Local

HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The Jan. 26, 2023 High Springs City Commission meeting was held at the Civic Center as the City Hall elevator was being replaced. It is expected that the Feb. 9 City Commission meeting will be held at City Hall.

The Commission considered four issues at Thursday night’s meeting, including approving a handicap accessibility self-evaluation plan, a transition plan for handicap accessibility and a Section 504 Grievance Procedure of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The purpose of the plans is to have all publicly accessible City owned facilities made handicap accessible.

The Commission awarded a $8,950,249 contract for Phase 1 of the wastewater treatment plant facility and infiltrative wetlands project. The contract was awarded to SGS Contracting Services, Inc.

The City plans to use $6,116,658 from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection/Suwannee River Water Management District grant, $1,040,000 from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, $960,000 in existing impact fees and new development impact fees or City Contingency funds of $833,591.

The City’s engineer, Mittauer & Associates, and City staff recommended removing Phase 2 Wetlands in order for the City to seek additional grant funding while the Wastewater Treatment Plant is under construction. The City made modifications to materials based on availability and budget that have already reduced the Phase 2 amount by $529,702.

High Springs is looking to ramp up interest in the Mayor’s Youth Council and explore ways to increase more applications by interested students. An online application is available on the City’s web page for High Springs students. Staff will be implementing some of the suggestions in an effort to attract more applicants.

Once several applications are received, the item will be placed on the agenda for the City Commission to choose students to serve on the Council.

In another business, Commissioners unanimously agreed to purchase six generators for City lift stations that do not currently have one. Lift stations are used to move wastewater from lower to higher elevations. ARPA funds will cover the cost of $495,000 for the generators. Once the generators are installed, every lift station will have a generator. Each generator will be powered by natural gas to guarantee the generators will continue to work even in a power outage.

The City’s current waste provider appears to be on the chopping block. Complaints about poor trash and recycling services have mounted to the point where Commissioners directed the City Attorney and staff to work together to terminate the current waste provider, Green for Life. City staff is working to provide options for a new provider as soon as possible.

The City is embarking on a planned road repaving project. The roads that are going to be paved will be milled first to prepare them for paving. After all of the roads have been milled, paving will occur.

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alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA, Fla. ‒ On Oct. 27, 2022, the Alachua Police Department, in conjunction with the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), arrested Larry Charles Lee, 56, of Trenton, Florida, for possession of child pornography and the investigation revealed that Lee had been storing it at his place of employment in Alachua, Florida.

On Sept. 19, 2022, the Alachua Police Department was made aware that an employee of a local Alachua business had violated company policy by connecting an external storage device to a company computer, which contained child pornography.

During the initial investigation into the allegations, the Alachua Police Department’s ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) investigator, Detective Jacob Eady, confirmed that the material was indeed child pornography.

An arrest warrant for Lee and a search warrant for his residence and any digital devices owned or possessed by Lee that could be utilized in storing child pornography were obtained.

On Oct. 27, 2022, the Alachua Police Department and the FBI conducted a joint operation and arrested Lee. A search of Lee’s residence and his work area located at his place of employment was executed and 16 USB drives were located at Lee’s work desk.

The FBI took possession of the USB drives to obtain search warrants and examine the drives for possible child pornography. After conducting a thorough search of the USB drives by the Alachua Police Department and the FBI, several files containing child pornography were located. Lee was arrested for two counts of possessing child pornography and has since been released on a $200,000 bond.

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NEWBERRY ‒ Newberry’s Oscar LaRocca has been awarded special recognition. During the Jan. 9 Newberry City Commission meeting, Director of Parks & Recreation Travis Parker introduced LaRocca, an employee of the Facilities Maintenance Department and announced that he had been named Newberry 2022 Employee of the Year for his exemplary service to the community.

