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GAINESVILLE ‒ Alachua County residents can help take a step toward herd immunity now that 12- to 15- year-old children can get a COVID-19 vaccine locally. 

Anyone over the age of 12 can receive the Pfizer vaccine through the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County’s walk-up vaccination sites, which are run in collaboration with UF Health Screen, Test & Protect, or by scheduling an appointment. 

The Champions Club at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was busy on May 14 with parents and children who received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. 

Kelly Gurka, Ph.D., an assistant professor of epidemiology in the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions, waited in line with her daughters, Madeleine Gurka, 15, and Eleanor Gurka, 13. 

“We wanted to get them vaccinated so that they are not only personally protected against COVID-19, but also so that we can contribute to achieving herd immunity in our community,” Kelly Gurka said. 

Both of her girls said they were excited to get the vaccination. 

Children have a lower incidence of COVID-19 than adults and severe consequences of infection are rare, but their risk from the virus is not zero, Gurka said. Younger age groups can still contribute to community transmission. 

“We know that severe outcomes associated with COVID-19 occur among children even though they are rare. There is an abundance of data to suggest that the vaccines are safe, with the administration of millions of doses to date and unprecedented safety monitoring,” Gurka said.

She said she is confident the vaccine’s short-term potential side effects are worth the long-term benefit. 

“I think vaccines are one of the single greatest public health achievements of our time,” Gurka said. “Most of us have not had to live with the vaccine-preventable diseases that our parents and grandparents faced because vaccines have been around since we ourselves were children.” 

Walk-up vaccinations are available throughout Alachua County. Children ages 12 to 17 years must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to receive the vaccine. 

Michael Lauzardo, M.D., an associate professor of medicine and deputy director of UF’s Emerging Pathogens Institute, leads UF Health Screen, Test & Protect, which was created to track and respond to COVID-19 cases in the UF community. 

“The bottom line is that everyone who gets vaccinated is a dead-end and a stop to the spread of the virus, which helps us overall,” Lauzardo said. 

Clinical trials with children ages 12 to 15 years revealed that side effects were less common and the vaccine’s effectiveness was much higher than other groups, Lauzardo said.

“Since we want to stop the spread of the virus to our loved ones, we can take that extra step to protect them by getting our children vaccinated as well,” Lauzardo said.

Visit: https://coronavirus.ufhealth.org/vaccinations/vaccine-availability/ for more information on vaccine availability throughout Alachua County.

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ALACHUA COUNTY – Good News Arts, Inc. invites the public to the current exhibition The Cursed Love of Having, featuring work by Georgia based artist Parker Thornton, on view through June 5. The free closing reception on Saturday, June 5 from 5-7p.m. will feature refreshments, seating and tents outside for safe social distancing outside of the gallery, and a free play and paint area for children. This is a solo exhibition of new work by Parker Thornton from her Georgia State University thesis work, which was unable to be exhibited in 2020 due to the pandemic. 

Located in High Springs, Good News Arts collaborates with local, regional, and national artists to provide creative education opportunities, exhibitions, and cultural programming to the community. Good News Arts also serves as a community center, free and accessible to all.

 The opening reception is Saturday, June 5, 5p.m. -7 p.m. at the First Avenue Centre, 23352 W HWY 27, Suite 80, High Springs, FL 32643.

The artist will host a special mold making workshop at Good News Arts on Thursday, June 3  at 6 p.m. Good News Arts classes and workshops are open to all ages, based on a pay what you can model, and all materials are provided to make arts learning accessible to all. For more details on the workshop please email goodnewsarts@goodnewsarts.com.

 Learn more about Good News Arts and these events at www.goodnewsarts.com

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The Florida League of Cities has recognized High Springs Commissioner Ross Ambrose with a 2021 Home Rule Hero Award for advocacy efforts during the 2021 Legislative Session.

“On behalf of the League and its legislative team, it’s my sincere honor to recognize this year’s award recipients and thank them for their service,” said FLC Director of Legislative Affairs Casey Cook. “These local officials went above and beyond during the 2021 Legislative Session.”

“They made an extraordinary effort, were actively engaged and highly effective in their advocacy efforts,” said Cook. “Even with all the various challenges present this year due to the pandemic, they stepped up. They engaged with legislators, shared their stories and made their voices heard, and it made a difference.”

Home Rule is the ability for a city to address local problems with local solutions with minimal state interference. Home Rule Hero Award recipients are local government officials, both elected and nonelected, who consistently responded to the League’s request to reach out to members of the legislature and help give a local perspective on an issue.

