At the Convocation of Government in January of 2014 staff presented the idea of a joint use facility in the City of North Port that would house the second library in the City along with a North Port presence of the Suncoast Technical College. Subsequent to the Convocation, the City of North Port added a Conference Center to the discussion-which the city subsequently funded. On July 12, 2016 the parties entered into a Joint Project Agreement setting forth the respective obligations and responsibilities with respect to funding, design, and construction of the facility. Shenkel Shultz Architects was awarded a contract to design and Willis A. Smith was awarded a contract to build the facility. As of today, the complex is well underway and scheduled to open on October 16, 2017. The agreement associated with this motion details how the County and School Board will share responsibilities for the operations and maintenance of the shared use facility and how those services will be paid for. The term of agreement is 30 years, with automatic 10 year renewals, unless terminated subject to the provisions of the agreement.