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By CHASE SQUIRES
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 23, 2000
DADE CITY -- City Commissioners on Tuesday agreed unanimously to rename the city-owned American Legion hall along Church Avenue in honor of longtime Mayor Charles McIntosh.
McIntosh, 81, has been on the commission since 1985 and served as mayor from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1992 until now. He is not seeking re-election.
The mayor stepped down from his role for the discussion, passing the gavel to Commissioner Scott Black, the vice mayor.
To live up to a commitment the city made to the American Legion when it took title to the hall, commissioners had to leave "American Legion" in the building name, so commissioners settled on a double naming.
The hall now will be known as the American Legion Memorial Civic Center/Charles A. McIntosh Jr. Municipal Building.
"Thank you very much," McIntosh said.
Then, with a smile, he turned to his fellow commissioners and asked, "You going to put that sign up tomorrow?"
A separate motion that would allow commissioners to move meetings from the City Hall meeting room to the American Legion/Charles McIntosh building is set for commission discussion at two meetings next month.
In other business Tuesday night, commissioners unanimously approved allowing the proposed sale of the Edwinola assisted-living center. The deal is part of a multimillion-dollar negotiation between a Naples health care company and the financially troubled Sun Healthcare Group, which bought Edwinola along with dozens of other facilities in 1998.
City Attorney Bill Brewton told commissioners the city had to approve the deal for it to go through because the city issued $6-million in bonds to renovate the facility in 1996.
George Wagner, general partner for buyer American Senior Living Limited Partnership, told commissioners the deal would not make the city liable for the cost of the bonds. Edwinola itself is the collateral for the bonds, he said.
Commissioners, sitting as members of the Community Redevelopment Agency, also agreed to pay $950 for 12 banners proclaiming next month's steeplechase horse race.