City Hall meeting today

[Guest guest]

10/05/05

City Hall meeting today

Charlotte,FL

http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/100505/np1.htm?

date=100505 & story=np1.htm

NORTH PORT -- Once the doors to the old City Hall close for good,

what will happen to the building?

Because it's filled with mold, exposed electrical outlets, leaky

ceilings and faulty wiring, the existing City Hall building can not

withstand intense hurricane winds.

However, a discussion on what to do with the old, musty building

once commissioners are in their new offices early next year are

planned for a 3:30 p.m. workshop today.

When entering the nearby Police Department, a stale, moldy smell

emanates from the hallway. One police employee reportedly became ill

after working around the mold constantly.

There are buckets in many offices at the Police Department to catch

the water when it rains. The water sometimes runs through the

electric outlets, officials said, and the rain ruins paperwork and

evidence being stored in the old, condemned jail cells.

Although commissioners have been given reports on the deteriorating

condition of the old City Hall and Police Department building, the

group hasn't discussed at length what to do with it in the future.

Commissioners learned from North Port Fire Chief Bill Taaffe that

with the building's lack of sprinklers, outdated exits and numerous

offices that don't meet today's codes, the building could easily be

bulldozed and the land used for several purposes. Taaffe said the

nearby fire station could be moved to the current City Hall location

if the old building were knocked down. The move would make the fire

station more accessible for fire trucks and ambulances.

If the building were leveled, other ideas included using the vacant

space for a university, creating a paw park and building economic

development incubators to grow small businesses.

One teen, Mike Bellis, who is a member of the city's Youth

Opportunities Advisory Board, asked commissioners to consider the

old building as a perfect spot for a teen center. He said with the

skate park, pool, scout house and YMCA at Al Goll Hall, having a

center in the area would create a teen zone in North Port.

Commissioners will be given an update on the new City Hall and

Police Department being constructed along Sumter Boulevard. Although

commissioners were supposed to move into the building by November,

it's likely this will not happen until the new year, officials said.

Commissioners will also be briefed on the computer system and audio

visual equipment at the new buildings.

The meeting is open to the public. The address is 5650 North Port

Boulevard.

You can e-mail Elaine -Emrich at eallen@....

By ELAINE ALLEN-EMRICH