“I think it is important that citizens retain local control versus having Tallahassee design one-size fits all solutions,” said Ambrose. “Local representatives need to use our elected voice to speak up when issues impacting our ability to govern are challenged.”

Ambrose has been a resident of High Springs since 2001 and is currently the managing partner of AAA Porta Serve, providing portable sanitation services to North Central Florida. Before being elected in November 2020, he served on the High Springs Parks & Recreation Advisory Board for 18 years and has been involved in a number of community organizations.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The first not-for-profit preschool to open in the High Springs – Alachua area in over a decade has opened in High Springs. Deeper Purpose Kids Academy, located at 19930 North U.S. Highway 441, held a soft opening on Wednesday, May 12. According to Elder Adam Joy, Senior Pastor of Deeper Purpose Community Church, they allowed half-capacity of enrolled children to attend for the day. The Kids Academy welcomes infants, toddlers and preschoolers from the surrounding area.

“I was led in 2018 to slowly start the process of making this dream a reality for our community’s families,” said Joy. “After the High Springs Day Care Center closed in 2020 due to the retirement of its director, area families were left with very few options. At that point I knew we had to make it happen as soon as possible.”

Originally the Kids Academy was slated to open last June, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, Joy chose to put off opening another year until the virus was more under control.

According to Joy, the facility is religiously exempt from licensure by the Department of Children and Families (DCF). However, the school has to adhere to DCF’s background screening requirements for all staff members. The Academy is a member of Green Apple Accreditation of Children’s Services, a group which accredits private and Christian schools across the nation. Joy said the school passed inspection with flying colors and is in compliance with 116 health, safety and sanitation standards.

The school’s current capacity is 24 children. Joy said the school will be expanding in August when school starts back and they will be able to accept an additional 30 children.

“Our mission is to provide the best quality childcare while maintaining a safe, fun and loving Christian learning environment as we minister to families in need,” Joy said.

The school has both a secular and faith-based curriculum. After school and summer programs will also be available to help families in need.

For more information, families can follow Deeper Purpose Kids Academy on social media, email kidsofpurpose19@yahoo.com or call 352-474-9040.

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NEWBERRY ‒ Newberry’s plans to implement an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system in the city are moving forward. On May 24, City Manager Mike New reported to the Commission on the system’s progress. “The project management team meets weekly for project meetings to ensure the project remains on track, plan work and address issues that arise as part of deploying the $1.2 million AMI system,” New said.

Items completed to date and purchase orders issued for network equipment amount to $152,000 and residential water meters comes in at $600,000.

The City tentatively plans to have public education and workshops by September in advance of the system coming online in parts of the city by October. Full deployment should be completed by March 2022, and final system acceptance and project completion is scheduled for May 2022.

Once completed, city staff will no longer need to ride around town to read meters, and property owners will also be able to better manage their usage.

“Although the project completion date is approximately five months later than originally anticipated due to COVID-19, the project is back on track now,” New said. The company installing the AMI system is planning to feature the Newberry installation at DistribuTech, an industry summit, as an example of how a small city is using AMI to better serve its citizens.

Avalon Woods

The Commission approved a development agreement between the City and M3 Avalon Woods. A second item under consideration dealt with amendments to the Mixed-Use Development. The property consists of approximately 196 acres and is located adjacent to the Easton-Newberry Sports Complex.

The City negotiated with M3 to allow Avalon Woods to use 10 acres of City property as part of their development with the caveat that the land would be developed as a playground. Currently, the City does not have funds allocated to outfit the playground. The developer agreed to install sidewalks on one side of the street, update the entrance to Newberry-Easton Sports Complex and provide additional signage. The developer also agreed to provide a lift station for the development.

In the second hearing, Dave McDaniel (M3) requested changes to the Mixed-Use Development to formally change the name of the project from Lexington Station to Avalon Woods. They also asked that the City allow the development to increase the number of residential properties, reduce the amount of commercial properties and reduce the lot sizes from 5,500 to 4,000 square feet to make the homes more affordable. The developer said fewer commercial properties in that location would reduce traffic flow on State Road 45. The project is expected to be built out by 2036.

Following discussion on school concurrency, Mayor Jordan Marlowe reminded Commissioners this project was originally approved in 2008 and that the school board has been aware of it for the past 13 years. Commissioners were also told that the proposed Mixed-Use Development amendments were consistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Commissioner Rick Coleman moved to approve Ordinance 2021-14 on first reading. Commissioner Mark Clark seconded. The motion was approved in a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Monty Farnsworth dissenting.

