Local

A Zaxby's employee relaxes for a moment after the line dies down at the grand opening. Business would pick up again in the afternoon after school let out.

ALACHUA – Passing traffic on U.S. Highway 441 could see the glint of the gold scissors used to slice through the thick blue ribbon being held in front of a long-awaited Zaxby’s.

A crowd of citizens, city officials and owners of the newly opened Zaxby’s stood behind the blue ribbon grinning from ear-to-ear for a photo for local newspapers and magazines.

On Tuesday Oct. 7, the City of Alachua said hello to their first, and so far, only Zaxby’s restaurant. Located just past the intersection of Interstate 75 and U.S. 441, the restaurant has been anticipated by the Alachua community since the announcement of its opening, according to some who attended the event.

Zaxby’s owner, Brooks Haisten, chose the location so that Alachua and High Springs residents, in addition to interstate travelers would be able to enjoy the restaurant’s menu.

With news that the students from the high schools would be coming to the restaurant after school that day, Haisten said he was nervous about the rush of business within such a short period of time, but was excited to see how it would turn out.

However, Haisten would be the first customer of his establishment, not the students or hungry travelers. After purchasing his meal, he took a moment to enjoy the first of many Zaxby’s chicken sandwiches the restaurant would sell.

Alachua City Commissioner Ben Boukari, Jr., and Mayor Gib Coerper were also among the people at the opening.  

The first purchase is something Haisten has done a few times now. This is not his first restaurant. He bought his first Zaxby’s 11 years ago, and now owns three of the restaurants. He is working on opening a fourth in Crawfordville, just south of Tallahassee.

After Haisten, David Flinchum, president of the Alachua Chamber of Commerce bought a chicken finger plate and sat down to enjoy it in the newly furnished dining room while the Dave Matthews Band played through the speakers.

He said the restaurant will help the local economy.

“It’s going to be a boon,” he said. “It’s definitely something people have been anticipating.”

The new business has added several jobs to the city of Alachua. Haisten chose to hire locally, rather than recruit employees from the nearby cities.

“The team members, cooks and cashiers, with the exception of two of them, they are all hired locally,” he said.

One of those exceptions is manager Steven Schnieders, a seven-year veteran of the Zaxby’s franchise. Schnieders said he is excited to see the reception of Zaxby’s from Alachua residents

“The word around the staff is that everyone in Alachua is excited,” Schnieders said. “I really hope that we can give that great experience.”

With business just starting and the community buzzing about that new fried chicken restaurant, Schnieders is sure that Zaxbys will be a hit for some time.

“I don’t think it’s going to die down anytime soon,” he said.

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ALACHUA – The Alachua Lions Club (ALC) will be hosting their annual White Cane Walk Saturday, Oct. 12.

From 9 am to noon, the walk will take place from the old Alachua City Hall, on County Road 241, to the library to the Lions Club, 15115 NW 142nd Terrace, across from the new city hall building.

The walk is intended to educate the community about Florida’s White Cane Law and the difficulties of being visually impaired.

“There are more than 4500 blind people in Alachua County and many current drivers are not aware of Florida’s White Cane Laws, which requires drivers to come to a complete stop when a visually impaired pedestrian with a white cane or guide dog is crossing a public street,” said John Hopkin, vice president of the ALC.

“Nationally, in one out of three cases where a traffic accident involves a blind pedestrian, the blind pedestrian is killed,” said Jack Varnon, second vice president of the Alachua County Council of the Blind.

Participants of the walk could be blind or visually impaired, or they could have normal vision. People who aren’t visually impaired will have a chance to be blindfolded to understand the array of challenges faced by impaired pedestrians on a daily basis.

Walkers wearing blindfolds will attempt to complete everyday tasks such as opening a door with a key, signing checks, filling a glass of water, placing a Band-Aid properly and making change. Elected officials will be there also with a voting machine for the blind to practice casting a vote.

The Wal-Mart Foundation’s Local Community Contribution Outreach Grant Program will be supporting the walk for a second year. In attendance at the event will be several community leaders, including current and former Alachua mayors, Gib Coerper, Clovis Watson and Jean Calderwood.

The ALC White Cane Walk began as an Alachua Eagle Scout project by Adam Boukari. Since its beginnings, the walk and cookout have become an annual event for the City of Alachua and its citizens. The city has declared the month of October as White Cane Month.

ALC has partnered with the Alachua Police Department, the local Police Explorers Club and Boy Scout troop, Santa Fe High School, Alachua County Council for the Blind and others to provide walkers, escorts, cooking and demonstrations for the walk.

In the United States, the introduction of the white cane is attributed to George A. Bonham of the Lions Clubs International, according to the ALC. In 1930, a Lions Club member watched as a man who was blind attempted to cross the street with a black cane that was barely visible. The Lions Club painted the cane white to make it easier to see. President Johnson then declared Oct. 15 National White Cane Day.

