Supervisor of Elections Moving?

[CityLife]

According to the Daily Record, the Supervisor of Elections is possibly going to have to leave its Gateway Mall office and find a new location.

The possible locations are:

-The former Park View Inn site at Main and State streets. Holland said it would cost $7.5 million to buy and renovate the property into a 72,000-square-foot office. It would combine the existing Downtown main elections office at 105 E. Monroe St. and the Gateway operations.

-The former State Farm building at 6400 Atlantic Blvd. in Southside. Holland said that space, about 110,000 square feet, would combine the Downtown main office and the Gateway operations and also could handle traffic court and the traffic division of the Clerk of Courts. Holland said that would save the City $350,000 a year. He said that the negative factor would be leaving Downtown, although early voting would be available at the Main Library.

-A design-build development along the Arlington Expressway where a shopping center was torn down and a roundabout built. Holland said that $6 million, 56,000-square-foot project would accommodate the functions now at Gateway and that the main office would remain Downtown.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=535802

[CityLife]

This looks like it could be a situation where the Supervisor of Elections is stacking the 3 alternatives to favor their desired outcome.

On paper, it will look a lot better to "save the city $350,000 a year" and streamline various offices. However, it seems to me the $7.5 million seems like a high price tag to redo the Park View/EHT site. I've been in there and it is a little rough, but it also has some great features and is in better shape than you would think.

Will be interesting to see more detailed proposals...

[Tacachale]

It should be unacceptable to move all elections offices out of downtown. Moving to the Park View might cost $7.5 up front but it would have the same annual savings as combining the offices anywhere else.

[downtownjag]

This is not for the downtown office.  This is for their offices at the Gateway Mall, which are less than adequate. 

[copperfiend]

It should be unacceptable to move all elections offices out of downtown.

Why should it be unacceptable?

[CityLife]

This is not for the downtown office.  This is for their offices at the Gateway Mall, which are less than adequate.

Nope. Only one of the three proposed alternatives keeps the Supervisor of Elections in its current location. One closes it and moves all functions to the Southside. The other closes it and moves all functions to another downtown location.

[John P]

'proposed' plans. hard to see http://www.myspringfield.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=14414#p14414
what do you think? very beige to me

[CityLife]

It should be unacceptable to move all elections offices out of downtown.

Why should it be unacceptable?

Why should it be acceptable to move it out of the geographic and political center of the city?

[Tacachale]

This is not for the downtown office.  This is for their offices at the Gateway Mall, which are less than adequate. 

According to the article, if they moved to the Atlantic Boulevard site they would be moving both the Gateway and downtown operations. I agree that Gateway is less than adequate.

It should be unacceptable to move all elections offices out of downtown.

Why should it be unacceptable?

I don't believe it's in our best interests to move the main office and all operations out of downtown, which appears to be the plan they move to Atlantic Boulevard. Dowtown is much more centrally located and accessible for more people for such things as early voting than an office building out on Atlantic. And we shouldn't be moving employees out of downtown without a really good reason; I don't think this quite cuts it.

[CityLife]

^Not to mention there are housing/transportation issues for the low to moderately paid employees if it moves to Atlantic.

[copperfiend]

This is not for the downtown office.  This is for their offices at the Gateway Mall, which are less than adequate. 

According to the article, if they moved to the Atlantic Boulevard site they would be moving both the Gateway and downtown operations. I agree that Gateway is less than adequate.

It should be unacceptable to move all elections offices out of downtown.

Why should it be unacceptable?

I don't believe it's in our best interests to move the main office and all operations out of downtown, which appears to be the plan they move to Atlantic Boulevard. Dowtown is much more centrally located and accessible for more people for such things as early voting than an office building out on Atlantic. And we shouldn't be moving employees out of downtown without a really good reason; I don't think this quite cuts it.

To be fair, it's only 4.7 miles from the Park View Inn to the office on Atlantic they are proposing.

[mbwright]

I thought there was a study a while ago on all of the large vacant spaces downtown, that would be viable.  Also, there is plenty of space at Regency.  While I think it is important to keep this central/downtowm, I don't think it is critical to the functioning of the office.  I think it would be great to have redevelopment of the old mall on the Expressway.  If looking at vacant land, what about Lavilla?

[thelakelander]

To be fair, it's only 4.7 miles from the Park View Inn to the office on Atlantic they are proposing.

What type of message would it show that a city who "talks" about the importance of downtown revitalization, then turn around and do the exact thing it wants the private sector not to do (leave for the burbs)?  I wonder if there are other opportunities in downtown that have not been fully vetted.

[fsujax]

I fully agree Lake. Leaving DT should not even be discussed.

[thelakelander]

To me, this is just another reason why you don't immediately spend millions to demolish the city hall annex and courthouse once the new courthouse complex opens in May.  Nothing in this town (in regards to downtown development strategies) is ever fully vetted from the public sector level.  Considering the city already owns the land and building, how much would it cost to revamp the courthouse annex as a mixed use tower, with SOE being one of the tenants?  I doubt it costs $7.4 million.  Even if it isn't a permanent solution, it could still be a short term option in the event they have to leave Gateway soon.