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| Former Apalachicola High School Campus will soon bear the name "Mayor Van W. Johnson., Sr. Recreation & Community Service Complex" |
In
an unexpected move made at the request of City Administrator Betty Webb, the
Apalachicola Board of City Commissioners voted at their December 3 meeting, to
name the former Apalachicola high school campus, now operating as a center for
community services after current Apalachicola Mayor Van Johnson.
Webb
addressed the city commission as a member of the general public and asked the
board to name the former high school campus the “Mayor Van W. Johnson, Sr., Recreation
and Community Service Complex”. Webb told
commissioners that, "… a youth center was a campaign promise of the mayor
and we now have that out there and the mayor also has an office out there...
we're setting a trend in that area... it's the first time I know of that a
mayor has had an office", Webb said.
Johnson
was instrumental in securing the old campus from the Franklin County School
District about five-years ago for use as a youth center. The school
district deeded over portions of the property to the city after
the newly constructed Consolidated School in Eastpoint forced the closure of
the Apalachicola campus. Portions of the campus deeded to the city included the school building, the field house and
the gymnasium and leased to the city were the football field, the boy’s
baseball diamond and the girls’ softball field.
Since
that time the campus has been primarily used as a one stop shop for community
services provided by non-profit organizations and city youth recreation
activities.
Current
occupants include the Franklin's Promise Coalition, the food pantry, the Gulf
Coast Workforce Board, the Capital Area Community Action Agency, the Franklin
County Public Library Tigers Program, a BP Claims office, the City's Project
Impact Afterschool and Summer Enrichment Program, the city’s youth center, and
several other non-profit community service entities and organizations.
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