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HIGH SPRINGS – High Springs City Parks & Recreation Director Damon Messina addressed Commissioners at the Feb. 13 meeting to acknowledge the volunteers of High Springs BMX. “During 2019, the organization was given the Jack Hughes Award by the Gainesville Sports Commission and the Florida Sports Foundation,” Messina said. “This is a very prestigious award only given out to a few.”

In addition to the Hughes award, the High Springs BMX track was recently voted the number one track in the state of Florida, as well as being listed as one of the top 20 tracks nationally. “It also ranks quite high internationally,” Messina said.

Messina told commissioners that the High Springs BMX program has provided an economic impact to the county in the millions of dollars.

The organization, which is strictly volunteer run and organized, has been spearheaded by Laura and John Pringle who have been running the facility for over six years. “The Pringles and their team of volunteers have been working tirelessly to maintain and improve the track,” said Messina.

Laura Pringle was on hand to talk about what she called “a very big event” that will be happening in High Springs from Feb. 28 - March 1.

“Later this month we will have 700 – 800 riders from across the state qualifying for the state championships which will take place in May,” said Pringle. “We will also have some folks from out of state here because they love the facility,” she said.

Pringle said that many of the competitors are hoping for warm weather so they can visit the springs. “We will also funnel them into downtown and the wonderful shopping areas in High Springs.”

“We have a great partnership working with them,” said Messina. “We have a great marriage going with the City of High Springs and the BMX riders as well,” he said.

To learn more about the High Springs BMX Track program see their website at hsbmx.com/.

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Newberry High School Varsity Volleyball Team players and Coach Sherrod Moseley accepted a presentation from Mayor Jordan Marlowe recognizing the team’s outstanding 2019 season,

NEWBERRY – Most people would agree that the Newberry High School Varsity Volleyball Team had an amazing season ending on a high note with a District win of 9 – 0. Under the leadership of Coach Sherrod Moseley, the team achieved various awards and milestones as they represented themselves, their parents and the school with poise and good sportsmanship.

City of Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlow congratulated team members during the Jan. 27 City Commission meeting and highlighted a few of the players with details about their year.

Grace Oelrich was second runner-up for Player of the Year honors and First Team All-Area team. She led the team in 254 kills and 102 blocks, is fourth in 1A and 27^th in the state.

Abby Pace was First Team All-Area, led the team in 541 digs and was second in 1A and eighth in the state. This is a record at Newberry High School for a season.

Sarah Miller was First Team All-Area and first ever Newberry Volleyball Player of the Week in the state of Florida. She provided 43 assists in the Regional Championship game and is Max Prep Player of the Year for the 2019 season.

Rylee Coleman was Scholar Athlete of the Week on TV 20 and Second Team All-Area. She led the team in assists 529 times, was third in 1A and 83^rd in the state.

Kalen Bennett was Second Team All-Area and a three-year starter. She never lost a District game.

Paige Dinges was Second Team All-Area, had 228 kills and had 13 kills in the State Championship game.

Nicole Everson was Second Team All-Area for the entire year with 169 kills and 60 blocks.

Lily Haugh was HM (Honorable Mention) All-Area, led the team in Aces, was seventh in 1A and 100^th in the state.

Katie Oxer was HM All-Area.

“Additionally,” said Marlowe, “we wish the two seniors [Bennett and Coleman] good luck in all future endeavors. We will miss you next year, but know you are doing well and enjoying life after high school, whatever path you may choose.”

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L-R: GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club Executive Board Members Historian Vickie Cox and Trustee Carole Tate deliver 76 “Snack Packs” in honor of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and an assortment of beautifully-decorated valentines for Ronald McDonald House to distribute to families of sick children staying in their facility while their child is being treated at Shands Hospital.

HIGH SPRINGS — GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club members have been hard at work again.

This time they have taken the time to assembled 76 “Snack Packs,” which they took to the Ronald McDonald House in Gainesville. The packs were in honor of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday earlier this month.

