Local

Newberry’s sidewalk system headed for transformation

 NEWBERRY – More and improved sidewalks are in store for the City of Newberry, with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) scheduled to go to bid for the project’s construction in fall of 2013.

Jordan Green, a rural area transportation engineer with FDOT, said all bidders must be pre-qualified by the department, and that construction usually begins 90 days after the bid closes.

The sidewalk project now underway began in 2004 with an application to the transportation enhancement project program through the Florida Department of Transportation, with the Alachua County Commission acting as administrator, said Lowell Garret, planning director for the City of Newberry.

The initial proposal was for a bike and pedestrian trail through Newberry that would provide a way for children to avoid roads in their commute to and from school.  In its current form, it is a $900,000 project to pave new sidewalks to interconnect the city’s existing sidewalks.

“It became a continuous connective network project through the community with the primary emphasis on getting kids to school safely,” Garrett said.  “It’s nice because what it’s doing is augmenting the streets that were just improved.”

This project can be looked like a step on a staircase: first, the streets were improved, now the sidewalks. And in the future, maybe even streetlights, he said. The hope is not just that the community will appreciate the project, but that it will “maintain and revitalize a community to help out in these down economic times,” Garrett said.

Green said that the department will make efforts during construction to minimize any impacts to neighbors and people traveling.  He said that the FDOT wouldn’t be able to close a street without permission from the City, and mostly likely no work will be done at night.

“Obviously we have to keep traffic off of driveways and sidewalks we are building,” Green explained. In some areas, streets will be improved simply because they are involved in the sidewalk construction. Pavers will pour strips of concrete in areas between where the new sidewalk hits dirt, and where the dirt hits the road.

There will be periods of time where travelers are detoured, but the concrete strips are just as much functional upkeep as they are nicer-looking. They will minimize crumbling along the edges of the sidewalks and streets, providing a smooth transition for tires.

While the project may be regarded as simply a means of providing the facility for pedestrian movement, the FDOT solicits projects such as this because it will impact a large number of people. While there are far more proposals than available funds, the Newberry proposal was strong because of its local support.

The sheer number of project proposals means that applicants must reapply year after year, and all the while meet the FDOT’s qualifications. As the project moved along the long list, its importance grew along with the department’s available funding. The FDOT does evaluate cost and importance, but an appealing factor was the project’s comprehensive nature.

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Santa Fe College President Jackson N. Sasser addressed a packed audience on Wednesday as the college was named one of 10 finalists for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

The Aspen Institute, a national educational organization dedicated to fostering leadership, looked at student academic achievement in four areas in choosing their finalists.  Student learning outcomes, degree and college completion, labor market success in students securing jobs after college, and minority and low-income student success were criteria for judgment detailed by The Aspen Institute in their news release.

As one of the top 10 colleges in the nation, Santa Fe College now becomes a finalist for the prestigious Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.  The winner and up to four finalists with distinction will be awarded a $1 million prize fund in March in Washington, D.C.

Florida is one of only two states in the U.S. with multiple finalists.  Ft. Lauderdale’s Broward College has also been named as a finalist.

The award announcement was made by Santa Fe College Student Body President David Durkee Wednesday morning, Sept. 5 to a packed audience of college and community dignitaries, alumni and media.

Josh Wyner, Executive Director of Aspen’s College Excellence Program said, “Santa Fe College’s high graduation and workforce placement rates speak for themselves.  The college understands that students must both complete degrees, and be able to apply their learning in the labor markets, getting good-paying jobs after college.”

“This is a singular recognition of the very broad shoulders upon which the college has built its success,” said Santa Fe College President Jackson N. Sasser.  “We acknowledge our former employees together with each current employee, and thank them profusely for their work.  This commendation is all about their rigor and high expectations,” he said.

Established in 1965 by the Florida State Legislature as a community college, today Santa Fe College is a four-year institution with more than 18,000 students enrolled in credit classes and an additional 12,000 students taking non-credit classes. In addition to the three Gainesville based campuses, the Northwest Campus, Gainesville’s downtown Blount Center, and the Kirkpatrick Institute for Public Safety in East Gainesville, classes are also offered in Starke, Keystone Heights, Archer and Alachua.

