Gainesville agrees to buy downtown jail property

GAINESVILLE - Gainesville City Council Tuesday night approved a resolution to buy the current jail property in Midtown from Hall County for $4-million dollars to set the stage for Midtown redevelopment.
The purchase is contingent on the Hall County Commission's formal approval.

Councilwoman Ruth Bruner said the site would remain a privately run jail for another seven and a half years; the vendor must agree to vacate when that time is up.

"They have to agree that in seven and a half years they would go away," Bruner said. "They would have to agree to come into the county knowing that in seven and a half years they wouldn't operate any more there."

Bruner was concerned about a private jail replacing the county jail, now in its new facility off Calvary Church Road.

She said with this compromise Midtown would eventually be free of any jail property.

According to the resolution the $4-million would be payable in two installments, $2-million due at closing and $2-million due no later than July 7,2008.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2007/12/204604