Sen. White: Short Fuse for Use Of $1.325 Million for City Hall

Sen. Bodi White has secured a total of $1.325 million in state funds to be used for construction of a new City Hall or administrative building for the City of Central. He said these funds must be used for construction, not land acquisition.

However, in an interview with the Central City News, Sen. White made it clear the city must use the funds to build the new City Hall within the next year, or the funds may be lost permanently.

“This is the third time we’ve been able to secure these funds, and I am very much hopeful that the city will go ahead and move forward with securing a site and letting a contract for construction by February or March of 2020,” he said.

The senator said the Governor’s office will sweep up funds that are not being used, and that the City of Central may not ever get them back. He said it is very difficult to get funds like this for a local projects, and the city needs to take advantage of the opportunity that they have.

Central Mayor David Barrow said he appreciates the senator’s efforts and that he is hopeful the city will be able to move forward. He said he believes the $1.325 million is sufficient to build a City Hall that is quite adequate for the city’s needs.