Broadway Lake Center actually Broadview Johnson
Receiving $900,000 in funding
By Stan Welch
A recent general obligation bond issue approved by the County Council, in the amount of $10 million, included just over $900,000 to be used in renovating a community center in District Two.
Now, there seem to be serious questions about where the Broadway Lake Community Center, as it was referred to during budget discussions, actually is.
For weeks the building was referred to as the Broadway Lake Community Center, but at final reading of the bond ordinance, District Two Councilwoman Gracie Floyd informed the Council that the building in question was actually the Broadview Johnson Community Center.
“This is not on the lake, this is the community center off of Broadway Lake Rd., known as the Jebco Center,” said Floyd, during a discussion of the bond issue. (Editor’s note: Despite the acronym for the Johnson Broadview Estates Community Organization actually being JBECO, it is commonly pronounced as jebco.)
District Seven Councilwoman Cindy Wilson, who has repeatedly questioned the estimates of more than $900,000 to renovate the facility, was stunned, saying “You mean this is the JBECO center we’re talking about? I don’t think anyone in the entire county realized that was what we were talking about. I can’t believe it.”
Ms. Wilson says that during the original presentation on the proposed renovation to be funded under the ten million dollar general obligation bond, all indications were that the site was located on the lakefront. “There were pictures that showed the lake in the background and information on flood elevations and other indications that this would be a waterfront location. I thought we were talking about the county owned property at the dam site. When Ms. Floyd said it was to be the Jebco center, I was flabbergasted. We have been misled about this and about the estimated costs. Exactly where is this money going?”
Wilson has repeatedly claimed that the project could be done for less than half of the proposed cost.
The Johnson Broadview Estates Community Organization, located on Melody Trail off of Broadway Lake Road, has been the recipient of a considerable amount of financial attention from Ms. Floyd in the years she has been on the Council.
Records obtained by The Journal reflect more than $81,000 in appropriations by Councilwoman Floyd to the Center, which is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, since 1999.
In 1998, Chairman William Floyd appropriated $10,200 to the JBECO Center, with no indication of what the money would be used for, nor any record of the appropriation in the minutes of meetings held during that time. In October of 1999, following her husband’s untimely death, and her September election to fill his term, newly seated Councilwoman Gracie Floyd appropriated $8900 from her recreation funds to be used for recreational purposes.
In March of 2000, she allocated an additional $2800 for an unspecified purpose, followed in September by an appropriation of $12,500 “to continue to do work at the community center”, according to county documents. The nature of the work was unspecified.
In July 2001, she requested that $10,000 be appropriated, with no indication of its intended use. A little less than a year later, an additional $4000 was approved for roof repair and replacement.
In November of 2002, $4500 was allocated for “community enhancement”. In July of 2003, $8500 was appropriated for repairs due to water damage from a “bad roof”.
In July of 2004, $6000 was allocated for undesignated uses, followed by a $3000 amount in February of 2005, to be used in mold removal. In July of that same year, $5000 was allocated to the JBECO Community Association. No mention of the funds’ intended uses was made.
July of 2006 saw another allocation made in the amount of $5000, again undesignated to any specific purpose, according to county records. In September of 2007, Councilwoman Floyd requested that an additional $3000 of her District’s recreational funds be allocated to the center. The purpose of the funds was not mentioned.
Anderson County Purchasing Director Robert Carroll said that the County has never been involved in seeking bids or awarding any contracts for repairs or renovations at the JBECO center. “None of those projects have been handled by the County, so we have no contracts, bids, or any documents of that nature on file.”
Gina Humphreys, Finance Director for the county, added that when a 501(C)(3) organization receives an appropriation from a Council member that no documentation of its use is required. “We don’t ask for invoices or bids or things like that. We just cut the check directly to the organization,” said Humpheys.
Efforts to reach Ms. Floyd for comment were unsuccessful.
