- In 2011, the Havana Community Development Corporation, Inc. (HCDC) purchased the old Northside High School and the 20 acre site upon which the School is located (in order to avoid demolition of this historic facility which was scheduled to be torn down that year)
- The HCDC paid $220,000.00 for the Northside High campus in 2011, and made major improvements to the facility such that it is currently listed on the Gadsden County Tax Roll as having a value of $1,449,000.00.
- Based on improvements made by the HCDC to the Northside High School site, it is now certified and listed on the Federal Registry of Historic Places.
- The HCDC has applied for, received and administered three (3) historic preservation grants totaling $50,000.00 each from the Florida Department of State Division of Historic Resources.
- In 2017 the Florida A&M University School of Business & Industry (SBI) awarded the HCDC a $50,000.00 grant which enabled it to build two (2) green houses and drill a fresh water well on the site to facilitate incubation of the HCDC's aquaponics (fish- and vegetable-growing) operations.
- A portion of the SBI award was used to renovate the (commercial grade) Healthy Foods Teaching Kitchen at the facility, where a program to teach and promote good nutrition and healthy food choices will begin in late Summer, 2019.
- Local grocery store chains have signed agreements with the HCDC to provide raw materials (discarded fruits and vegetables) to facilitate the HCDC's compost sales business.
- In 2019, the HCDC was able to hire its first full-time permanent employee, in keeping with the organization's mission of business incubation and local jobs creation.
- In keeping with its mission to incubate small businesses (particularly agri-businesses), an apiary (beekeeping operation), a seed-growing business and a canine service dog training school have become the first tenants on the HCDC site.
- The Boys & Girls Club of the Big Bend /Havana Unit and theHCDC have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) pursuant to which the Boys & Girls Club will now be housed on the HCDC campus, allowing the Club to make use of all the facilities (the playing fields, auditorium, gymnasium and cafeteria) at the HCDC site, starting June, 2019.
- The auditorium at the HCDC facility has been completely restored to historic criteria and is now being used as an indoor performing arts venue (600-seat capacity) for private parties as well as cultural arts events (i.e., plays, movies, comedy shows, Cinco de Mayo, concerts, wedding receptions, playing card tournaments, etc.), in conjunction with use of the HCDC grounds as an outdoor venue for larger recreational and athletic events. The auditorium has proven to be very popular in the community and has confirmed weekend event bookings though the end of 2019.
- The auditorium will also be used during the week as a rehearsal and performance hall for children's theater and dance troupe events.
- The roof on the gymnasium (which was damaged by Hurricane Michael) was recently replaced and paid for by the HCDC at a cost of approximately $64,000.00 (without any help from FEMA, which declined the HCDC's request for hurricane assistance).
- Now that the gymnasium roof has been sealed off, work has begun on restoring the gym's interior, with the idea in mind that the gym will become the nucleus of the 20-acre HCDC regional sports and entertainment complex.
- The HCDC has purchased reconditioned surplus workout equipment from various governmental agencies (most notably, Florida A&M University) as part of its gym restoration project and is in the process of converting a wing of the gym into the only public workout and fitness center in Gadsden County.
- The Agriculture Building on the campus has been restored to historic standards and is being used to store HCDC lawn and farm equipment.
- In addition to restoring the entire campus to historic standards, all remediation work is being performed with an eye towards "hardening" each building so that the campus may be used as county-wide assembly point and shelter for County residents and FEMA during catastrophic events (i.e., hurricanes and tornadoes, etc.).
- All Board Members are required to pay annual dues of $250.00; and all are fully financial.
- An HCDC Foundation will be established by Fall, 2019 to initiate a $500,000.00 capital campaign, geared toward raising funds from large donors to create an endowment designed to insure the long-term sustainability and viability of the organization.
- The HCDC has assembled a virtual "treasure trove" of Northside High memorabilia and by late Fall, 2019 will be converting the old Library into the Northside High Museum and "Grads Made Good Hall of Fame," (honoring the many Northside graduates who have achieved significant and noteworthy accomplishments through their professions and through civic engagement).
- To expand and compliment the programmatic offerings available to the Boys & Girls Club and other local youth participants, in early Summer 2019 the HCDC will initiate its inaugural "STEM Gym", teaching schoolchildren via inquiry-based instruction, concepts pertaining to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
- The HCDC is now in active discussions with local artists to establish an artists' pavilion on the HCDC campus, where local artists can both work in studios set up on campus (to allow them to produce artwork), as well as display and sell the artwork through an on-site gallery.
- The Gadsden County Sheriff's Department and the Havana Police Department are currently in negotiations with the HCDC to allocate space for an on-site joint dispatch and law enforcement communications substation to serve the northern end of the County.
