Gainesville Town Hall

The Gainesville City Commission is sending mixed messages about their plans to develop the east side of our city.

From the beginning, our Commissioners have had no problem saddling taxpayers with the over 3 million dollar tab for Ironwood Golf Course. Citizens clamored for the city to cut its losses and come up with a more fiscally responsible plan. Our Commissioners’ reply was, “Selling isn’t a viable option, show us a better solution and we’ll take it”. continue reading »

Article By Tony Domenech
Originally Written Circa 2003

Thinking back, I suppose my wife and I began to notice the decline of East Gainesville 25 or so years ago.  At the time we lived in a beautiful home (circa 1938) on the corner of NE 7^th Street and 9th Avenue.  Many of our friends lived nearby; Lynn and I were teaching at Howard Bishop Middle School, and we were raising our first child, Joseph.  While there continues to be “fits and starts” and isolated improvements as time relentlessly advances, the relatively straight-line decline of east Gainesville continues, for the most part, unabated.

Some examples:

• Lowes – Closed
• Winn Dixie - Closed
• Manaro’s - Closed
• Barnett Bank – Closed
• Southeastern Bank - Closed
• Central Builders – Moved West
• Cedar Grove II: Barely passing; heavily subsidized
• Tackle Box – Moved
• Decreasing school enrollment
• Decreasing residency

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