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Resident warns state plan could lead to costly remediation and sale of Jacksonville Developmental Center
Summary
At the June 5 Village of South Jacksonville meeting a resident said the state's Surplus to Success list includes the Jacksonville Developmental Center, estimating remediation at about $77—78 million and warning the site could be sold to the highest bidder.
Ben Cox used public comment time to describe a recent state budget decision and its possible local implications. He said the "Surplus to Success" budget package approved May 31 lists the Jacksonville Developmental Center as a priority site and estimated that fully remediating the property would cost "around 77-78 million dollars." Cox said the site could be remediated and sold to the highest bidder, potentially affecting nonprofits on the grounds including the Women's Crisis Center and a daycare.
"Jacksonville Developmental Center is number five on this Surplus to Success Program," Cox said during public comment, and he added that remediation would be expensive. He also noted that Moving Jacksonville Forward will meet next Thursday at the Jacksonville Municipal Building at 6:00 p.m.
The board did not take action on the comment but acknowledged the concern. No state or county official responded at the meeting and no formal local agenda item was opened to authorize village action. Lengthy remediation-cost estimates and any decisions about reuse or sale would be administered by state authorities unless the Village takes a separate formal position or files comments during state processes.
