Gadsden County narrows Boys & Girls Club search; attorney authorized to ask City of Quincy about adjacent parcel

The Gadsden County commission took a step in the multi-month effort to find a site for a Boys & Girls Club facility by authorizing the county attorney to request that the City of Quincy partition the parcel containing the Joe Farley recreation center and consider conveying the adjacent parcel to the county.

County staff presented several county-owned properties as possible sites: a roughly 7-acre site on Stewart Street (staff said about 2 acres may be developable), approximately 52 acres on Pat Thomas Parkway, a 25-acre parcel near Fantana Trail about 4 miles outside Quincy, and a 22-acre parcel on Strong Road near Crossroads Academy. Staff noted one potential parcel presented to the board (the Joe Farley parcel adjacent field) is not county-owned and would require action by the city. During the presentation staff said the Pat Thomas parcel sits on a major commercial corridor and the Strong Road site is centrally located near an existing school and apartment housing.

Commissioners debated pros and cons of each site. Commissioner Green (first name not provided) said Stewart Street offered limited buildable acreage; Pat Thomas was farther from the city core and near county correctional facilities; Fantana Park (Fantana Trail) was rural and less convenient for many residents; Strong Road was praised by some commissioners because it is county-owned, adjacent to schools and existing residential development, and offers room for future phases. Multiple commissioners emphasized the need for proximity to current and future users and for sites that allow future expansion.

Commissioner Woods moved and another commissioner seconded a motion directing the county attorney to ask the City of Quincy whether it would partition and convey the parcel adjacent to the Joe Farley Center so it could be used for a Boys & Girls Club site; the motion carried. County counsel described potential partition steps and the need for the city to vote to partition the single parcel that contains both the recreation field and the Joe Farley facility; if the city indicates willingness, both governments would draft an agreement that could include reversion language if the parcel is not used for the intended purpose.

Commissioners did not select a final county-owned parcel at the meeting but identified Strong Road and the Joe Farley-adjacent parcel as priority options for follow-up. Staff was asked to refine environmental, access, and development considerations for the shortlisted sites and to coordinate with the Boys & Girls Club organization on programming and phased design so the board and the organization could evaluate feasibility before a site vote at a future meeting.

Representatives of the Boys & Girls Club of the Big Bend told commissioners they prefer a location that allows program growth and welcomed being part of conversations with the city and county. The board asked staff to prepare more detailed site assessments and to schedule follow-up consideration at the next regular meeting once additional analyses are available.