The bags were given to family members to take with them while visiting their children at Shands Hospital. Additional bags will be placed in the family visiting room at the hospital.

While they were at it, the group also created hand-made Valentine cards, which will be given to the Ronald McDonald House residents on Valentine’s Day.

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WALDO – Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) officers were called to the scene of a crash at 3:35 a.m., Feb. 12. Waldo resident 34-year-old Daniel Joe Russell was traveling south on U.S. Highway 301 when his Harley Davidson left the roadway.

The Sportster became airborne and came to a final stop in the southern entrance of Mugshots Bar. Russell was located in the ditch north of the southern entrance to the bar. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident.

Routine blood tests are underway to determine if alcohol may have played a part in this incident.

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ALACHUA – Alachua residents will soon stand to benefit from the City’s new call center. On Aug. 6, 2019, the City solicited formal bids for companies to partner with the City to establish a Customer Service Call Receipt and Response Services (Call Center). Services would include call answering, alarm monitoring, and utility dispatching support services. The call center will also allow for development of a database of residents’ phone numbers and emails. Among other benefits, this new capability will allow the City to notify utility customers in case of power disruption.

At the Feb. 10, 2020 Alachua City Commission meeting, the City accepted and authorized a bid from Interactive Utility Communications at an approximate cost of $24,000 that will be drawn from the City's Electric Fund. The awarded bid will include a contract effective through Sept. 30, 2020. The contract will automatically renew on Oct. 1, 2020 for one of four successive years, unless the automatic renewal is canceled by either party.

The Commission also took action on an Interlocal Agreement with the City of High Springs for Building Official Services. Currently the City of High Springs does not have a building official, and had requested to utilize the services of Alachua's building official. This agreement would provide a qualified building official to handle building permitting and inspections for High Springs.

Those services would include building inspection services for permitted construction activity related to building construction, repair, remodeling, demolition, or alteration projects that are subject to the Florida Building Code. It would also provide all permit holders a record of the inspection results as required by state statute. The City of Alachua will charge High Springs $55 for each inspection as well as for other services. Although the Alachua City Commission approved the proposal, final approval is to be considered by the City of High Springs City Commission during its Feb. 13, 2020 meeting.

The Commission also approved the $155,600 purchase of an underground cable puller for the city's public services department electric division. The Hydraulic Duct Dawg is the only manufacturer of an underground cable puller., which has unique safety features including an articulated three-axis boom, which keeps the user from having to move the boom manually, and a fully wireless remote control, which keeps the operators safe from potential electrical touch during equipment operation.

The Commission also approved entering into a contract with D & M Mowing, Inc. to provide services for the Annual Powerline Tree and Vegetation Maintenance Services. While the actual cost will not be known until the work is completed, the contract states it is not to exceed $100,000.

In other business, the Commission approved a revision to the FY 2020 Compensation Plan for the position of Human Resources Manager. During the initial approval on Dec. 9, 2019, the range for the position was listed at a minimum of $69,000 and a maximum of $103,500. The correct amount should been a minimum of $59,000 and a maximum of $85,550.

One ordinance was considered for rezoning property within the McGinley Industrial Park from Alachua County Planned Unit Development (PUD) to City of Alachua Industrial General (IG). McGinley Industrial Park is located north of County Road 25A (Northwest 120^th Lane) and the CSX railroad and to the south of Northwest 128^th Lane. The developed portion of the park is comprised of 17 lots ranging in size from approximately one acre to approximately two acres, with most lots approximately one acre in size.

Under the current PUD designation, no development, redevelopment, or expansion can occur until a City Future Land Use Map (FLUM) Designation and zoning are applied to a property. Several property owners within McGinley Industrial Park have jointly submitted this application to rezone the properties to place a zoning designation on the property that is consistent with the underlying FLUM Designation. The Commission approved this ordinance on the first reading with second and final approval to be considered at the Feb. 24, 2020 commission meeting.

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