The 20-year issue of the deteriorating Santa Rosa County Courthouse continues as the county commissioners moved to push it forward another 30 days during Thursday’s meeting. The topic was listed on the agenda as discussion of the Pine Street location and was tabled to the December meetings. However, the December discussion could cover multiple sites.
Commissioner Rob Williamson devised placing the courthouse on Pine St. Despite having to put off a vote for the Pine St location to next month when he was ready to vote on it Thursday, Rob Williamson was hopeful. He said the meeting was still a win for the county because it got the discussion on the courthouse moving forward.
The tabling decision came down to Jayer Williamson. He asked Monday if the county staff could provide him with certain details on the site such as the cost of a parking structure. However, with Veterans Day on Wednesday, the information wasn’t available in time. Jayer said he wasn’t ready to vote for the site without seeing the information he needed and would vote “No” if it came down to making a decision Thursday.
After Cole presented on the potential danger presented by the railroad tracks being so close to the new center, he moved to take the Pine Street location completely out of consideration. Rob Williamson objected and Chairman Don Salter seconded Cole’s motion to remove Pine Street before opening discussion to the public.
Jayer Williamson asked the board to wait until the December meetings wherein more information on Pine Street could surface. Out of deference to Jayer, Cole and Salter agreed to do so. Cole retracted his motion. Salter retracted his second. With no motions on the floor, Commissioner Lane Lynchard tabled the discussion until the December meetings.
An item Rob Williamson repeated was the challenge to the other commissioners to come up with an alternative to the Pine Street site if they feel they can find a better option. In fact, he said, “I’m not married to the Pine St site. I’m looking for the most fiscally responsible.”
Cole repeated his suggestion he brought up during Monday’s meeting, the Dogwood Drive location near the Gulf Power offices. He also suggested looking at 15 of the 30 acres the City of Milton purchased by the GuyThompsonCommunity Center. Williamson suggested each commissioner have a site to discuss when they reconvene.
Lynchard suggested investigating a hybrid solution using the existing design and the Pine Street location. “I’ve heard concerns (about Pine Street) being close to the railroad tracks. I said at the meeting (the Pine St. site) does provide for HOK to take a broader look at the downtown area. Even though Rob Williamson showed the judicial center located on site adjacent to tracks, I think that presents an opportunity to see what we could put over there, if not courthouse parking, then a retention pond. Does that eliminate some of the problems trying to shoehorn courthouse into downtown? If there is 30 to 40 percent more space…maybe it does give us more elbow room downtown.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Commissioners table courthouse discussion until December