Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
January 23, 2020
After a bit of confusion and wrangling over parliamentary procedure at their January 21, 2020 Regular Meeting, the Fernandina Beach City Commission (FBCC) reconsidered and rescinded a resolution approved at their prior meeting with respect to engaging a consultant to evaluate various sites and means to meet space needs at City Hall. Instead they will issue an RFQ to determine space needs prior to site discussion.
City Manager Dale Martin, based upon comments of commissioners at the last meeting and subsequent individual discussions, recommended that the scope of work for the consultants be narrowed from the original proposal, which included evaluating the Peck Center and the Historic Post Office Building as potential sites for a new City Hall. As a substitute, he proposed preparing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to solicit proposals for a space needs analysis to be followed by an assessment of the ability of a rehabilitated City Hall and/or a new building on the City-owned lot across S. 2nd Street from City Hall to meet those needs. Martin added that Commissioner Chip Ross also wanted to include the Nassau County School Board Administration Building (formerly Fernandina Beach High School) on Atlantic Avenue in that study.
Both Vice Mayor Len Kreger and Commissioner Mike Lednovich said that their recollection of the previous action was that the FBCC had already ruled out the Peck Center and the Post Office. Lednovich added that he believed that the School Board Administration Building should also be off the table since the FBCC had decided that City Hall needed to be downtown.
After the FBCC voted to reconsider the previous Resolution, Ross made a motion to rescind the motion made at the previous meeting and replace it with a motion to do a needs analysis only to be followed by an assessment of the ability of various sites to meet those needs. Ross continued to advocate for including the School Board Building while acknowledging that the building was not for sale and the likelihood of the City’s ability to acquire the building “was somewhere between slim and none.”
Kreger stressed the importance of keeping City Hall downtown. He supported a space needs analysis, adding that at this point the City does not know whether the existing City Hall can reasonably be renovated and saved. He asked that an architectural/engineering review be included to determine whether work on today’s City Hall is even feasible.
Lednovich did not favor assessing the School Board Building, calling it “The Post Office Chase, Chapter 2.” He said, “I believe we should just limit it to [current City Hall] and the parcel across the street.” Ross replied that he didn’t disagree, but supported doing a needs analysis first.
Ross added that he would bring up the School Board Building at a joint meeting that is coming up. The property consists of 16 acres. “It’s a historic building, and [the School Board] is just letting it deteriorate,” he said. “That’s part of the history of this town.” Ross added that he will also ask for the building to be included in the Historic District.
The FBCC voted unanimously to proceed with an RFQ to conduct a space needs analysis.
Audience member Steve Cook supported the needs analysis as a first step to provide better information on space needs and which departments need to be collocated for efficient services.
Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.