[Editor’s note: In response to a query about how Fayetteville intends to pay for a new city hall, City Manager Ray Gibson responded.]
My schedule is very busy lately with numerous projects and commitments that have put me behind. It is my fault for not being able to get the information out promptly as requested by the media.
The city and the Fayette County Board of Education are currently under a purchase agreement which will allow the city to purchase approximately 9.8 acres of land from the FCBOE. The land, as you’re aware, is home to the current FCBOE administration building. 80 percent of the project will be green space and paid for with current SPLOST dollars while the remaining 20 percent, which will be the area for the City Hall building, will be funded through a lease-purchase using General Fund dollars.
There are many moving parts in this process as we will be having a joint meeting with the Fayette County Board of Commissioners to see if they may have any interest in a joint effort in the downtown.
So you can see there are still many things to work out. Early estimates on an approximately 27,000 square foot City Hall are in the range of $9 million to $12 million.
City Council and staff have visited numerous city halls over the last year to get ideas on what would be the best fit for the city of Fayetteville, but again this will all be determined as we go through a design process.
If you have additional questions, please let me know. I appreciate all the media does in our community, and you can look forward to great things in the city of Fayetteville.
Ray Gibson, AICP
City Manager
Fayetteville, Ga.
