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ALACHUA ‒ San Felasco Tech City (SFTC) will soon be bringing arts and culture into the heart of the innovative development.

San Felasco Tech City Co-developers Mitch Glaeser and Rich Blaser of San Felasco Tech City (SFTC) have announced that Momentum Dance Arts, LLC, will establish a 7,250 square foot dance school and studio in the Alachua location. Momentum Dance Arts (MDA) will occupy space in the newly completed Phase II of the Tech City development and open their new location at SFTC in January 2024.

According to MDA, their mission is to foster a lifetime of love for dance and fitness under the guidance of passionate, dedicated dance instructors who have trained extensively with the world’s top educators, mentors, and teachers. MDA offer a wide variety of dance and fitness classes that allow children to explore the art of dance and find their own path.

"Momentum Dance Arts opened in 2016 in Alachua,” said MDA owner Jamie Perez. “After almost eight years here, it was one of the best decisions we ever made. 

“We love this city and as our programs continue to grow, we are so excited to grow our facility and have the opportunity to stay in Alachua for years to come.

“We are really looking forward to relocating to Tech City January 2024. The energy and innovation surrounding this community is exactly what we were looking for.  As a creative company with a focus on the performing arts serving ages 2 to adult, we invite everyone to give their child the gift of dance and join us at our new state of the art new facility here at Tech City.”

Perez added, “We can’t wait to get here and start getting our tutus on.”

Mitch Glaeser, CEO, Emory Group Companies (Owner of San Felasco Tech City) says that adding a performing arts company as a tenant like Momentum Dance Arts, meets their goal and commitment to integrating art in many forms at San Felasco Tech City.

Dan Drotos Senior Vice President, Colliers, who represented San Felasco Tech City in the transaction, said “Tech City caters to a wide variety of individual needs and interests and MDA will provide yet another wonderful service for the residents and visitors of Tech City and the region.

“We are excited to facilitate Momentum Dance Arts to join the ever-growing list of innovative companies that have decided to call Tech City Home.”

According to Tech City officials, Momentum Dance Arts, LLC will be joining over 50 innovative companies that call SFTC home, including Vobile Inc., Okito America, Neurotronics, Anamar Environmental Consulting, Inc., TIMCO Engineering, Nextgen Biologics, Fracture, Novapproach Spine, Daft Cow Brewery, and Beaker & Flask among others.

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HIGH SPRINGS – The High Springs City Commission on Aug. 24 gave approved on first reading to a zoning change requested by Josh Blackford of Turnsole Builders, LLC. The 2.39 +/- acres property is located south of U.S. Highway 441 and west of Memorial Park, and will be rezoned from R-1 (Residential) to C-3 (Commercial).

The property is anticipated to be used as a multi-storage facility. Concerns about the proximity of the site to the City’s three wells were raised, but those issues were quelled by a map that showed the distance of the property to the wells.

In other property action, the site plan for LifeSpring Church was also approved for the construction of a church on 11.71 +/- acres of land located at the unassigned address within the 15,000 block of Northwest State Road 45 (US Highway 41/27). The property is currently zoned R-1A, which allows for places of worship by right. City Manager Ashley Stathatos reported that “The site plan meets or exceeds all City regulations.”

Commissioner Katherine Weitz recused herself from voting on this issue, which passed in a 4-0 vote.

The property’s neighbor, Andrew Weitz, expressed concern about what appeared to be a sidewalk close to the next property, but was told that what he was seeing on the map was an underground utility easement which seemed to resolve the concern.

Vice-Mayor Ross Ambrose said the only thing he would like to see added to the plan was Dark Sky lighting, but he was reassured that there would be very little bright lighting on the property.

In other business, the Commission approved two related agreements related to foreclosure properties. The Commission approved an agreement for online foreclosure property registration services with HERA Property Registry, LLC of Melbourne, Florida, provides for monitoring of mortgage defaults, registration fee collections and late fee/penalty collections. Currently, the City has 28 properties in active foreclosure.

Previously, this service was provided to the City by Property Registration Champions, which is now out of business.

HERA will retain $100 of each registration fee collected and thirty-three percent of late fees. The city attorney recommended that approval of the agreement be contingent on several legal clauses, which were made part of the motion to approve.