“Oscar LaRocca was chosen as the City of Newberry’s employee of the year because he lives and acts out the City of Newberry’s core values each day,” said Parker. “He places an emphasis on teamwork, responsibility, accountability, innovation, leadership and superior service. Oscar displays a positive attitude each day and provides superior service to our residents.”

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alachuatoday.com

GAINESVILLE, Fla. ‒ Find Your Paw-fect Match this Valentine’s Day at Humane Society of North Central Florida! Stop by the 4205 N.W. 6th Street location on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 11-3 for a family open house event featuring adoptable pets, food trucks, and interactive booths for all ages.

A puppy kissing booth, adoptable pets, BluLine Q, Lulu’s Gelato, and a kids craft station are just a few of the fun activities you’ll find at the Humane Society of North Florida’s first ever in-house event brought to you by Parks of Gainesville.

The event seeks to find forever homes for puppies, dogs, cats and kittens at the Humane Society’s North Campus shelter as spring ramps up and kitten season begins. The event will feature pets in the shelter and from foster homes. All pets are spayed or neutered, microchipped, and up to date on vaccinations.

“We are thrilled to open the doors to the community with this fun event that features something for everyone. This event is extra special as it allows the public to see each important program that we provide in-person in our shelter building,” says Executive Director, Chelsea Bower.

“Our staff and volunteers are excited to welcome the community to this one of a kind event and share their love of the animals and hopefully make some paw-fect matches!” said Joshua Sexton, Director of Volunteer Programs. The event will take place at Humane Society of North Central Florida at 4205 N.W. 6th Street from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 11. Adoptable dogs will be available for a reduced adoption fee of $14 with the exception of puppies under 5 months of age. Check out all the available pets at HumaneSocietyNCFL.org/Adopt!

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alachuatoday.com

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Below are the updated City of Gainesville traffic impacts scheduled for February 17-24, 2023. 

 New Notices

SW 12th St.: Southwest 12th Street will be closed from University Avenue to Southwest First Avenue until Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Continuing Notices 

Clark Butler Blvd. and SW 43rd St.: Roadway reconstruction work on Clark Butler Boulevard from Southwest 42nd Street to Southwest 43rd Street, and roadway reconstruction work on Southwest 43rd Street from Clark Butler Blvd to Southwest 24th Avenue will be performed under a complete roadway closure. This closure will remain in place from Feb. 1, through July 31, 2023.

Traffic will be detoured via Southwest 24th Avenue and Plaza Boulevard. Southwest 42nd Street and the crosswalk on Clark Butler Boulevard immediately north of Southwest 42nd Street will remain open at all times. 

 SW Ninth Terrace: Southwest Ninth Terrace will be closed between Southwest First Avenue and University Avenue due to the construction of a new development. Construction is expected to last through August 2023.

 Note: All lane and road closures are subject to change due to unforeseen conditions, such as inclement weather.

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alachuatoday.com

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Below are the updated City of Gainesville traffic impacts scheduled for February 3-10, 2023. 

New Notices

SW Fifth Ave.: Southwest Fifth Avenue will be closed between Southwest 13th Street and Southwest 12th Street to through traffic starting Monday, Feb. 6 and continuing through Friday, Feb. 10.

Continuing Notices 

Clark Butler Blvd. and SW 43rd St.: Roadway reconstruction work on Clark Butler Boulevard from Southwest 42nd Street to Southwest 43rd Street, and roadway reconstruction work on Southwest 43rd Street from Clark Butler Blvd to Southwest 24th Avenue will be performed under a complete roadway closure. This closure will remain in place from Feb. 1, through July 31, 2023.

Traffic will be detoured via Southwest 24th Avenue and Plaza Boulevard. Southwest 42nd Street and the crosswalk on Clark Butler Boulevard immediately north of Southwest 42nd Street will remain open at all times. 

 SW Ninth Terrace: Southwest Ninth Terrace will be closed between Southwest First Avenue and University Avenue due to the construction of a new development. Construction is expected to last through August 2023.

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