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r <br />BOOK PAGE <br />here. <br />Chairman Eggert had no problem with that and pointed out there was no time factor <br />Commissioner Adams thought that a couple of items needed to be added to the <br />review. She was concerned about the impact to the City of Vero Beach's taxes, and <br />Commissioner Macht stated the Mall was not within the City's boundaries. <br />Commissioner Ginn pointed out that $165,000 in taxes and also personal property <br />taxes would be lost if the Mall were taken off the County's tax rolls. <br />Chairman Eggert stated her concern on the time factor was that Tax Collector Karl <br />Zimmermann has been looking for additional space and he was interested in renting space <br />in the Mall. She stated that he needs to negotiate with the Mall people, but before they will <br />talk with him, they want to know what the County intends to do. She thought if the study <br />is going to be made, it should be done quickly. She understood Commissioners Adams and <br />Tippin were saying that in order to compare the cost of a new building, a comparison should <br />be done. <br />Commissioner Macht saw no value in changing this Mall into a government building <br />and felt it was certainly not suited for office use. <br />Commissioner Adams continued to maintain her position that this study would give <br />them real data to make an informed decision. <br />Commissioner Macht asked what staff recommended. <br />Administrator Chandler advised that staff originally had intended to come to the <br />Board after the first of the year for discussion and recommendations; however, when this <br />offer to sell the Mall came up, staff felt it was worthwhile to take a quick look. Staff's real <br />concerns are the costs and knowing what to expect in renovating the Mall. Administrator <br />Chandler stated that the real concerns would be the air-conditioning and going into a 20 -year <br />old building. Estimates of the renovation costs approach $20 million which is close to the <br />projections on a new facility built on County -owned property. <br />Commissioner Tippin still supported having the study of the Mall done saying that it <br />would help them make a determination if it was worth doing. Just because it was a 20 -year <br />old building should not automatically remove it from consideration. He preferred to have <br />an "expert" determine the cost and felt that it should be done expeditiously. <br />The configuration of the Mall was a big negative to Chairman Eggert. She then asked <br />if anyone had seconded the original motion. <br />34 <br />December 2, 1997 <br />a <br />