Local

While typical Easter egg hunts feature colorful eggs hidden in the grass by the lovable Easter Bunny, Saturday’s egg hunt in Alachua featured a high flying Easter Bunny delivering eggs by helicopter. Buzzing the Christ Central Alachua property off U.S. Highway 441, the famed bunny made four aerial deliveries for children of different age groups.

NEWBERRY – With the April 9 municipal election drawing near, voters will soon be faced with familiar names on the ballot. In the mayoral race, John Glanzer will face off against current mayor Bill Conrad. Glanzer formerly served in that position for Newberry from 2004 to 2009. Commissioner Jordan Marlow is running unopposed for reelection to his seat, while Commissioner Robert Fillyaw seeks his second term and faces challenger Tim Marden.

Conrad and Glanzer were both asked what sets them apart from each other as candidates.

“I tend to be a little more outspoken than John, but I think we are both well suited to lead this city,” Conrad said, who thinks Glanzer differs very little from his own views.

“The major difference between us is leadership style. We have different backgrounds. He's been mayor for a long time. I've led troops in combat,” Conrad said, who writes a weekly newspaper column, talks almost daily with news media, and maintains a Facebook page, blog and website. Most locals have his cell number.

“I want city government to be open and transparent,” he said.

"The one thing I have learned,” Glanzer said, “in my 14 years as commissioner and four years as mayor is that there will always be differences of opinion, but you must respect the rights of your opponents to have their opinions.

“I strongly believe it is my ability to work with individuals of varying opinions to develop a consensus or a solution to the problem at hand,” he said.

Glanzer said that in addition to increases in rumors since his last term, “The citizens and I have seen a deterioration of the decorum and respect between the Commission and Mayor. I will work to reverse this.”

Commissioner Fillyaw set himself apart from his opponent with a comparison between Marden’s objection to transferring money from the utility fund to the general fund and his own short-term support of it.

“It can be easy to focus on one or two issues, but as a commissioner you have to realize that everything is intertwined, especially when it comes to the budget,” Fillyaw said, who has managed considerable sums of money in business production over his 12 years as a banker.

“The transfer is not ideal, but is the right solution for the temporary economic downturn that we have experienced.

“As the tax base grows, the transfer will go away without having to cut programs or raise taxes on the citizens,” Fillyaw said.

Marden believes his advantage over his opponent lies in the experience he has in business that can be applied immediately in next two years as the City adjusts to how sports tourism development will affect the local economy.

“I take other people's money very seriously,” Marden said.

His small business, Space Walk of Gainesville, cooperates with some of the largest businesses in the area.

“With 15-plus years in the insurance industry, I've worked tirelessly to save people money and encourage sound fiscal decisions,” Marden said, who has also spent over 12 years in the hospitality business.

To the question about the City’s most pressing issue, the mayoral candidates honed in on budget matters.

Conrad is concerned that last year the City “made decisions to fund projects that would fuel the local economy and create jobs with the understanding that our budget would be out of balance for a few years.”

“Staying on this financial path will lead to higher taxes, higher utility bills, more debt and the loss of our reserves.

“We need to do some strategic financial planning, prioritize our needs, and cut out those things we can’t afford,” he said.

Conrad believes that discretionary spending needs to be cut.

Glanzer was also troubled about symmetry in the City’s finances.

“I believe the number one issue is fiscal planning and working within a budget,” Glanzer said.

Glanzer said that in order to address the aging sewer, road and water systems that, “First and foremost the City Commission and staff need to develop a capital improvement element in our comprehensive plan.”

In additional to treating fund transfers like a business by addressing depreciation and service charges, Glanzer believes the City needs to “explore franchise fees for those utility companies who operate within our boundaries.”

“We need to realize that as a community the taxes we receive back from the state and federal governments will probably go down in some areas,” Glanzer said.

Commissioner Fillyaw believes growth related costs are going to be increasingly important. “I think growth is going to be our biggest issue.”

“We are going to have to manage the problems and costs that come along with adding and upgrading infrastructure.

“Frankly, Newberry has not had any debt for the last 10 years because no upgrades have been done,” Fillyaw said.

He cited the USDA loan the City took out versus using its own $2.2 million for the sewer plant expansion as an example of positive debt considering the optimum 2 percent interest rate.

“I would much rather borrow for a large expansion that will allow new businesses to come in than use the reserves and leave us with a potential issue in the future, especially when the payment on that loan cash flowed with no issues, and interest rates are going to be higher in the future.

“Let’s use our reserves then to avoid a 5 percent or 6 percent rate,” Fillyaw said.

Marden’s answer focused on a budget issue the residents stand behind, which is to stop utility fund transfers to the general fund.

Despite the “fundamental disagreement” between opponents, Marden believes the transfer issue will work itself out in the long run given that the contingency fund is held as a priority.

