The land involved in this agreement is not on Stock Island. It's actually in Key West adjacent to the School District administrative offices.

We will rue the day.

Why doesn't anyone ever include the value of the Stock Island land that the city is giving in trade for the school? That has to be considered as well in the cost of the deal. In fact, instead of paying the School Board, the city should be charging them to just take the property off their hands. That place is nothing but a huge White Elephant that would have otherwise cost the School Board millions in maintenance costs to just leave empty. The only winner is the School Board. They get the place off their back and sweeten the deal with a free bus parking lot. Has there EVER been a property deal or lawsuit where the City of Key West has come out ahead?

Although I fear that the construction method chosen, to gut the interior, will destroy or damage the historic character of the building's interior, I am glad that the City has gone ahead with the decision to locate City Hall at this location. It frees the Angela-Simonton location for a parking garage that will ease the street parking mess one finds during tourist high season and will generate revenue to offset the costs of the "new" City Hall.

I hope that our leaders will take this opportunity to make that downtown location into something that will beautify the area by including attractive landscaping, a transit hub, a downtown comfort station, and a mini park that can be a gathering place for outdoor lunches and work breaks by workers in the area. The close proximity of restaurants and lunch stands will encourage such uses.

I hope, too, that managers will consider offering guest houses in the area the opportunity to provide (paid for) parking for visitors in a well-lighted and secure facility, further reducing the demand for on-street parking.

It will, of course, be important to prevent the location from becoming a hang-out for undesirable characters and behaviors. The adjacent fire station can contribute to that. So can video surveillance. I hope that the City will plan for it.