By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                Williston Community Development Agency Chairman Nick Williams announced this week that work has begun on constructing and renovating portions of the city’s former downtown area known as Block 12.

            The CRA board approved a proposal from Oelrich Construction on May 9 for construction and renovation of the Arcade, the old Coca-Cola plant, or what’s left of it, and the replacement of the awning and the painting and repair work on five storefronts on Main Street directly across from City Hall.

            Awning and façade work will not include the buildings at the corner of Main St. and Noble Ave. and storefronts at the north end of the block due to the lack of cooperation by the owner of those properties, Williams said.

            Maximum cost of the project is $761,000.

            Preparation for the Block 12 project has been in the works for several months and is based on construction documents and designs prepared by Walker Architects.

            The Arcade is a long and wide hallway stretching from Main Street back to the parking lot at the rear of Block 12. The renovated Arcade will have a total of four skylights and there will be an opportunity to have murals on one or both sides of the walkway where windows and doorways once stood. Both ends of the hallways will have decorative gates.

            “The Arcade will serve as a gateway to the existing business in the block on Main Street and, ideally, provide a more welcoming environment for new businesses, “Williams said.

            A substantial amount of the demolition work on the Block 12 project is being handled by the city’s Public Works Department for an estimated savings of $70,000.

            The demolition work involves not only removing old materials in the Arcade in preparation for renovation but also removal of an old mechanic’s shop attached to the Coca-Cola building. Preparation also involved removal of large palm trees at the site and removal of a small amount of asbestos.

            Removal of the mechanic’s building to the east of the Coca-Cola building will open up and increase the space for what will be developed into a passive park, allowing for outdoor gatherings and potentially including a stage and movie screen.

            Williams, speaking at the Williston City Council meeting, said Williston CRA was established under the Florida Community Redevelopment Act. The first objective of the law is to address social and economic problems associated with “blighted areas.”

            “It has taken many years for the CRA to address blight in the center of our downtown. It took a long time to buy the buildings needed to do this work on Block 12,” he said. “What I’ve not mentioned, of course, is the purchase and demolition of buildings that have been sitting unused and in a state of decay for perhaps 50 years or longer.”

            Construction of a new parking lot is planned for next year. Parking has been a hindrance to attracting and keeping businesses downtown since the elimination of on-street parking by the Florida Department of Transportation along Noble Avenue. Parking on Main Street is also very limited.

            “It seems to be important to not only have additional parking but that it be easily accessible and easily seen for anyone new coming to town,” Williams said. “The Arcade will be an especially nice feature if it is raining. One can park and immediately walk through the Arcade to the front of the block.”

            The construction and renovation project moved to the top of the Block 12 priorities, ahead of construction of the parking lot, because of significant delays in being able to get the parking lot project underway.

            A previous effort to obtain funding for the parking lot didn’t work out. Since that time, repeated bids were put out for the parking lot but there was a lack of interest for two reasons – the small size of the parking lot and problems involved with utilities at the site, according to Williams.

            To simplify things, Williams said CRA will go forward with the parking lot using the city’s Utilities Department to handle the possibly complicated utility infrastructure. He said CRA thinks grant funding may be available for paving the parking lot.

            In related news, Williams said as a means of promoting interest and awareness of the downtown, the Music in the Park program will be held on the first Friday in July, August, and September this summer in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce, which arranges for a band and food truck for each event.

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City of Williston Regular Meeting June 21, 2022; Posted June 23, 2022