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Citizens board plans space fix for government

An advisory committee says that projects like renovating the old Brooksville Regional Hospital would save time and taxpayers' money.

By CHANDRA BROADWATER
Published March 29, 2006

BROOKSVILLE - Let the county judicial system expand to occupy the entire government center in downtown Brooksville. Then move everyone else into either a new or renovated building at the old Brooksville Regional Hospital site.

Members of the county's citizens advisory committee on capital improvements think such a plan would remedy the looming space crunch at the government center - and be cost-effective.

Committee members made their recommendation Monday night during the group's sixth meeting at the Brooksville Community Activity Center.

The vote came after nearly two hours of debate and confusion. It was unanimous.

The 19 members of the 25-member committee who attended the meeting specifically instructed County Administrator Gary Kuhl to tell commissioners that they want to see outside firms invited to come up with plans to renovate the old hospital or design a new building on the 11-acre site on Ponce de Leon Boulevard.

This would save time and taxpayers' money, they said.

The renovate-build option would make the facility planning process the responsibility of the firms wanting to do business with the county, explained committee member Glenn Claytor, and the county wouldn't have to duplicate those efforts.

"It will shorten the time frame down because it's their incentive to get it done pretty quick," Claytor said.

In the meantime, the county and advisory committee could move forward with finding ways to pay for other big-ticket items, such as road projects and parks, over the next decade. It is the committee's hope that the commission moves forward with the recommendation soon.

The old hospital was built in 1960 and expanded over the years. Hernando County now owns the 117,000-square-foot building.

Talk about whether to sell it or convert it into office space has circulated throughout the county ever since the hospital moved into its new facility west of Brooksville late last year.

A study the county recently commissioned found it would take an estimated $17-million to convert the hospital into usable office space.

Monday, committee members cited the $17-million figure and said that something had to be done with the hospital site. Whether the building is kept or not, just owning the site will shave millions off the price it would cost to build a new building and buy acreage, they said.

Estimates of what it would cost to build a new judicial complex have gone from $40-million to $100-million since the committee began meeting a few months ago. The rise in square-footage costs and the price of land were not originally factored into information presented to the advisory committee.

This comes in addition to the original $500-million estimate for countywide projects the group was given at the beginning of the month. That's how much the county estimates it will need for new buildings, roads and parks over the next decade.

It's not surprising that everyone on the committee wants to see the county do something with the hospital, said committee Chairman Len Tria. He added that getting a handle on the county's budget, along with learning parliamentary procedures, has been difficult for the citizens group.

A series of motions were made, debated, voted on and scrapped during Monday evening's meeting before the committee decided on its final recommendation, which evoked applause from some members.

"It's a very difficult process," Tria said. "We've got a lot of information that we've got to cram into a funnel and get to come out at the other end. And think about these figures. Most of us don't ever think about numbers this big."

Kuhl said he intended to pass along to the County Commission the committee's wishes concerning the old hospital and would likely put the item on the commission's April 4 agenda.

The citizens committee will meets April 10 at the community center to discuss county pavement projects.

Chandra Broadwater can be reached at cbroadwater@sptimes.com or 352 848-1432.

[Last modified March 29, 2006, 01:23:20]