BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Despite Mayor Harvey Ward’s previous pledge to raise private funds to replace air conditioners at the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center, the Gainesville City Commission voted unanimously on May 7 to allocate $40,000 in GCRA funds to the organization; however, Ward said he would not support any more requests in this budget year.
On April 23, after hearing from representatives of the Cotton Club about their need to purchase new air conditioners to replace non-working units, Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut made a motion to “One, request the City Manager to work with the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center to resolve the air conditioning issue by May 10, and two, direct staff to assist the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center through the Business Improvement Grant process.” The motion passed unanimously, with Commissioner Bryan Eastman out of the room…