buildings funded by taxpayers. The school board didn’t want to give the school to the county commission. The commission doesn’t want to give the gym to the town.
And now the commission doesn’t want to sell the gym either.
Chairman John Meeks said the county commission invested $1.5 million to purchase the building and he would like to get some of its money back.
When the building and zoning office and the county attorney’s office move to their new digs in the aging schoolhouse, Meeks said, the county may be able to sell the current offices of those two departments to recover more of the money the commission spent buying the former campus.
Meeks opened the discussion about the gymnasium saying he was of a frame of mind to sell the gym to the town at a fair price or perhaps lease it to the town, but giving the gym away was out of the question for him. He said the gym would have to be appraised if the commission decided to sell it. He reminded the board he played in the gym as a kid as did other commissioners.
“I hate to see things go into disrepair,” Meeks said.
He said as far as he was concerned the old gym couldn’t be used for storage.
Dean threw out the possibility of leasing the gym to the town on a long-term basis. Under that scenario, he said the commission could take back possession of the gym if the space was ever needed.
Commissioner Rock Meeks tossed out the possibility of leasing the gym to the town for $1 per year.
“But as far as selling it, I’d say no,” he said.
Commissioner Rock Meeks said he was under the impression the county was trying to squeeze as many of its offices into the former school campus as possible. He said five years from now the county may need the gym space for another department.
Commissioner Lilly Rooks said the locker room/multi-purpose building behind the gym would be a good place to temporarily house people displaced during a hurricane. She said they could remain there after the storm passed and eliminate storm victims having to live in public schools that serve as temporary storm shelters.
Commissioner Matt Brooks said it is a good gym and “the town should be able to use it. Anything that allows the kids the opportunity to use it; I think for sure the local town should be able to use it.”
Chairman John Meeks said whoever uses the gym should have insurance.
Meeks said several members of the town council have approached him about using it.
The letter from Roberts didn’t follow the usual procedures. She is a town councilwoman who oversees James H. Cobb Park but her letter was sent directly to Chairman John Meeks and was not endorsed by the full council. Town Clerk Shirley Miller didn’t have a copy.
Roberts had expressed frustration that the town council was not being more forthright in determining with certainty whether the county commission was willing to sell the gym.
She got a final answer on Tuesday.
The answer is no.
But the gym can be used by the town for youth sports.
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Board of County Commission Regular Meeting June 18, 2019; Posted June 18, 2019