The Commission also approved a related agreement for professional services with Break Point Law, LLC to provide property enforcement services for recovery of outstanding foreclosure property registration fees and associated fines and penalties that are over 30 days past due. This will include preparing all necessary municipal lien documents, witness statements/affidavits, invoice statements and/or other necessary documentation to enforce municipal lien/debts.

As part of this agreement, Break Point will retain 33 percent of all fines and penalties recovered on behalf of the City and will remit their fees to HERA Property Registry, LLC. HERA will remit to High Springs’ its portion of the fees in accordance with their contract with HERA.

Break Point, HERA and High Springs each agree to withdraw from these agreements at any time upon 60 days written notice to the other parties.

In other business, the Commission unanimously amended the Mayor’s Youth Council Ordinance to modify the number of Board Members from seven to five and to allow the two alternative Board members to vote. This measure also sets Board member terms to begin and expire in November of each year.

Addressing s variety of issues that had been raised, Assistant City Manager Bruce Gillingham said that the property next to Memorial Park will be kept up in the future. He also said, in response to an earlier question, that all three of the City’s water wells were drilled to the same depth.

In response to a question about opting out of the City’s trash ordinance, Gillingham said City staff had looked into it, but there didn’t seem to be any way for an opt-out clause. He added that signs identifying appropriate truck routes were being created and would be posted as soon as they arrive.

Commissioner Byran Williams asked the City Attorney to look into the possibility of posting a sign requiring visitors to City Hall must wear a shirt and shoes to be admitted.

The next City Commission meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14.

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GAINESVILLE ‒ A new facility at Santa Fe College will soon help address the severe state-wide shortage in welding and HVAC certified skilled labor. Shovels were raised and dirt was flying as the College held a ceremonial groundbreaking on Monday, Sept. 11 for the Ralph W. Cellon Jr. Institute for Skilled Trades and Advanced Manufacturing.

Construction on the facility is expected to begin next year with a projected opening of fall 2025. The institute will be built on SF’s Northwest Campus located at 3000 N.W. 83^rd Street across the street from the SF Gymnasium. It will more than double the college's capacity in the Welding and HVAC programs and the college will also begin a new degree program in Advanced Manufacturing.

The event was well attended by the Florida Legislature with State Senator Keith Perry, State Representative Chuck Clemons and State Representative Bobby Payne attending. Many members of the Cellon family, Santa Fe’s District Board of Trustees, Santa Fe’s Foundation Board members and other dignitaries were in attendance as well.

The facility is being named in honor of Ralph W. Cellon, a longtime supporter of the college. Cellon has been a central figure throughout the college’s history. He helped lead the effort to secure the land where the college’s Northwest Campus is located, served as an inaugural trustee on the college’s District Board of Trustees, and has continuously served for 54 years on the Board of the Santa Fe College Foundation.

“Ralph Cellon has been integral to the growth of Santa Fe College since its inception and it is fitting that this new facility be named in his honor,” Santa Fe President Paul Broadie II said. “He knows the power of a college education, and the need for highly skilled workers in the trades. As demand continues to grow in these industries, students graduating from our programs will be able to enter their career field knowing that they have been trained utilizing the latest technology and are poised for success.”

The new facility will increase space needed for students in SF’s Welding and HVAC programs. When the facility opens, the increased space will enable the college to see a 275 percent increase in the number of students that can be trained in HVAC and Welding.

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ALACHUA ‒ The Alachua City Commission voted 5-0 to approve Ordinance 23-04, amending the City’s Land Development Regulations (LDRs) to increase options for buffering and distancing of warehouse and freight movement uses. The move, sought by Abbfortis Strategies, LLC, amends section 4.3.4(L) of the LDRs, which regulates the development of lands used for parcel services, truck or freight terminals, or distribution and warehouse storage.

The reduction in separation distances could only be permitted when an intervening arterial or collector street exists between the proposed warehouse and freight movement use and school, daycare center, residential use, or vacant land in a residential district.

The revision reduces the minimum separation from 250 feet to 100 feet where an arterial or collector street exists between uses. The separation could be as low as 50 feet when both a street between uses exists and an enhanced landscape buffer is provided. Where there is no collector or arterial street between the uses, an applicant proposing a warehouse or freight movement use could only seek a reduction to 100 feet, and only when an enhanced landscape buffer is provided.