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HIGH SPRINGS – High Springs City Attorney Ray Ivey has made his departure from the City more imminent than it had been.  This comes on the heels of Ivey expressing doubts on Aug. 23 that the City would find his replacement in the coming weeks.

In an email sent to commissioners Sept. 10, Ivey informed the commission that he would officially and finally be calling it quits on Sept. 21, more than two months after he submitted his resignation on July 11.

An advertisement in August for Ivey’s replacement didn’t net any results, prompting his concern that the commission would have difficulty attracting applicants.

During the Aug. 23 meeting, Ivey said a lack of interest in the position is a “result of the things that are occurring [in High Springs] causes an attorney here considerable indigestion….the activities generating lawsuits.

“And when these meetings go far astray, it’s hard for an attorney to be prepared,” Ivey said.

“What I’m picking up is that attorneys are real uneasy… because of all of these problems.  There are too many bullets flying,” Ivey said, referring to impending lawsuits, among other concerns

He said one attorney who had previously applied for the position said he was intentionally not going to apply due the “hotbed that this is.”

Another attorney reportedly told Ivey that he couldn’t attend the frequent and numerous meetings called by the City of High Springs, because it would compromise his practice.

And it seems compromising Ivey’s other work is exactly what he is trying to prevent.  In the Sept. 10 email, Ivey wrote, “In order to be able to make other commitments and to be able to schedule other work, I must terminate my [employment] effective Friday September 21, 2012 at 5 p.m.”

Sources at the City of High Springs say the issue of advertising the position yet again will be up for discussion at the Sept. 13 commission meeting.

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Santa Fe High School’s new principal Beth LeClear has big plans for the school’s 1,000-plus students.  In addition to her goal of boosting the school’s graduation rate to 90 percent, she also wants to claim the highest graduation rate in the state.

Beth LeClear, 48, has been in education for most of her life.  She holds multiple education degrees, including a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Florida.

She taught for eight years before switching to administration 20 years ago. LeClear said she decided to try out an administrative position and ended up loving it.

LeClear became principal at Santa Fe High School six weeks ago. Santa Fe is the only high school in Alachua and has an enrollment of 1,087 students.

“When you’re a teacher, you can touch 150 students,” LeClear said. “When you’re an administrator and you can hire great teachers and support them, you can touch 1,000 students.”

LeClear has set several long-term goals for Santa Fe High School. She wants to boost the graduation rate to 90 percent.

“I would like to see us have the highest graduation rate in the state of Florida,” she said.

She also wants to increase the passing rates for standardized exams like the FCAT and the ACT.

“I would like to see our students not only passing all the state-mandated required tests, but also passing them with a really great degree of knowledge,” she said.

LeClear said she believes that will happen because of the quality of Santa Fe’s teachers. She said the teachers are hardworking and genuinely care about students.

LeClear shared a story that she said shows how much Santa Fe High parents love their children.

“I sat while the band played for parents after band camp,” she said. “It’s so exciting to see parents appreciate their children and really care about their kids.”

Lacy Colson, a Santa Fe High School senior, likes Principal LeClear so far.

“She’s cleaned up the school a lot,” Colson said.

Senior Wayne Kemp agreed with Colson.

“We’ve had a lot more spirit days,” Kemp said.  “I think she’s really cool.”

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In a special budget meeting Thursday afternoon, Sept. 13, High Springs commissioners voted to immediately suspend High Springs City Manager Jeri Langman.  Langman will remain on paid suspension indefinitely.  Mayor Dean Davis, Vice Mayor Bob Barnas and Commissioner Linda Gestrin voted for the move after Gestrin and Barnas argued that Langman was obstructing the budgeting process.  Commissioner Sue Weller voted against the measure.  Commissioner Scott Jamison was not present because of scheduling conflicts.

Gestrin further pushed the matter by adding to the motion that Langman be ordered to take her belongings, turn in her city keys and have her city email account terminated.

The commission also has another meeting that begins 6:30 p.m.

