Greg Scott, Parks and Rec director, said he wants the neighborhood to take pride in the future facilities at the Douglass Center property.

LIVE OAK — Seeking “closure” on the fate of the Douglass Center, a small group of area residents and Suwannee County and City of Live Oak officials met for an informational meeting Thursday.

Clyde Fleming, a Douglas alum whose district contains the old school property, suggested hosting the meeting prior to the Board of County Commissioners voting at its Feb. 19 meeting to tear down the Douglass Center buildings, except for the Gary Edwards Memorial Gym and the Emergency Operations Center.

While the fate of the Douglass buildings was already known, Fleming said the meeting provided a chance for the community and county officials to move forward.

“The time that we’ve wasted, the years that we’ve wasted, we could have had a nice facility in place,” Fleming said. “It’s all about the children.

“Kids need to have a safe haven, a place they can come and enjoy themselves and not have to worry about things.”

Seeking input from the public, particularly area residents, on the type of facilities desired at the property, the current plan revolves around the gym, which County Administrator Randy Harris called the “centerpiece” of the site and Suwannee County Parks and Recreation, which would construct ballfields, basketball courts and pavilions in turning the site into a park.

Parks and Rec is already in the process of upgrading the playground at the Douglass Center and making improvements on the ballfields at the site through a grant. The chain link fence surrounding the property is also being replaced by a wooden fence that Parks Director Greg Scott said will make the site more inviting.

“We look at this as a great opportunity for parks to make a better difference in the community,” Scott said. “The neighborhood wants to be here and participate in what’s here. We want to make sure they have pride in what we have here for them.”

Live Oak Police Chief Buddy Williams said he’d like some consideration for a police substation that both the Live Oak Police Department and Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office could utilize to have a presence in the neighborhood and use for community policing initiatives.

“We have to increase opportunities to be in the neighborhood in a positive light, not negative light,” Williams said.

Resident Anita Williams agreed that a police substation would be a welcomed addition to the site, which both Scott and Harris said could be a possibility. Scott suggested the current pavilion on the back of the gymnasium could be used for some of those initiatives until a permanent location could be found, while Harris said the current EOC building could work if a new site is found for the Emergency Management Division.

Anita Williams also said there have been questions in the community about the need for a community center at the site, which could be used for family or high school reunions and other events.

“You don’t see those kinds of things happen any more where the community has somewhere to go and the kids definitely, black or white, don’t have any anti-trouble getting into activities,” Anita Williams said.

Anita Williams also suggested murals painted on the outside of the gymnasium to help tell the story of the Douglass School, although Harris expressed concern it could lead to graffiti.

Harris, though, was excited for the possibility of a clean slate and future development for the site, which he said he was introduced to through a court appearance after a break-in and vandalism — a recurring problem over the years.

“I’m excited to see it go because wonderful things can happen now,” Harris said. “Those youngins couldn’t use those buildings for anything good.”