LIVE OAK, Fla. — The Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners didn’t need much time at its Oct. 2 meeting to consider the Suwannee County Chamber of Commerce’s offer for interim help with economic development.

The Chamber’s offer, which was sent to the board in a letter from Chamber President Brandon Fernald, is to fulfill roles of both the Economic Development director and Tourist Development Council director for $5,000 per month.

The county is currently looking for an economic development director since Alvin Jackson left at the end of September for a city manager position in Bunnell. Jackson had been serving in both roles before turning in his resignation Aug. 27.

Commissioner Ronnie Richardson asked how the proposal from the Chamber compared to the services that Jackson had been providing.

County Administrator Randy Harris said the proposal essentially called for the Chamber to cover those responsibilities for the $5,000, which board Chairman Ricky Gamble pointed out was the same amount the Chamber charged to fulfill the role prior to Jackson’s hiring.

“In my opinion, it’s a reasonable offer at a reasonable rate,” Harris said, to which Gamble agreed. “And I’ll be the first to tell you, I don’t have time to handle that on this interim time frame and someone needs to do that.”

Gamble broached the topic of utilizing the Chamber in the interim at the county’s Sept. 18 meeting and the Chamber’s board of directors met the next morning.

The Chamber’s board decided to try and come up with an agreement.

“We sincerely value the relationship with the Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners and equally appreciate the consideration and opportunity to serve our community in this capacity,” Fernald wrote in the letter.

The letter also said that while the Chamber will oversee the day-to-day activities, including meetings, phone calls and communication with the board, that any travel or trainings outside of 50 miles would be outside the standard agreement.

The Chamber’s letter also said either side can nullify the agreement with a 30-day written notice and that the agreement can be renegotiated or modified should there be an extended search.

The board directed County Attorney Jimmy Prevatt to draft an agreement based on the letter and authorized Gamble to sign it.

Commissioner Clyde Fleming did ask how the agreement worked in relation to the City of Live Oak, which has helped fund the economic development position.

“I haven’t heard anything from them,” Gamble said. “They may stick with us through this process, they may not. I haven’t spoken with them.”

City Manager Ron Williams said the city plans to continue with its economic development partnership with the county.

SR 51/ CR250 intersection

Two weeks after agreeing to amend the developer’s agreement with Concept Development on realigning the intersection of State Road 51, County Road 250 and 145th Road, the commissioners reiterated their stance that the Dollar General under construction there won’t be permitted to open until the road work is complete.

The board made changing the intersection part of their decision in January to allow zoning changes for the store.

Harris told the board at the Oct. 2 meeting that he was under the impression that the developer didn’t seem to think the store couldn’t open until the road work was finished.

“From the beginning, I think that was the intent of the board for safety purposes,” Gamble said, adding it was a condition of the approval from the board.

Commissioner Larry Sessions added: “We wanted to change it due to the safety factor.”

Coliseum study review results

In an effort to see if the Suwannee County Coliseum could be utilized as a storm shelter, the board called for a study on the Coliseum at a July meeting.

Harris told the board at the Oct. 2 meeting that the study had come back and according to North Florida Professional Services, it doesn’t meet any wind standard that has ever been used.

“We went back to the early 1700s and couldn’t even find one back then,” Harris said.

Resident Tim Alcorn disagreed with the study and added, much like he did at July, that utilizing the schools as storm shelters will create an issue when a child gets sick — or worse — due to being allergic to a pet that was housed in one of the schools.

“That building will be there after everybody in this room is gone,” Alcorn said. “That building will still be standing.

“You can’t get into the nuts and the bolts of that building without getting into it.”

Harris agreed, but said liability — like Alcorn was discussing — was the purpose of the study and unfortunately the Coliseum isn’t suitable.