East Gainesville making progress in education, other areas

The lunchroom at the renovated Howard Bishop Middle School in Gainesville.

As we head into the hazy, lazy days of summer, when life here moves at a more leisurely pace, it can seem as if nothing is happening. While it is true that traffic is now much more manageable and many folks have their thoughts on summer vacation, Gainesville is, in fact, continuing to boom.

Our unemployment rate is 2.1%, one of the very lowest in the state. New residents are moving every day, taking advantage of the good jobs we have here or, through remote work, our great lifestyle. This is helping our community recover from the pandemic more quickly while providing more opportunity.

More from Eric Godet:

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While we are still struggling to bring equity across our region, we are seeing some tremendous growth in neighborhoods and business complexes that have been previously left behind. The 2018 Understanding Racial Inequity in Alachua County study, conducted by the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research, documented the disparity between the east and west sides of our community and the tremendous gaps in education, health care and housing outcomes between our minority and white residents. Though the problems are far from solved, progress has been made in each of these areas.

Good schools are one of the top reasons people cite when choosing the neighborhood they live in. Thanks to all of us and our votes for the Half-Cent for Schools sales tax, our local schools are undergoing a massive overhaul, with much of the work being done by local construction firms.

Safety and infrastructure projects have been done at most schools in the district, such as roofing and HVAC, but Metcalfe and Idylwild elementary schools and Howard Bishop Middle School on the east side have been positively transformed, with state-of-the-art classrooms, tech and science labs, expansive cafetoriums, and band and theater spaces. The work continues, with major renovations planned for Williams Elementary and Eastside High schools this year.

Health care deserts are a hallmark of underserved communities, and this is especially troubling in an internationally recognized health care mecca like ours. Last year, UF Health partnered with the city of Gainesville and Alachua County to address this need for pressure, and plans are moving forward for a new health care facility on Southeast Hawthorne Road. Funding has been approved and the project is in the final planning stages.

Affordable housing remains a difficult issue, particularly in this overheated market. But early this year, the city took a great step forward by partnering with Alachua Habitat for Humanity and donating its unused lots in the Duval neighborhood. Eleven new, quality, affordable homes will be built in the neighborhood, providing not only more housing there but also economic investment.

The city is also offering the My Neighborhood Program, through the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area, which provides forgivable loans to neighbors who purchase either a lot or a home in an eligible neighborhood where they have lived for at least three years before 2011. For seniors, Harper’s Pointe is a recently completed, 55-plus affordable housing community located near Fred Cone Park and Morningside Nature Center. Both the city and the county continue to work on policy measures that will encourage more investment like this throughout our region.

The exterior of Harper's Pointe, a recently completed, 55-plus affordable housing community located near Fred Cone Park and Morningside Nature Center.

And when speaking of investment, we can’t overlook the great things happening on our Hawthorne Road and Waldo Road corridors. The Merieux NutriSciences laboratory is complete at the new Cornerstone Campus on Southeast Hawthorne Road, the first tenant in Concept Companies’ and the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area’s mixed-use development there.

The new Army Reserve Equipment Concentration Site at the former Alachua County Fairgrounds will result in thousands of square feet being developed for storing and maintaining military equipment, bringing jobs and ancillary business to that airport corridor. And, of course, we also celebrate Gainesville Regional Airport itself, with its $18 million terminal expansion and renovation.

Gainesville Regional Airport has completed an $18 million terminal expansion and renovation.

We are fielding inquiries every day at the Chamber. Expanding opportunities to everyone in our region is one job for us, and that is a very, very good thing.

Eric Godet is President/CEO of the Greater Gainesville Chamber. He will be contributing more Good Things Gainesville guest columns in the coming months.

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The post East Gainesville making progress in education, other areas first appeared on Daily Florida Press.

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