Media Release

 4:28 p.m.

 

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - On June 10, 2008, County staff presented two new Fairgrounds layout options to the County Commission and requested to move forward with the detailed master site plan, as well as to approve, in concept, the site components and the phased development plan presented. The County Commission instructed staff to proceed with Option D, and directed staff to plan the fairgrounds development using the LEED certification process/green campus concept with focus on energy and water efficiencies, including the dark skies concept.  Maps and plan documents can be viewed here: www.alachuacounty.us/fairgrounds/maps.aspx

 

County staff, engineering consultant Causseux, Hewett, & Walpole, and architectural firm HOK/Smith Forkner will be making a presentation concerning the new Fairgrounds and Industrial Park to the Board of County Commissioners at their regular meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 9, 2008. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. and the presentation will occur during the morning session. Residents can view the meeting on television on Community 12 or online at Alachua County's Video on Demand webpage www.alachuacounty.us/video.

 

County staff is asking the Board of County Commissioners to approve the conceptual master plan for the new Alachua County Fairgrounds and grant the direction to proceed with the zoning application and final development plan for the Fairgrounds site.

 

LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.  The dark-sky concept is a reduction in night time illumination to allow residents to better see the stars, to reduce the effects of unnatural lighting on the environment, and to cut down on energy usage.

 

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact Rick Drummond, Assistant County Manager or Laura Kane in the County Manager's Office at 352-374-5204.

 

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