County puts two projects on hold

The County Commission, responding to ongoing revenue cuts, delayed construction of a court support building in downtown Gainesville on Tuesday and also deferred a recreation center at Jonesville Park from a list of projects to be built with bond money.

Officials said the county will not have the money to staff and operate the buildings because of the economic downturn and greater limits on how much tax money the county can collect.

"I really don't think we have a choice," Commissioner Lee Pinkoson said. "We need to forget, for the time being, the gymnasium at Jonesville Park. The court support building - I would hope we can delay that."

The county in 2006 approved about $79 million in projects that would be built with money from the issuance of bonds. The bonds would be paid off by committing a portion of the county's tax revenue to the debt.

Some of the bonds have already been issued. A second issue was being planned for the next year.

But the county has been hit with two blows: the bad economy is reducing sales tax revenue and impacting the bond market, and the state-initiated tax cuts are likely to grow.

County Manager Randall Reid said it is increasingly unlikely the county would have the money to staff and operate the court support building or the Jonesville recreation center.

"We do not believe there will be an economic recovery until sometime in 2010, and in our budget discussions we have been looking at our operational expenses," Reid said. "There has been a major change in the financial and economic environment in the past 24 months."

The court support building would be located behind the criminal courthouse on S. Main Street. It would house the public defender and state attorney offices, court-related programs, and the elections office. It is estimated to cost about $33 million. That price will likely rise with the delay.

Some of those offices are currently in crowded or old buildings that were going to be renovated and used for county operations that are now in rented space downtown.

Construction of the court services center will be delayed about two years and then re-evaluated.

Jonesville's recreation center was to include a gym and meeting rooms at a cost of about $5.5 million. It was initially going to include a pool but that was eliminated from the plan earlier this year. The center will be deferred indefinitely.

Commissioners said the construction of a recreation center at Kanapaha Park with money from the sales tax recently approved by voters may lessen the need for the Jonesville center.

But the commission's Jonesville decision could affect an Alachua County Library District plan to build a branch in conjunction with the recreation building.

Other proposed bond projects modified by the commission Tuesday include a $1.5 million renovation of Alachua County Animal Services. The project was reduced to $1 million, which will primarily be used for a new air-conditioning system that is expected to improve air quality, reduce animal illness and cut energy costs.

Money saved from the Jonesville and Animal Services projects will instead be spent on road improvements. Potential projects include an extension of SW 8th Avenue west of Interstate 75 to link it to SW 24th Avenue.