“We need to actively pursue some longer term strategies for 5, 10 and 15-year expenses.

“We need to create a list of priorities, and work the list with the money we have,” Marden said.

Finally, all candidates were asked to consider the City’s future path.

“Newberry will benefit from a slow but steady growth rate,” Conrad said. “Newberry will always keep its small town values.”

Glanzer said, “We have a reputation both statewide and nationally as being proactive in addressing growth issues and being creative in developing a niche for our community in the sports arena.”

Fillyaw had a similar sentiment, “I think sports tourism and all that comes with it is the future of Newberry. I think we have found a niche that will suit us well to grow and move forward. It is a family friendly, clean economic driver. I think we have to be mindful that the future is 10 to 20 years, not 1 to 2 years.”

Marden’s answer echoed both the mayoral candidate and his opponent. “In the near term, I want to see how the Nations Park, Easton, and Main Street programs work out. We want to put ourselves in the best possible position to take advantage of slow steady growth, new technologies, and those exciting unknowns around the corner.”

Commissioner Marlowe’s comments were not available as of press time. He has been involved with municipal government for three years. He has been a commissioner liaison with the City’s economic development committee, the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council and The Alachua County School Board.

Harry G. Nichols’ withdrawal from the mayoral candidacy was announced at the March 11 commission meeting. He declined comment.

The election will be held Tuesday, April 9 at the Newberry Fire Department located at 310 NW 260th Street, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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Alachua based AxoGen specializes in products for peripheral nerve damage repair. Edward Bonfiglio received an implant of AxoGen’s Avance® Nerve Graft in 2009 following an injury to his sciatic nerve after coming under fire while serving as a Navy Corpsman in Afghanistan in 2009.

ALACHUA – An Alachua-based company is helping wounded warriors to feel again.

Bioscience company AxoGen develops and markets a full suite of surgical products for surgeons and hospitals to help patients with nerve injuries.

The company, located at 13859 Progress Blvd., specializes in products for peripheral nerve damage.

Peripheral nerves carry signals to and from the brain to allow a person to feel sensations or move muscles. When a peripheral nerve is damaged the signal transfer is reduced or completely stopped.

Peripheral nerves can be injured in many ways including traumatic injuries such as kitchen knife lacerations, falling through plate glass, car accidents and major military injuries. Peripheral nerves can also be damaged by nerve compression like in carpal tunnel syndrome.

AxoGen’s products can be found in trauma centers, hospitals, military facilities and surgical centers throughout the United States and Canada. It is currently expanding its prominence in the European market.

The company had a humble beginning.

It was founded in Gainesville in 2002 by Jamie Grooms and John Engels. They started the company in a room next to the garage of Grooms’ house, working to develop patents and prove the science.

Since then, the company has grown to three product brands – Avance® Nerve Graft, AxoGuard® Nerve Connector and AxoGuard® Nerve Protector – with over 50 full-time employees. The company is publicly traded on the OTCBB exchange and has reported revenue of $5.6 million through Q3 2012.

“AxoGen has developed a strong team of employees fully committed to making a difference in the lives of people with peripheral nerve repair injuries,” said CEO Karen Zaderej. “We come to work each day believing in what we do and doing our very best for the doctors who use our products to help their patients.”

The company relocated to Progress Corporate Park in 2007.

The University of Florida’s Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator was an ideal environment for an early stage company, Zaderej said.

“We found the well-designed lab space, access to shared equipment and proximity to a community of similarly situated companies to be very attractive for AxoGen,” Zaderej said.

AxoGen is involved with the “Thank a Wounded Warrior” program, which provides signed thank you cards for injured U.S. military personnel being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

It also supports entities such as the American Society of Surgery of the Hand with educational grants.

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HIGH SPRINGS – The City of High Springs will soon be making payments to two staffers for unpaid overtime compensation.

The city clerk and former police department administrative assistant are entitled to be reimbursed for their overtime hours according to a 23-page report submitted by Reynaldo Velazquez of FordHarrison, a national labor and employment law firm. Velazquez, a specialist in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, was asked by the City to conduct an investigation to determine which employees were exempt from overtime pay and which were not.

As examples, City Attorney Scott Walker said the city manager, police chief and fire chief were not entitled to overtime pay because of their salary level and the number of people they were supervising. However, he found that the city clerk and the former administrative assistant were entitled to overtime pay.

Walker explained the finding was a two-step process, the first of which was Velazquez’ staff investigation and report detailing the law regarding exempt and non-exempt status. The second step pursuant to Florida law is to determine what compensation is due the two employees and what the statute of limitations is regarding how far back the process must start. Once an individual is determined to be due reimbursement under the act, the amount is non-negotiable according to Walker.

“At that point, we should have the matter settled,” he said.