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ALACHUA – The Gainesville Police Department responded to the complaints of residents of Turkey Creek in Alachua regarding the noise from the Gainesville Renewable Energy Center (GREC).

The GREC biomass plant has been online since August. The plant is within Gainesville’s city limits, but residents from Turkey Creek and neighboring communities in Alachua have complained about the noise from GREC, which some citizens said keep them up at night. The Gainesville Police Department, responsible for enforcing the city’s noise ordinances, took some tests in Turkey Creek, but found the volume level within the legal limits.

The GPD said it will no longer respond to calls outside of the Gainesville city limits.

Citizens with concerns regarding the noise from GREC can call the non-emergency number for the Combined Communications Center of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office at 352-955-1818.

The tests the GPD took are not conclusive, said Ben Tobias, spokesman for the GPD. They were only taken over a short period of time and not necessarily indicative of the average volume level of the biomass plant, he said. However, the GPD will no longer be involved in testing the noise, according to its press release.

“The Gainesville Police Department is very sensitive to the needs of the citizens we proudly serve,” the agency said, but directed residents to take their complaints to the jurisdiction where the noise is heard, not where it originates.

Several Turkey Creek residents went to the Alachua City Commission Monday night at the Oct. 7 meeting to voice their concerns.

“If we had our choice today, we’d be gone,” said Russ Pisano, whose family has been affected.

Commissioner Ben Boukari, Jr., said he would talk to the city attorney about possible courses of action.

Boukari said he wished the problem could be solved as easily as flicking a light switch.

However, some residents of Turkey Creek feel that not enough has been done.

“In all essence, nothing has been solved,” said one person, who asked the city to consider a nuisance lawsuit against the City of Gainesville.

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ALACHUA – An Alachua County resident was killed in a motorcycle crash late Friday morning on Oct. 4.

Eric Cowart, 36, collided with a box van on U.S. Highway 441, next to Santa Fe High School. A witness at the scene said he was still breathing after the crash, but Jesse Sandusky, detective for the Alachua Police Department, said he was dead when they arrived at the scene.

The driver of the box truck was not injured, Sandusky said.

The accident was reported at about 11 a.m.

Cowart was heading north, riding his 1976 Harley-Davidson, when Michael Gassett, driving a school board box van, hit him while turning left onto County Road 235A.

Police redirected traffic around the crash, as law enforcement interviewed Gassett. The body, lying next to the motorcycle, was covered up.  

Cowart’s license indicates he has a Gainesville address, but he actually lives in High Springs.

Police are still investigating the crash to determine if there is any fault, he said. The driver has been charged with a right-of-way violation, but the investigation is not over.  

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NEWBERRY – Who makes the best barbecue around? Everyone will know the answer to that question as amateur and professional chefs put their skills to the test at the 7th Annual Newberry Fall Market Festival and Barbecue Cook Off.

The event starts at 9 a.m. and runs until 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 12, when four amateur and three professional barbecue chefs compete in their own categories for the award of best overall barbecue. A cash prize of $100 plus an apron awaits the winner, along with all the bragging rights that go along with that distinction.

The smell of ribs, chicken, beef or pork, slowly roasting over low flames, will direct most visitors to the festival location along South Seaboard Drive in the downtown area. Many competitors will have been up all night tending their fires to deliver their best barbecue meats and sauces for sale to visitors during the day and to the judges at 1 p.m.

While the judges decide some of the winners, there will also be an opportunity for visitors to vote for their favorite barbecue in the people’s choice category. Winners in the best amateur barbecue, best professional barbecue, best overall barbecue, best barbecue sauce and people’s choice barbecue categories will be announced between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

In addition, more than 50 arts and crafts vendors will be displaying items for sale. One vendor, for instance, makes handcrafted music stands and harps made from old pianos. Christmas and Halloween decorations, purses, jewelry, handcrafted wooden bowls, cypress furniture, quilts, candles, canned goods and items made with dried flowers will be up for sale.

Live musical performances by Late Night Delivery and the Flying Turtles String Band will also go on throughout the day. Bounce houses, face-painting and other games and events for children will also be available.

Ten percent of the sales of barbecue foods from each competitor will be donated to the Main Street Organization for future projects to benefit Newberry.

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ALACHUA - Robert Wilford, Alachua city commissioner, was watching television at his home in Turkey Creek when his wife told him to come outside and listen.

“It sounded like a jet engine,” he said.

They heard the newly operational Gainesville Renewable Energy Center (GREC) generating electricity. Since late August, when the GREC biomass plant started running, some residents of Turkey Creek in Alachua have been vocal about the noise and dust pollution coming from the energy center.

On the Sept. 23 city commission meeting in Alachua, about three dozen residents came to the commissioners with their grievances.

“It’s definitely something that’s affecting a lot of people,” said Adam Boukari, assistant city manager. “It’s a really serious issue.”

