Flagler County is looking to purchase some land for a new library and to expand its public works building, but people who live in the area said they aren't on board with how the county plans to acquire the land needed for the project.
- Flagler considering land swap for library, public works yard
- County staff says the land swap would save $300,000 to $400,000
- Homeowners concerned about building on proposed land
During a Flagler County Commission workshop on Monday, officials said they would be trading a county-owned piece of land in The Hammock area with the property owner, Oare Associates.
The trade would allow the county to build a new regional library and expand the public works yard. The county said it would save about $300,000 to $400,000 by swapping the land instead of purchasing it.
Homeowners in the area said that anything going vertical in the area would take away from the beauty of the land.
"That's one of the things that we cherish is our natural resources in The Hammock," said Dennis Clark, who lives in the area. "So, we'll fight to try to keep it there. I think it's great if they can buy the property without trading it for the property in The Hammock that's part of the greenway."
Jim Ulsamer, the board chairman for the Library Trustee Board, said the land swap makes sense.
"We've identified the land we want to use for the library, but if we can swap the land for other land that's available without having to have a sizeable outlay, I think it's a win-win," he said.
County Administrator Craig Coffey said the library would get about 10 acres and public works would get about 13 acres. The combined cost would be about $600,000.
A timeline on the issue hasn't been set, but Ulsamer said the new library could be between 15,000 and 20,000 square feet.