by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
The $1.95 million restoration of historic Brewster Hospital in LaVilla has been completed and now the question before the City of Jacksonville is: What should be done with it now?
That issue prompted Dist. 9 City Council member Warren Jones to call a meeting Tuesday to bring the interested parties to the table to discuss how their wishes could converge with the City’s interests and responsibilities.
On Feb. 28, 2008 – almost a year ago to the day of this week’s meeting – Jones and fellow Council member Glorious Johnson held a press conference at the hospital site to officially begin the renovation project. At the time, it was being proposed that the hospital be sold to a private entity when the project was complete. But Johnson and Jones vowed to take another path and make sure the former all-black hospital became home to a museum, a public clinic operated by a local hospital or both.
The guests of honor at the press conference were members of the Brewster Alumni Community Nurses Association and several of the group’s members were among those who sat down this week with Jones.
They made it clear that a museum devoted to African-American history in general and Brewster Hospital’s role in that history remains a priority as does having a medical clinic to provide free care to the community.
A third group has an idea that was added to the mix Tuesday. The D.W. Perkins Bar Association has expressed an interest in making Brewster Hospital its permanent headquarters.
“Our goal is to make sure we continue to contribute to the community,” said Perkins Bar President Rhonda Peoples-Waters.
She pointed out the Perkins Bar performs a wide range of services for people who would not otherwise be able to afford legal representation including expungement of criminal records and wills. They also participate in voter registration drives and mentoring youth.
“We want to go forward and continue to create African-American history. That is as important as preserving African-American history,” said attorney and Perkins Bar member Leslie Goller. She also said having offices in Brewster Hospital would be symbolic because while Jacksonville resident James Weldon Johnson is widely known as the man who composed “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the “Negro National Anthem,” he was also an attorney.
“We want to make Brewster a center of hope for African-American youth,” said Goller.
Jones said he appreciated the input from the alumni and bar associations but made clear that, “The City has preserved and restored this building, but we have to consider income and maintaining the building in perpetuity. In the future, we won’t be able to depend on federal or State grants or local funds to pay for a new roof or plumbing in 20 or 30 years.”
Jones also said the City is ready to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to determine the ultimate use of the building.
Goller questioned whether the RFP process was required for the City’s lease agreement. That prompted Jones to comment, “After the Tony Boselli deal the City is doing no licenses without an RFP,” referring to the controversy over last year’s lease agreement with the Boselli Foundation to provide after school programs at a community center building at Simonds-Johnson Park.
Deputy General Counsel John Germany pointed out that since Brewster Hospital is Downtown – therefore in a redevelopment area – the City is required to give public notice and seek comment on the use of the property, but that comment is not binding on the City.
Jones adjourned the meeting and said seeing LaVilla finally reinvigorated was one of his goals when he returned to the Council in 2008.
“The Brewster Hospital project is one I’m glad to see coming to fruition,” he said.
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