As of 5 p.m., the commission had not picked a replacement to step into Langman’s position, although talks of appointing Fire Chief Bruce Gillingham or Jenny Parham were underway.  Reportedly, Parham has repeatedly said that she did not wish to fill the interim role as she had done before.   Gillingham said he would need to mull the prospect over with his wife.

Kenneth Smith of Fort White, Fla. is currently in a Columbia County Jail and is being called as a witness according to Chipperfield’s notice.  He also calls on Jeannie Morris of Statenville, Ga.

In addition to these witnesses, Chipperfield, an attorney with the Office of the Public Defender, also said he intends to use family photographs depicting Hogg along with his wife, Trenda, and son, Anthony, a booking photograph of the defendant and photos of the crime scene provided by the State.

Over the last several months, the court has seen a long list of legal maneuvering in Hogg’s case.  In mid-August, Hogg’s defense moved to have the court prohibit a 1986 conviction of lewd and lascivious assault as a prior violent felony conviction.   The defense argues that in the more than 25-year-old case, Hogg was placed on community control and probation and that the crime was not “violent.”

The State Attorney’s Office provided notice in April that it intended to call on a firearms analyst with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, a biology and DNA analyst and to introduce jailhouse call logs and telephone audio in addition to scene photographs, video and forensic evidence.

Hogg, who turned 59 years old on Aug. 31, is being charged with two counts of first degree murder in the September 11, 2011 slaying of his 48-year-old wife and 22-year-old son.

In the days preceding the shooting, High Springs Police Department (HSPD) officers were called out to the Hogg home in reference to a verbal altercation.

Apparently at the center of the dispute was a 2005 Ford pickup truck registered to Russell or Trenda Hogg, but driven by their son, Anthony.

Russell Hogg was reportedly angered when Anthony Hogg attempted to leave in the truck, which officers noted had an expired tag.

One HSPD officer wrote in a report, “All parties separated.  There was no physical violence.”  The officer also reported that he was dispatched to the home again, but the disturbance was “simply verbal.”

A source has reported to Alachua County Today that during the Sept. 9 incident, officers handcuffed Russell Hogg, but never charged him, allegedly because family member weren’t interested in pursuing the matter.

The State is seeking the death penalty against Hogg, who has been charged with premeditated murder.

In the week following the September shooting, a grand jury indicted Hogg on two counts of first degree murder, one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm.

Hogg is being held without bail on the murder charges and on $100,000 for each of the other three charges.  His legal counsel initially submitted a plea of not guilty on his behalf on Sept. 22.

According to an ACSO arrest report, just before 1 p.m. on Sept. 11, Russell Hogg pulled into the driveway of the family home at 240 Poe Springs Road in High Springs.  He allegedly exited his vehicle, pulling out an AK-47 rifle and pointed it at his son stating, “I told you I was going to kill you,” to which Anthony Hogg replied, “shoot me then.”

Russell Hogg reportedly fired two rounds at his son, striking him in the torso.  The report states, “[Russell Hogg] then walked up to him and shot one round to his face.”

Upon realizing Anthony Hogg had been shot, Trenda Hogg ran outside where “Russell [Hogg] pointed the gun at her and fired several rounds at her,” the arrest record states.

Russell Hogg then threw the gun down and an eyewitness grabbed the gun and threw it under the house to prevent further access to it.  Russell Hogg then got into his car and left, officials report.

Two witnesses told investigators that Hogg stated his intentions to commit the crime beforehand.  “Russell was at their home and made the statement he “was going over to kill them.”  After the shooting, Russell Hogg allegedly returned to the witnesses’ home where he stated, “I told you I was gonna’ kill them,” the report states.

Columbia County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Russell Hogg on U.S. Highway 441 a short time after the shooting.

Hogg made several statements acknowledging that he killed his wife and son, according to Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Detective Sandra Myers.

Among his statements to investigators was that, “Tony [Anthony Russell] had gotten too big for his britches,” and that if he could have whipped his son, he would have, “rather than having to kill him.”

Myers wrote, “Russell [Hogg] also stated that it hurt him to see his wife laying there barely breathing because he did not want her to die.”

“I just killed my family and the bread winner of the home,” Russell Hogg allegedly said.

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