At a special meeting on Tuesday, the St. Johns City Commission voted 3-2 to remove the city's office space from the Wilson Center project.
“This was not an easy decision,” says St. Johns Vice Mayor Scott Dzurka. “But we want to be cautious with taxpayer resources and conscious of the costs that would have been involved in purchasing and renovating office space in the Wilson Center.”
In October 2022, the city announced that the commission had approved a purchase agreement with Dymaxion Development for the Wilson Center, which included spaces for city offices.
The reasoning behind the city's decision to pull out of the office space agreement was due to the increasing cost in renovations for the building. The city has been considering relocating from the Clinton County Courthouse since 2021 but purchasing the space within the Wilson Center would have cost the city $438,800 with an extra $1 million in estimated renovations.
By removing the office space expenses from the Wilson Center project, Dzurka hopes other elements can move forward, including the Wilson Center gymnasium and auditorium.
“We know there is significant public interest in the Wilson Center’s gym and auditorium,” says Dzurka. “Our vote on the office space doesn’t stop the process for those parts of the project.”
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