Theater brings drama to commission meeting

An agenda item recommending the sale of the old library building at 15100 Main Street was tabled at Monday night's commission meeting after supporters of the Alachua Children's Theater raised concerns about the sale.

Alachua Children's Theater has been renting space in the building since June 2010, according to City Manager Traci Cain. Supporters of the theater protested the sale of the building, raising questions about the procedures involved in the sale of the property and protesting a perceived lack of support for the arts in Alachua.

“Kid can get into trouble easy. My family, from my youngest to my wife, is involved with this theater,” said one man.

Eileen Roy, a member of the Alachua County School Board, said that involving children in the arts would be valuable to the welfare of the city, helping children perform better in school, develop emotionally and avoid trouble. Other supporters said that the theater could stimulate business by bringing crowds into downtown.

“It hurts me that you have never been down there to see what's going on,” said Stan Richardson, vice-chair of the Planning and Zoning Board.

Carol Jackson, administrator of the theater, stated that she had sought partnerships and investors and was prepared to make a bid to purchase the building, at one time mentioning running back Adrian Peterson.

Lack of support for the arts was coupled with accusations that the city had acted inappropriately while trying to sell the property, violating guidelines for selling surplus property. One criticism was that the public was not offered a chance to bid on the property. The tone of the comments was often angry, with one resident referring to the item as a “bogus sale” and another claiming that the commission had “illegally spent reserved funds” and was trying to “balance its checkbook.”

“Everything about this sale should stink in your nostrils,” said Dollean Perkins, who unsuccessfully ran for commission in April 2010.

Eventually, City Attorney Marian Rush suggested that the agenda item be tabled so that the city staff could examine issues involving the division of the parcels for sale. The property in question is one lot of a larger property. The commission followed Rush's suggestion.

Cain later said that there are no issues regarding the division of property that will interfere with the sale of the property.

According to Cain, the city has been “incredibly open and inclusive” regarding the sale of the property, which was purchased from the Alachua County Library District for $85,000 in 2000. The property was first declared surplus during the June 14, 2010 commission meeting and was listed as For Sale by Owner. After a lack of interest in the property, the city moved to solicit a real estate agent in October and approved Alachua Properties, Inc.'s proposal in December. According to Cain, any individual or group could have made an offer during this nine-month period and the city received no offer from Jackson or her organization. Cain said that Jackson was aware when she first leased the building that the city intended to sell the property.

“The suggestion that the City has not been open throughout this entire process is grossly inaccurate as evidenced by the multiple public meetings held to discuss this matter,” said Cain.

Cain and City Attorney Rush also said that the Real Estate Guidelines for the Sale of City Property are administrative guidelines, not ordinance that must be followed to the letter.

The city commission directed the city manager to create a new lease agreement for the theater. The new agreement will waive the $100-per-week rent while acknowledging the money that Jackson currently owes to the city for unpaid rent. While the rent will be waived going forward, Jackson will still be required to pay utilities and establish a payment plan for the rent currently in arrears. The new lease will be effective through December 31, 2011 or until the sale of the building is finalized.