FORT WALTON BEACH —The city is considering selling the Chester Pruitt Recreation Center to Gregg Chapel AME Church.
The Fort Walton Beach City Council has declared the 12,900-square-foot facility surplus property.
“The goal is to get an appraisal to determine fair market value and to request that value in the sale of the property,” City Manager Michael Beedie said.
NBI Properties, the city’s real estate broker, evaluated the property to determine preliminary fair market values. NBI’s conservative value was $387,000. Its average value was $541,800 and the aggressive value was $679,800.
Beedie said the appraisal will take three to four weeks to complete.
“After that, we will approach Gregg Chapel to begin contract negotiations,” he said. “If an agreement is developed, it will be brought to City Council for consideration.”
The Rev. Cecil Williams, the pastor at Gregg Chapel, said the congregation would like to use the building as a worship center and resource for the surrounding neighborhood.
“We are going to go into negotiations with the city and we’re thankful the city has given us this opportunity,” he said.
Williams said the church wants to keep the Chester Pruitt name and keep the center “a landmark for the black community.”
Chester Pruitt, which sits on 1.5 acres at 15 Carson Drive, was built in the late 1970s. Its disposal is part of the city’s plan to consolidate its four aging recreation at a new facility on Jet Drive in place of the Fred Hedrick Center.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.