In 2010, residents of Turkey Creek were assured they wouldn’t even know the biomass plant was there, Wilford said. State-of-the-art technology was supposed to minimize noise and pollution, but that didn’t happen, he said.

“When they cranked it up in August and the noise came up, it was a total shock to everybody,” he said.

One neighbor reported the plant was running at 3:30 a.m. on Monday morning.

Alachua County is focusing its efforts on putting people in touch with the right agency, said Chris Bird, director of the Environmental Protection Department. Since the biomass plant is in Gainesville, the Gainesville Police Department (GPD) is in charge of enforcing the city’s noise ordinances. The Alachua County Environmental Protection Department is responsible for looking into the issue of dust pollution coming from the wood piles at the plant.

The complaints at the Sept. 23 city commission meeting were evenly split between the issues of noise and dust pollution, Boukari said.

The commission voted to send letters out to several officials, including county commissioners, city commissioners, the county manager, state legislators and U.S. senators.

The city is encouraging Alachua residents to reach out and voice their concerns, he said, and will listen for feedback.

“We’re keeping our ears close to the ground,” Boukari said.

The county’s environmental protection agency will conduct tests to measure the amount of wood dust in the air, Bird said. It has already established wood piles at the plant as the source of the pollution, but the extent is still unclear.

Some employees of the nearby compound for the Alachua County public works department have complained about health problems.

“We’ve had reports of irritated eyes, nose and throats, congestion and breathing issues,” he said.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) doesn’t allow fugitive dust particles. If the plant is found in violation of DEP guidelines, it could be ordered to fix the problem or face a fine if it doesn’t comply. It could also face losing some of its permits.

“Hopefully, what people are complaining about is going to get fixed,” Bird said.

The last few months have been rainy, but he wondered what would happen under dryer conditions, where the dust would be more susceptible to getting blown into the air.

“What happens when we get into a drought?” he asked. “GREC needs to figure out how to manage this dust so it doesn’t become a problem during a drought.”

Commissioner Wilford was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis two years ago, and worries about the effect the pollution might have on his health.

“If it’s not cleared up, certainly I will be concerned,” he said.

He wrote an email to several local officials expressing his dissatisfaction with the biomass plant.

“I realize that you are being bombarded with a plethora of complaints regarding GREC's operations. Being brutally candid, based on the manner in which GREC is failing to address the many valid concerns being expressed by residents of the Turkey Creek, Brooke Pointe and Staghorn subdivisions, residents of the Town of Hague, residents of the manufactured home subdivision located across from the Turkey Creek subdivision, and also some residents of non-incorporated Alachua County who live close to the center, you and the management of GREC have ignominiously earned the wrath of the many individuals and families who are being continually and adversely impacted by your center's questionable operations and the obvious lack of regard for our individual rights,” he wrote.

County commissioners have received several similar emails from other residents.

“If this noise continues, I will be forced to go to a fine rated motel and I will send you'll the invoice,” wrote Paul Yatsko, from Alachua. “You need to close this operation down until all the noise and dirt problems are solved.”

County Commissioner Susan Baird said that like Wilford, she was told the plant wouldn’t be a problem.

“As a county commissioner, I think it’s our responsibility to examine these noise levels right away,” she said. “When 30 people show up at a city meeting, there’s a problem.”

Rick Wolf, assistant director of the county’s Department of Growth Management, wrote to Baird saying the maximum noise level for a commercial property is 60 decibels during the day and 66 during the night. Any facility in violation will be considered a noise disturbance, he said.

Because the source of the noise is in Gainesville and most of the complaints are coming from the city of Alachua, the county probably doesn’t have the jurisdiction to do anything, Wolf said. A meeting is planned for Oct. 8, where the county will hopefully decide on a policy, he said.

GREC has hired consultants to perform their own tests.

Alachua City Commissioner Ben Boukari spoke with GREC representatives on Sept. 30, according to an email he wrote to the county commission.

“What I have learned is that GREC doesn’t deny there is a noise issue,” he wrote. “They are waiting for information to come back to them that will allow them to identify what specifically is causing the noise.”

GREC experts expect to have the information in two weeks, he wrote.

Local law enforcement has already performed some preliminary tests which showed the noise level, while loud, was below the legal limit, said Ben Tobias, spokesman for the GPD. However, the tests were only taken over a period of one night, and are not necessarily indicative of the average volume level of the plant. For a more accurate understanding, tests will have to be conducted over a longer period of time.

“The issue is obviously not resolved,” Tobias said. “We’re not just going to stop with one set of measurements.”

While the state DEP, Alachua County Environmental Protection Department and other local agencies look into some of the complaints, the City of Alachua is weighing its options and waiting to see test results, said Adam Boukari, assistant city manager.

The issues coming from the biomass plant undermine the reason people moved to neighborhoods like Turkey Creek, Commissioner Wilford said.

“We can’t enjoy the peace and tranquility that we used to have,” he said.

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