Gainesville City Commission talks Thelma Boltin Center, city auditor, tribute street name

Gainesville City commissioners met for their usual Thursday meeting, discussing a plan to move forward on the historic Thelma A. Boltin Center, voting to hire a new city auditor and agreeing to rename a portion of Eighth Avenue in honor of Charles S. Chestnut III.

Thelma A. Boltin Center

The future of the historic Thelma A. Boltin Center has been a long standing debate in the city.

Earlier coverage: Gainesville's historic Boltin Center set to get major makeover. What will it cost?

The building, which has been closed since March 2020, was first built in 1943 as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s "New Deal," and has served as a hub for cultural and recreational events, offering residents a place to dance, entertain and play bingo over decades.

The Gainesville City Commission unanimously agreed in May to a partial restoration of the facility, an effort expected to cost $5.6 million. The plan approved included demolishing all but two walls and rebuilding portions to match the existing structure.

Now, the commission has decided to go in a different direction.

A split commission voted 4-3 on Thursday to move forward on a new plan that will cost $1.5 million to repair and restore the building rather than rebuilding.

Though the Gainesville Historic Preservation Board gave the partial restoration plan a certificate of appropriateness, most community members who spoke about the center expressed they did not want the city to demolish most of the building. A community engagement session held by city staff yielded much of the same idea — people wanted to preserve much of the original building.

Commissioner Ed Book, who made the motion to repair the building, said he hopes by saving money the city will have more Wild Spaces and Public Places funds to use on other projects. He said the commission needs to listen to the community and be responsible now.

“We can't kick it down the road, but we can't spend $6 million right now,” Book said. “That would be fiscally not prudent. So the motion is that we proceed with repairing the existing Thelma Bolton Center, we do it well.”

City auditor

After an initial tie, the commission approved a motion to hire Stephen Mhere as the new city auditor, one of five charter positions the commission is responsible for directing.

Mhere will replace interim city auditor Brecka Anderson. The motion to hire him passed 5-2, with Mayor Harvey Ward and Commissioner Bryan Eastman in dissent.

Ward will move forward on contract negotiations with Mhere, bringing a proposal back to the commission within the next couple meetings.

Mhere is currently a senior auditor for the city of Tampa. His biography presented to the commission says he has public sector experience spanning 18 years.

“His roles in these settings underline the diversity of his experience,” the bio reads. “They include quality improvement assessments in public education, management analysis in a state government’s tax collection department, program evaluation in public healthcare programs, and internal auditing in city government.”

Charles S. Chestnut III Avenue

The commission also decided Thursday to rename a portion of Eighth Avenue, from Northwest Sixth Street to Waldo Road, “Charles S. Chestnut III Avenue” in honor of the local civil rights leader and politician who died at 83 last week.

Earlier coverage: Charles S. Chestnut III, local civil rights leader and former politician, dead at 83

Chestnut served on the Alachua County School Board for 16 years beginning in 1976 and then went on to serve on the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners for eight years. He was the owner of Chestnut Funeral Home, a lifetime member of the NAACP and member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. He also served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968.

“Mr. Chestnut was one of the main reasons why I joined Omega Psi Phi Fraternity,” said Michael Perkins, the current president of the fraternity's local chapter, “His courage in terms of being a leader in the segregation movement, and his also ability to walk with the kings and the pulpits. He made us all feel equal on one accord. He's always a giver. I mean, he just gave to anybody for any cause. So I've always honored Mr. Chestnut, the Chestnut family, and I'm here to say thank you and I appreciate this effort on his behalf.”

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gainesville commission talks Boltin Center, city auditor, street name