Planned Development

The Commission approved on second reading a Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPA 21-02) to change the Future Land Use Map classification on 289 +/- acres from Agriculture to Planned Development. This amendment was heard on first reading on March 8, and sent to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) for approval. Receiving no comments (concerns) from the state and no questions from Commissioners or citizens, this item was unanimously approved.

Once CPA 21-02 was approved, CHW, acting as agent for Arpin Sr. & Bond & Gray & Gray & Schofield & Yarborough and Gravely Family Trust, owners, CHW requested the City rezone the same 289 +/- acres located at 23479 West Newberry Road from Agricultural (A) to Planned Development (PD). The Commission voted unanimously to approve the rezoning on second reading.

Annexation

An application for voluntary annexation of 59 +/- acres of land at or near 3200 N.W. 202^nd Street received approval on first reading of Ordinance 2021-24. The annexation will help to reduce an enclave.

Comp Plan Amendments & Rezoning

Three Comprehensive Plan Amendments (CPAs), along with associated rezoning applications, were reviewed in separate hearings. All received unanimous approval by Commissioners on first reading, and as required by law, were sent to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity for review and comment.

Vacating Roads

A petition to vacate the portion of Southwest Third Avenue from Southwest 252^nd Street west to the CSX railroad right-of-way was approved by the Commission. New said he believed the land would be used to build a residence.

A second petition was submitted to vacate a portion of Northwest Second Avenue between Northwest 254^th Street and Seaboard Coast Line (CSX) Railroad. Overhead utilities are located on this property and the City will retain the utility easement. This petition was heard on first reading. New said Pat Post and William Watson would be the property owners who would benefit from this action. Although this passed on first reading, Commissioner Monty Farnsworth voted against approval due to concerns that CSX may want that land sometime in the future.

Newberry City Hall will be closed on Monday, May 31, in observance of Memorial Day

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ High Springs is just coming off the traditional Pioneer Days festival, which was held only weeks ago. But one city commissioner is already looking forward to another celebration of a historic nature. At the May 13 City Commission meeting, Commissioner Byran Williams reminded everyone that next year will be the 130^th anniversary of the founding of High Springs. Although he took a bit of kidding from the other commissioners, he swore that he was not a member of the first city commission.

Looking toward the future, City Manager Ashley Stathatos recapped the Strategic Planning Session results and reviewed a list of items identified as most important. City staff and citizens agreed on a number of the items they believed were most important.

The fire and police departments are requesting replacements and upgrades necessary to have both departments continue to adequately serve the growing community. Assistant City Manager Bruce Gillingham addressed a resolution establishing the estimated assessment rate for fire services for the next fiscal year and proposed an increase from the current $155 per year per residence to $223, which translates into a 44 percent increase. “That’s 19 cents a day,” said Gillingham.

He listed the replacement of Engine 29, Squad 29 and the brush truck that was purchased in 1997, which he said is no longer operational. He reminded Commissioners that they could set an amount at the beginning of the budgeting process and that the City could reduce it later in the process if necessary. “However, if we set the amount too low, we can’t increase it.” Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the proposed $223 amount.

In other business, the Commission approved two items on second reading. An ordinance was passed that will close a loophole developers have used to bypass procedures in the past. That ordinance also includes changes to the City’s Land Development Code to modify the approval level of certain site and development aspects of the approval process to properly allocate which items should go before the Commission for approval.

The second item receiving a second hearing was an ordinance establishing a Communications Service Tax on all communications services within the City. This change will bring High Springs in line with other cities in the area and helps to diversify the City’s income stream.

The Commission also approved an extension to the agreement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for the infiltrative wetlands project for wastewater treatment and disposal. Approval extends the current agreement one more year to June of 2023. Gillingham said there was no change to the dollar amount of more than $1.7 million.

Commissioner Ross Ambrose described a request by the Florida League of Cities (FLC) to have the mayor sign a letter requesting the governor veto legislation relating to Home-Based Businesses (HBB). Ambrose said CS/HB 403 is scheduled to be signed by the governor in the morning. The FLC maintains that the legislation strips regulation authority away from local government regarding city regulation of home-based businesses. “The homeowner doesn’t even need to live in the home for the business to be active,” said Ambrose.

Ambrose said business activities could take place in a residential area in the middle of the night if a similar business in the same city is open 24 hours a day. Since all City Commissioners were against this bill, no motion was required to approve the signing of the letter and sending of it to Tallahassee, said the city attorney.

In other news, the Commission voted to approve three proclamations. The first declared the week of May 16 – 22 as “National Public Works Week” in High Springs. The second declared the month of May as “Alachua County Public Schools, Teachers and Staff Month” and the third declared the month of May as “Military Appreciation Month.”

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