In no event would the proposed use be permitted closer than 150 feet from the nearest exterior wall of an existing residential dwelling. While the prior standard required a minimum of 250 feet between warehouses or freight movement uses and any schools, day care centers, residential uses, or vacant land in residential districts, the applicant was only required to install one canopy tree every 25 feet and one understory tree every 40 feet as landscape buffering.

The new standard would require twice the density of canopy and understory trees if the proposed site is granted reduced separation standards. The applicant seeking the reductions is not guaranteed that the request will be granted as the amendment merely increases the options that the City may implement as deemed appropriate based on site-specific conditions, adjacent uses, and input from neighbors.

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NEWBERRY ‒ Salary talks dominated the Newberry City Commission meeting on Sept. 6 as a lengthy and sometimes heated discussion ensued between the Commission and City Manager Mike New regarding employee compensation. Although all the Commissioners expressed concern about the economics facing the City of Newberry in the coming year, Commissioner Monty Farnsworth expressed the most trepidation about proposed employee compensation amounts.

Recently, six City employees successfully graduated from a two-year nationally-recognized Certified Public Manager (CPM) program at Florida State University's Center for Public Management. A seven percent raise was given to those six employees, and a two-percent cost of living raise was proposed across the board for all employees in the upcoming year’s budget plus an additional small merit increase was proposed based on performance evaluations by supervisors.

Farnsworth expressed concern about adding the cost of living and merit increased on those six employees who earned the seven percent increase due to their achievements in the CPM program. Commissioner Tim Marden also expressed reservations about the upcoming year’s financial situation and what the City can afford.

Commissioner Rick Coleman said that although he’d like to see all the employees get a 15 percent increase, he knew that was not possible. He agreed with the seven percent increase, but not for more than that for those six employees.

Coleman also said he would like to see the City Manager get an increase this year. In past years he has given up his salary increases so the employees could get increases. Lee said that whatever the COLA amount is set by the Commission and the percent of increases, New would get those increases as well.

A question about how the seven percent was determined led to Lee explaining that the City has a policy of salary increases for additional training and education.

A comment was made that the budget included the proposed salary increases while also proposing a millage decrease over the previous year’s millage rate.

In answer to a question by Commissioner Tony Mazon, Lee explained that financial reserves for the City nine years ago was $64 and the current reserve amount is $3.8 million. Mazon said the reserve amount indicates that the City Manager and staff have done a good job and he thought that if the increases were within the salary range for those positions, he didn’t understand why the Commission should question the city manager’s decision.

New said that the employees who participated in the CPM program began the program two years ago with the expectation that they would receive a pay bump for successfully completing the program and that several other employees also have benefitted from the Educational Incentive Program at the City.

New said if the Commission wishes to change the program, that can be done, but not for employees who have dedicated two years to completing a lengthy and time-consuming course while also maintaining their workload at the City. New considered this an eleventh-hour change and indicates to those staff members, “We were only kidding,” when this program was instituted.

New added that if the Commission decides not to provide cost of living or merit increases to those who participated in the CPM program, what the City is saying is “Well, you guys got an increase for going to class so the increases we were planning for all of your teammates, you are not eligible to receive.” He also mentioned that the salary study the City recently received indicated that at least four of the senior staff members were underpaid.

“If [the Commission] were to tell us at the beginning of the budget season that you think senior staff should make a lower percentage increase than our lower paid staff, we’re going to put that in the budget and it’s going to get approved by the Commission, gleefully with staff support,” said New. “But when we go to the eleventh hour after the people took the class, received their pay increase and get to the end [of the budget process] with a balanced budget that has a millage rate reduction and includes every project the Commission asked for, I believe it’s inappropriate to change the incentive program for those employees at this point.”

As Commissioner Mark Clark was not in attendance at this meeting, the discussion was postponed to second reading of the budget at the next meeting scheduled for Sept. 25 to allow all Commissioners to weigh in on the discussion.

Two other items relating to the budget were briefly discussed. The Commission indicated they wanted to remove the $75,000 wage study from the budget and the cemetery fence, which also would cost $75,000. The $75,000 was to adjust employee salaries that were determined to be under market from the results of the recently completed wage study.

