A government building in downtown Gainesville is undergoing renovations to improve the appearance of the area.
The Wilson Building, located at 30 E. University Ave., houses space for local court services and VisitGainesville, an organization dedicated to tourism and marketing for Alachua County.
Donald Flemming, the construction site manager with Charles Perry Partners Inc., said the renovations include painting and adding new carpet and energy-efficient windows.
Roland Loog, the director of VisitGainesville, said the renovations could kick off a trend.
“You work hard to make your downtown a nice city center,” Loog said. “As the government building improves the storefront, other storefronts will follow.”
For now, the building stands with boarded windows and metal scaffolding masking the storefront, which slightly constricts sidewalk space.
But Tracy Shank, a frequent downtown visitor, said the narrower sidewalk has not become an issue.
“I work near the downtown area, and I have noticed the construction. The use of the sidewalk is still quite accessible,” Shank said.
Loog said he has not heard any complaints about the sidewalk.
“The only thing I have seen is someone get splashed by an RTS bus after a heavy rain due to the smaller sidewalk,” Loog said.
He said overall the improvements will be worthwhile.
“The nicer the storefronts, the better it is for downtown,” Loog said.
A version of this story ran on page 5 on 9/3/2013 under the headline "VisitGainesville office undergoing renovations"
