Local

Photo special to Alachua County Today

LACROSSE – A new historical marker stands near the intersection of SR 121 and SR 235, providing a fuller history of the LaCrosse area than the first marker placed in 1978.

A Dedication Ceremony was held Saturday at Town Hall in front of a standing-room-only crowd.

The impetus for placing a new marker was Cindy Gallop, a resident of LaCrosse who grew up hearing stories from her mother about her family’s contributions to the establishment of the first settlement.

Gallop said she had been living in LaCrosse for several years before she finally stopped to read the original historical marker. She was surprised to find no mention of her mother’s family, the Parkers, listed.

“I came to the conclusion that either mother had embellished her family tales, or there had been some huge mistake,” she said.

After three years of research, Gallop said she was able to conclude that her mother had been correct: the Parkers were indeed the founders of LaCrosse.

The first historical marker was thus accurate but incomplete.

“Not only did I discover that my mother’s stories about the Parker family were true, but there were other early settlers that needed to be added to this historical account such as the Cellon family,” Gallop said.

Indeed, the new marker lists French immigrant John Cellon as the first settler of the area in the 1840s. It also names for the first time early settlers Thomas Green, Abraham Mott, Richard H. Parker, William Scott and Thomas Standley.

The marker also notes that the town was founded on land granted to Parker by the U.S. government in 1856. While LaCrosse wouldn’t be incorporated until 1897, the community dates back to the earlier time.

Information from the original marker was also included on the new one, including the source of the town’s prosperity in the late 19^th and early 20^th Centuries owing to cotton.

Boll weevils destroyed the cotton industry locally and throughout the American South, but at its height, LaCrosse – according to the new marker – had “two cotton gins, grist mills, multiple stores, and a hotel.”

Gallop said that finding the correct historical information and taking the steps to update the marker was a collaborative effort between several people in County government, local residents, and family.

“Today some historical data has now been included which honors more families, and it provides a richer heritage,” she said.

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Photo by RONN JONES special to Alachua County Today

"Star Wars" is back, and now it's official that High Springs has its share of devotees as evidenced by the winding line outside the Priest Theater and the "sold out" sign in the ticket window.

HIGH SPRINGS - A “SOLD OUT” sign was posted Saturday evening at the front of The Priest Theater in High Springs for that night's feature film, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

“A number of people arrived on Friday evening to purchase tickets for the following night,” said one observer. The Priest Theater's Facebook page listed that night's movie as “Sold Out” by 2:47 p.m. that afternoon.

“The Force Awakens” has shattered U.S. and European box office records since its December 18 release, accumulating almost $2 billion in sales worldwide.

Although some theaters raised the price of admission for this record-breaking movie, tickets were at a flat rate of $5 for all showings at the Priest.

The movie, rated PG-13, is scheduled to run again this weekend.

Times are 8 p.m. on Friday and Monday, and 6 p.m. on Saturday.

The box office opens 30 minutes prior to show time for ticket purchase. Advance and reserved tickets are available at Sheffield's Hardware, 50 N. Main St. or call 386-454-2200.

This is a cash only theater with no provisions for debit/credit card payment.

The science fiction and fantasy, action and adventure runs slightly over two hours.

The Priest Theater is located at 15 N.W. First St. in High Springs, around the corner from City Hall

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RAINA BARNETT/Alachua County Today

Turkey Creek residents Russ Pisano, 75, and his grandson, Doug McDermott, 15, look out over the Turkey Creek Golf Course from their vantage point of the clubhouse patio.

ALACHUA – The homeowners of Turkey Creek have finally completed the purchase of the community golf course and reopenned the golf club.

An accumulation of over 6,000 volunteer hours spanning just over a year culminated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony inside the newly-renovated golf club Saturday.

It has been a long time coming for the more than 1,200 residents to celebrate an arduous purchase process.

In January 2015, the Turkey Creek Master Owners Association (TCMOA) Board of Directors were anxiously awaiting news that the property had been sold to a private investment, but the deal did not close, and the parties walked away, according to TCMOA Treasurer and Secretary Todd Hutchison.

In the February board meeting, Hutchison brought up the idea that the board of directors should consider making the purchase.

“In March of 2015, we held a workshop at the Santa Fe High School auditorium,” Hutchison said. “We invited all of the community to come out and hear our presentation on a purchase plan. We had several hundred people attend that workshop. We had an overwhelmingly positive response. I would say 90 percent of the people who attended that meeting supported the idea of Turkey Creek Master Owner’s Association purchasing the property.”

The primary goals in the purchase plan were to gain legal control of the dormant and overgrown golf course property for maintenance, to seek a tenant to manage the 152 acres, and for residents to get free use of the pool and tennis court.

From March to October, there were hearings, appraisals, and finally a community vote.

“There is a statute that says 75 percent of the community has to formally approve a purchase, and October 14 is when we learned that we met the 75 percent threshold,” Hutchison said.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony represented many things, including all the hard work, lobbying, and investment in the project coming to reality.

The next step will be locating a management group for the golf course.

On Dec. 28, twenty-five invitations to negotiate (ITN) were sent to prospective tenants to begin the process of finding a golf management company.

“Right now the board has created two committees, a selection committee and a negotiation committee to help find a tenant,” Hutchison said.

The project has brought together hundreds of passionate residents and volunteers who have worked together to bring about the success of the golf course.

