Gadsden County debate over Boys & Girls Club site centers on Quincy parcel, Strong Road and Fontana Trail; no final decision reached

Public commenters, county commissioners and county staff spent the bulk of the special meeting debating where to place a planned Boys & Girls Club facility, but the commission did not record a final vote or formal action on a site at this session.

Speakers and positions

Residents and parents urged the board to place the facility where children can safely and easily get there during the school year. Richelle Robinson, a Quincy resident, said the county must set aside "political gamesmanship" and choose a site that will be most used by children; she argued Strong Road was preferable because of proximity to housing and Crossroad Academy Charter School. Derek Elias, another resident, said he believed commissioners already had approved a Graves Street site at 122 Graves but expressed confusion about why the issue returned to the county agenda.

Dr. Tracy Stallworth, who identified a Quincy address, asked whether county commissioners had conducted town halls or constituent outreach and whether a census of children’s population density had been completed; she said Strong Road appeared "the viable location" because…