Panel: Keep county hub in Brooksville

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 20, 2001

BROOKSVILLE -- As Hernando County government expands, an advisory committee recommends the main activity remain in downtown Brooksville.

The county's Facilities Master Plan Advisory Committee concluded Wednesday that the best place to add more offices, courtrooms and parking is where the government already operates.

It rejected the alternative of building a courthouse adjacent to the county jail on Spring Hill Drive.

"When you do an economic analysis, there is little difference between the two (plans)," said County Administrator Paul McIntosh, who heads the committee. "Costs being equal, the committee felt strongly (downtown) was the preferred option because it's centrally located in the county, it provides one-stop service for the citizens and it continues government presence in Brooksville."

Brooksville Mayor Joe Johnston III praised the proposal, which calls for a new 92,000-square-foot courthouse and 600-space parking garage in the parking lot just north of the current government center on Main Street. It also would include renovations to existing government buildings.

"That's the outcome we were looking for," Johnston said. "As much as we dislike having things off the tax rolls, we dislike even more not having people come into the city."

Governments do not pay property taxes.

The parking garage is critical to the mix, Johnston added, because the city had concerns about where all the cars would go if government grows.

Mary Staib, the City Council's representative to the facilities committee, also lauded the recommendation as a positive move for the city.

"People (using the government center) shop in the city and they eat in the city," Staib said. "It's good for the small businessman."

The proposal next heads to county commissioners, who will review the details at a workshop in October. If the commission approves the concept, McIntosh said, the next step would be finding money to pay for the construction.

That conversation must take place in the context of the bigger picture, he said. Commissioners have to weigh the relative value of new government buildings with such things as road improvements, he said.

"That analysis is next," McIntosh said.

Commissioners agreed last year to spend $179,000 for the first step, a study of current space needs. The review revealed that almost every government department had inadequate space to operate efficiently.

The government center, Sheriff's Office and other buildings were bursting at the seams with people, and offered no room to grow as services increase to meet the needs of a bigger population.

Some departments, such as development and utilities, have since relocated outside the city. The overall space demands have not diminished, though, McIntosh said.

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