Gainesville Mayor Zack Thompson has written an open letter to Hall County Commission Chairman David Gibbs and the rest of the commissioners in regards to the Grubs Market parking lot acquisition.

Photo courtesy of Metro Appraisals

"While the Grubs property would certainly enhance a deck at this location, we are more than prepared to design and build a deck on the property we currently own to address the City's long-standing parking needs in the Midland area," Thompson said in the letter.

Thompson called Access North Georgia on Friday as well, and was asked about future plans for parking in the area.

"[Grubs Market] was never ... on our radar to acquire for the needs of downtown Gainesville," Thompson told Access North Georgia. "I'm not sure where that piece of property would fit into our plan, we would certainly look at it and see how it could make the deck bigger and more functional for the courthouse and for our citizens, but we're a long ways from that, as you could tell last night from the conversations at their meeting."

At Thursday night's Hall County Commission meeting, District 3 Commissioner Gregg Poole noted an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) has not been signed with the City of Gainesville.

Poole also spoke on WDUN's "The Drive at 5" on Wednesday, citing concessions he would want the city to make.

"The City of Gainesville abated the taxes for 15 years, including Hall County's that we didn't have a voice on there...I would want them to own those roads," Poole said. "We should be demanding that this is your part, the sewer taps, the water taps, all these are things we should be asking for."

He also noted he was "disappointed" by suggestions the city is unwilling to work with the county.

"I was also disappointed by the repeated suggestion that Gainesville is unwilling to work with the County. From my perspective, that's simply not true," Thompson said in the letter. "The County made a proposal, the City responded with a different proposal, and that's how negotiations work. We may not always agree, but disagreement should not be mistaken for a lack of cooperation."

Thompson then spoke about aforementioned infrastructure complaints, saying there is "much more happening behind the scenes."

"The roads in that area have not received their final surface because construction activity is ongoing and it would not be a good use of taxpayer dollars to complete that work before the area is ready," Thompson continued.

Thompson also cleared up the acquisition of 673 Bradford St. in regards to stormwater infrastructure. He said the city did not condemn or threaten condemnation as a part of acquiring the property. He also added to Access North Georgia that they are working on the infrastructure.

"You can't do these kind of projects all at once, so these are multi-year, multi-phased projects," Thompson told Access North Georgia. "We're not going to waste taxpayers' money on putting top coats on streets that construction is going to come in and possibly tear up."

"I am not sending this to argue or reopen previous debates. Quite honestly, I want the opposite. I want us to continue building a strong working relationship and keep our focus on the future. There are too many opportunities ahead for Gainesville and Hall County to allow frustration or public rhetoric to get in the way," Thompson said in the letter.

Thompson concluded the letter, saying although the path forward may be different they all want what is best for Hall County and the City of Gainesville.

"I respect each of you, and I hope we can continue to have direct conversations with one another when concerns arise," Thompson said. "I believe we all care deeply about this community, and I believe we'll accomplish more by working together than by talking past one another. I appreciate your time and look forward to continuing the conversation."