The City Commission unanimously approved payment of $6,593.50 for the second and third invoice submitted by FordHarrison for the report. Previously, the City paid an invoice of $1,703, bringing the total to $8,296.50.

High Springs City Manager Ed Booth said the City has received the formula required to determine how to calculate the overtime payments, but has not arrived at the final figure. It is expected that figure will be available in the coming weeks

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Carson Willis shows her steer at the Alachua Youth Fair Livestock Sale and Auction.

GAINESVILLE – After a year of working with his steer, Briar Mitchell got 16-month-old Ace to stop head-butting him.

Nine-year-old Briar, member of the Archer Trailblazers, was able to control his steer at his first Alachua County Youth Fair Livestock Sale and receive $4.50 per pound. Ace was the second best steer at the sale.

Briar was one of the hundreds of kids who were selling their market animals at the charity sale held by the Alachua County Youth Fair and Livestock Show Association on Tuesday.

Chenoa Dixon, fair board president, said this annual auction is a way for kids to raise money for their hard work. Children who participate range from ages 5 to 18 years old.

The animals brought to the auction are market and breeding animals such as steers, hogs, goats and rabbits.

“All the market animals get sent off to be harvested and breeding animals continue to be raised,” Dixon said.

After 35 years, the auction continues to bring the community together.

“Exhibitors work on this program all year and come and show off their skills,” Dixon said.

Those skills include how the kids raised their animals so they can behave and remain calm in front of a big group of people, she said. They also show what they have learned and market their animals by recruiting sponsors, family, friends and different companies to come out to the auction to support them.

This year, there were more than 300 exhibitors and more than 500 animals. Of those 500, 126 were market animals, which were all sold. Market animals included hogs, goats and steers, Dixon said.

The grand champion market animals were a 1,135 lbs. steer that was sold for $6 per pound, a 100 lbs. goat sold for $10 per pound and a 279 lbs. pig sold for $4 per pound.

Whitney Jerkins, member of the Santa Fe FFA, had the highest bid of $12 for her 210 lbs hog.

The average sale per pound for the animals is $3 to $5 but it depends on the type of animal, Dixon said.

Although the attendance for each auction seems to be a large group, Dixon said it’s always the same companies and exhibitors and she said it would be great if more people participated.

“The fair really depends on the community and their support,” she said.

Three large companies that regularly attend the event are Santa Fe Ford and Power Sports, Florida Farm Bureau General Insurance and Rays Metal Works, Inc., said Cindy Sanders, extension director.

Some of the other buyers that attend the event are returning exhibitors. Since kids are allowed to sell their animals from age 5 until their last year of high school, former sellers support the current participants by bidding.

Richard Feagle, Archer Automotive and Tire owner, used to bring his two sons for about eight years when they were young to show their own hogs and steers. During Tuesday’s auction, Feagle was in the audience as a buyer. He has been a buyer for eight years and purchases hogs and steers. This year he bought five hogs.

Jason Breeden is also a former exhibitor when he was a child, and now his kids participate in the sale.

His kids, Garison Breeden, 11, and Kayley Breeden, 13, both sold steers this year.

Jason Breeden said this event helps the children learn about responsibility, among other things.

“It’s a good learning experience for the kids,” he said.

A returning participant, who has been involved in the auction before, said this was her last year. Tori Banner, 17, from Micanopy Friendship 4-H Club, sold her steer for $2 per pound.

Banner said she started showing animals when she was 10 years old. The first animal she showed was a goat.

“This is my last year,” she said. “I’m excited and it mean I’m going to miss it but I’m excited to move on. It’s bittersweet.”

Some of the kids not only take away money from the event but life lessons through the work they have done all year with their animals.

Fifteen-year-old Wyatt O’Grady, also from the Micanopy Friendship 4-H Club, said he learned to treat animals with respect.

“It teaches you disciple and makes you a better person,” he said.

O’Grady sold a market goat for $3.25 per pound.

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ALACHUA – A $1.8 million lawsuit against the City of Alachua by engineering firm Jones Edmunds & Associates, Inc. was dropped Feb. 14, 2013.

Jones Edmunds took a settlement from the City, ending a lawsuit that began Oct. 8, 2010.

The engineering firm sued the City of Alachua over a construction project aimed to improve the City’s advanced wastewater reclamation facility. The company claimed the City breached its obligation to the company by ordering changes to the design requirements for the project and failing to obtain an amendment to the agreement for those changes.

The City paid Jones Edmunds $1.275 million toward the amount due for engineering services. Jones Edmunds claimed that the City paid nothing for the additional services needed for the project to be built and accommodate the City-desired changes in the facility’s design.

The City offered a $125,000 settlement to Jones Edmunds in January 2013.

The settlement proposed utilizing funds from the City’s general and wastewater utility fund budgets and the wastewater utility fund contingency budget.

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