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Commission approves partnership with Hawthorne for East‑side community gymnasium
Summary
Alachua County approved a Wild Spaces Public Places partnership with the city of Hawthorne to support construction of a community gymnasium, with Hawthorne officials estimating a roughly 5‑acre site and agreeing to staff and eventually operate the facility.
The Alachua County Board of County Commissioners on March 11 approved a partnership with the city of Hawthorne to support construction of a community gymnasium through the Wild Spaces Public Places program.
Gina Peoples, assistant county manager and chief of staff, summarized the city's joint application for a gymnasium facility, and Hawthorne City Manager Robert Thompson (joining by Zoom) described the preferred location adjacent to the city's athletic park off State Road 20. Thompson said the city envisions an initial footprint of roughly five acres to provide space for parking and the building; he acknowledged that the figure is conservative and that final site selection and exact acreage will be refined as the project develops.
Commissioners asked whether the city had budgeted for operations and maintenance; Thompson said Hawthorne intends to ramp up staff and incorporate facility operations into the city budget over time. Commissioners expressed broad support for the project’s regional benefits—youth programming, senior activities and emergency/staging use in the eastern part of the county—and the board moved and approved the staff recommendation to authorize the partnership and exercise the grant/award recommendation.
No citizen comments opposed the project; several callers and public commenters earlier in the meeting praised the proposed gymnasium’s potential to serve Hawthorne, Grove Park and Orange Heights. Commissioners also used the Hawthorne discussion to coordinate a related chair letter asking the Florida Department of Transportation to revisit safety on SR‑301 near Hawthorne and High Springs, a separate action approved at the same meeting.
The motion to approve the partnership passed by voice vote. Staff will return with final application attachments and any required budget amendments for manager/commission approval.
