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Gadsden County says $8 million more for library broadband projects, plans Quincy multipurpose facility
Summary
County staff reported three ARPA-funded broadband community facility projects — Tallahassee Public Library ($4M), Havana ($2M) and a new Quincy multipurpose facility at William McGill Library ($2M) — with design work this winter and construction beginning in early 2026. Commissioners asked for design review before final contracting.
Gadsden County officials told commissioners on a regular meeting that federal ARPA funds will pay for three broadband-related community facilities including a new multipurpose facility at the William McGill Library in Quincy.
County staff said the county has three grant awards now listed in its project inventory: a $4,000,000 award for the Tallahassee Public Library project, a $2,000,000 award for Havana, and a newly announced $2,000,000 award for a Quincy multipurpose community facility attached to the McGill library. The presenter said the Quincy facility design footprint is about 3,500 square feet, two stories, will include an elevator and will be fully ADA compliant. The planned uses include telehealth rooms, career and community computer labs, smart boards, printers, security systems and data wiring.
"This is going to be an expansion to the current footprint…telehealth spaces, the career, the education, the community computer labs," the staff member presenting the update said, describing equipment and soft costs that will be included in the grant-funded build-out.
Staff described a schedule that places final design work in November–early December 2025, demolition and site preparation in January 2026 and construction/install through the rest of 2026. Because the awards are ARPA funds, staff said grant receipts must be in place and the grants closed out by December 2026.
Commissioners requested to see design documents before the county executes final contracts. Commissioner Jones asked that Chattahoochee and Quincy designs be shared with the commissioners who represent those districts; the presenter said the county will send early design drafts, staff review notes and the contractual design requirements to the relevant commissioners and to CRA (the county’s design vendor) before finalizing drawings.
Commissioners and staff also discussed making the new facilities multipurpose to increase program use and resilience (for example, FEMA shelter/worksite capability). Commissioner Woods described features to maximize community use — a larger screen, improved audiovisual and seating options — and asked that commissioners be consulted during design review. Staff said the Chattahoochee designs have already been revised after commissioner feedback and are now with CRA for final drafting.
No formal vote was taken on the broadband items during the presentation; staff presented the grants for informational review and asked commissioners for direction on design review and scheduling.
Ending: County staff said they will circulate design drafts and specifications to district commissioners ahead of final design approval and will return to the commission with updates before construction begins. The presenter emphasized the county is on the timeline to finish design and meet the ARPA spending deadline of December 2026.
