by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Though private enterprise and public interest groups have been playing tug-of-war with Brewster Hospital for months, a decision on the LaVilla landmark may finally come this week.
An application to relocate the crumbling structure, once the primary African-American medical facility in Jacksonville, from its current Monroe Street location will be heard by the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission Wednesday afternoon.
If an alternate site is approved and the hospital is moved, developer Ted Pappas is expected to redevelop that parcel and several others, making way for a new medical office complex.
However, hospital advocates say moving Brewster — a City asset since 2000 — would all but eliminate state and federal funding needed to refurbish it.
As its owner, the City is only responsible for “maintaining” the building, not renovating it.
“We need that money. We need those grants,” said City Council member Glorious Johnson., who has championed Brewster Hospital since taking office a year ago.
“We’ve been told by the State that if we move it, we’ll be put at the bottom of the list behind other historical properties that need funding,” she said. “We need to keep it where it is.”
Tactically, Johnson has employed a variety of measures in hopes of halting relocation efforts, though in the process has alienated Pappas and many at City Hall.
From initially claiming the hospital might not survive a move, Johnson and lead Brewster spokesperson Dianne Melendez have questioned the validity of Pappas’ contract and the redevelopment agreement the Council approved in 2000.
Johnson and Melendez said the Brewster property, located on LaVilla lot 31, was not originally included in any original documents.
Not so says City attorneys and auditors, each of whom were implored by Johnson to review paper trails dating back nearly five years.
Each office responded to the “very serious claims,” concluding lot 31 was outlined in all original documents and that no discrepancies exist in Pappas’ agreement with the City.
“All we’re doing is fulfilling the terms of the contract, which states we move it,” said Al Battle, managing director of the Downtown Development Authority. “We’ve found a new location that our local staff and the State agreed upon, and the City has already put the necessary money aside to do it.”
Though publicly avoiding the Brewster controversy, Mayor John Peyton is said to be supportive of Pappas’ agreement.
Executive staffers Steve Diebenow and Susie Wiles have both stated the contract is valid and that Peyton would honor it.
“This is basically a contract issue, but it is one we’re prepared to honor,” said Diebenow.
As the expected ruling approaches, Battle has scheduled meetings with HPC members in an effort to answer any preliminary questions that might come up Wednesday.
The meetings incited Johnson, who called Battle a “lobbyist.”
“You are an employee of the City of Jacksonville,” she wrote to Battle last week. “It is inappropriate and may cause complications for the Commissioners if you have these meetings . . . You should not be encouraging Ex-parte communication.”
Battle defended himself, saying the meetings are “typical” of any complicated issue.
“It is within anyone’s rights to reach those members and give them insight into the project and its overview,” he said. “This is no different.”
“Plain and simple we have an agreement. We have to do what we said we’d do and we have to prepared to do that. It’s our obligation and our lawyers agree.”