“We put together the scope of the budget,” said Renovations and Volunteer Coordinator Carol Walker. “We had walk-throughs with the fire marshal and with contractors to address safety issues and obtain a certification to occupy.”

Marianna Kampa, leader of the Landscape Committee, has invested countless hours with the volunteers.

“Volunteers from the community are key,” she said. “We cleaned up the golf course and worked really hard.”

The anticipated opening date of the pool and tennis court is April 1. This is also when the ITN review and recommendations are scheduled to be completed.

The ITN proposal deadline is Feb. 9. For more information, please visit tcmoa.com.

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ARCHER – The Archer City Commission selected Zeriah Folston as its new city manager at a special meeting last Thursday.

The sole reason for the convening was to interview the five finalists for the job, and Commissioner Doug Jones said Folston was the best of a good group.

“When he got to the podium, it was pretty obvious who our choice would be,” Jones said. “He filled the room with energy.”

The city remains in contract negotiations with Folston but hopes to be finished within the next two weeks.

Folston is currently the Assistant Supervisor of Elections for Alachua County. His previous experience spans a wide spectrum within city and county government, ranging from work as a budget analyst with the county to an internship with former Alachua City Manager and current State Representative Clovis Watson, Jr.

Folston was one of an initial 18 applicants that included current Archer Interim City Manager John Glanzer and other city managers from around the state.

Despite his lack of direct city management experience, Folston was the top recommendation of a management consulting service employed by the city according to City Manager Selection Committee minutes from Nov. 20.

Jones said the city commission agreed with the committee once the process moved from looking strictly at resumes to interacting with the candidates personally.

“His energy is infectious, and I am really looking forward to working with him,” Jones said. “He has a lot of local experience, having mentored under Clovis Watson when he was manager with Alachua and Randall Reid when he was county manager. And he brings depth of experience and expertise – his budget experience is a huge bonus for the city.”

Jones was hopeful that Folston will bring his enthusiasm to bear on Archer’s recreation department.

“I suspect he will be very involved in the community,” Jones said. “He mentioned many, many times during the interview wanting to get the recreation program really up and running. He has a 14-year-old son and seems to be very active recreationally.”

Folston will look to bring stability to a position that has seen rapid turnover over the previous year: former City Manager Al Grieshaber, Jr. and Assistant City Manager John Mayberry both resigned at the end of June following controversy surrounding Facebook posts Mayberry made which drew protests from the local NAACP branch.

Grieshaber was initially replaced on an interim basis by Xavier Bishop, who in turn resigned after only six weeks over family concerns. Glanzer – who had previously served as Archer City Manager from 2009 to 2012 – then replaced Bishop as interim manager while also submitting an application to fill the position permanently.

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Photo special to Alachua County Today

L-R: High Springs Chamber President Eyvonne Andrews, High Springs Police Officer Adam Joy and last year's award winner Gloria James.

HIGH SPRINGS – Crinoline slips under full skirts, bobby socks, rolled up jeans and ponytails were the required dress of the evening as the High Springs Chamber of Commerce held this year's Annual Banquet with a 50s Sock Hop theme.

Disk jockey Michael Loveday provided themed music as Chamber members celebrated Friday at St. Madeleine Family Life Center. Hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream sodas and floats were on the menu in keeping with the 50s theme.

One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of an engraved Citizen of the Year plaque given to High Springs Police Officer Adam Joy. Joy, who hadn't known he’d been nominated for the honor, was surprised when his name was announced by last year's Citizen of the Year, Gloria James.

“I was told by Lt. Antoine Sheppard to be there and dress nicely,” said Joy. “It was a great surprise to be named for something like this. I am very honored and humbled to receive this plaque because everything I do is to help the community and not for recognition.”

Joy joined the High Springs Police Department in December 2010 after serving four years at the Alachua Police Department. He is also Assisting Elder of Anderson Memorial Church of God in Christ.

Joy organized the city's first National Night Out, the first breast cancer survival walk and the first 5K Splash Run to earn money for scholarships for graduating high school seniors. Joy and two other officers also founded the local Explorer Program.

Through his organization, Global Impact Charities, Inc., Joy is responsible for a $500 donation of school supplies for community children, donating gift cards to Santa Fe High School teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week, providing free hot breakfasts for elementary and middle school students at bus stops on their first day of school, and providing free meals on Thanksgiving in Alachua, High Springs and Gainesville.

When it’s time for report cards, parents of children who have made the honor roll in Alachua and surrounding counties can enter their child's name in a drawing to receive gift cards to local restaurants.

Asked how he manages to afford all of these donations, Joy said that people give by either going to his Facebook page, Global Impact Charities, Inc., or his website, www.blessedcharity.org.

“People who know us know we actually do what we say we're going to do with their donations and can review photos of some of our project results,” he said. “If they choose to donate, that's great and we really appreciate any help they offer.

“The best thing about going to the website is that people can see what events we have participated in and what we have planned for the future,” said Joy. “There are lots of constructive activities people can get involved in, and we welcome all who are interested in participating with us.”

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Alachua County Judge Susanne Wilson Bullard (left) swears in Joel DeCoursey (center) as Chief of the High Springs Police Department. The ceremony was conducted at the beginning of the Jan. 14 High Springs City Commission meeting. Alachua Police Chief Chad Scott (right) looks on.  City and county dignitaries, as well as officers from Alachua County Sheriff's Office, the High Springs and Alachua Police Departments turned out to witness the event.