Asked about how much this might lower the millage rate, if approved, Assistant City Manager and Finance Director Dallas Lee calculated 0.214 mills. He also pointed out that if those expenditures were removed on second reading, the money could go toward a stormwater assessment or $35,000 for downtown.

A final determination of these items will be address at the Sept. 25 meeting.

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BY DAVID LIGHTMAN/Alachua Chronicle

NEWBERRY – At their Sept. 6 regular meeting, the Newberry City Commission heard an update on the proposed F-300 AgriFoodTech Research and Innovation Park, a joint venture “startup hub” partnering with the University of Florida, and numerous other entities. 

City Manager Mike New introduced Kamal Latham, CEO of Global Solutions: “Kamal Latham, who works with us in a consulting capacity, has been spearheading our initiative to develop the Newberry AgriFoodTech Park… He probably started helping us out in November, and so we thought it would be a great opportunity to share with the commission our progress through his first year of work.”

Latham explained the origin of the F-300 name and the purpose of the project: “F (is) for Florida, and 300 represents the number of crops, specialty crops, that are grown here in Florida – because the intention of this is that this is a Florida asset that will be based in Newberry, that will benefit the citizens of Newberry and the region, the state, and beyond.

“The purpose of this is simply job creation. Job creation helps to create that economic turn, creates economic activity, and then you have more tax revenue because you have more jobs and you have more economic activity. So that’s the objective with this initiative. What is AgriFoodTech? You have Upstream and Downstream. Upstream is closer to the farmer, Downstream closer to the consumer.”

Latham added, “It will likely be that the type of companies that would be attracted to this Research and Innovation Park would be on the Upstream side of the category because a lot of businesses on the Downstream are internet-based, e-commerce, and sometimes they may not need brick-and-mortar, so when we’re talking about the AgriFoodTech Park and the types of companies and types of jobs, it would most likely be along those companies on the Upstream side of the equation.”

Latham explained, “What is Newberry’s competitive edge? Newberry’s region has the research capacity to be a competitive AgriFoodTech Hub. UF IFAS has spent $278 million on research, and overall, the University of Florida has spent $1 billion from 2021 to 2022.

“UF has one of the fastest supercomputers in the world and is the AI land grant university. That’s one of the big competitive unique selling points for Newberry and the Newberry region. Having the IFAS Extension Office was a big deal… With the leadership that we have at IFAS and the research capacity at UF, particularly with that supercomputer, it’s literally one of the fastest supercomputers on the face of the planet… IFAS has hired faculty specifically to research AI applications in agriculture, and so this is something that is an opportunity that this region can capture for high-technology and high-wage jobs.”

Latham said the F-300 project will facilitate job creation by being a hub of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, advanced energy, and industrial efficiency tech applications in the AgriFoodTech sector: “You have jobs that will be across the spectrum for different levels, and so what this will be is the driver, and as a driver this will help to lead the economic growth, and then to be a lot of different types of jobs at different skill sets and different levels that would have come along with it.”

Latham said over 45 stakeholders have been identified since 2022, and over $75,000 in planning grants have been secured. The next steps will be to complete a feasibility study and business plan for the business incubator in 2024.  

Latham listed some of the stakeholders that have already been identified including The International Fresh Produce Association. “This is a big deal. It’s a big entity,” said Latham. “This is the international association for fresh produce, and so about 90 to 95 percent of all the fresh produce in America, produce and flowers, is touched by at least two of their members.”

Commissioner Tim Marden asked, “What’s our timeline and what’s it going to take to start turning dirt?” Latham said, “To turn dirt, that would probably be a three-to-five-year horizon. Ideally, if you have a private sector developer that would come in and be able to, you know, do development, then that could help move the project forward.”

Mayor Marlowe interjected, “I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes, but I think out of that meeting in November we got a private, a local private sector developer, that is interested, and we may be seeing their application to fold some land into that coming sometime soon, which would vastly elevate that timeline.” 

Commissioner Marden said he wanted to get construction moving as quickly as possible, faster than three to five years. Mayor Marlowe echoed, “We’re gonna get with that private developer, and you know, make it happen, because I agree with Commissioner Marden. We want this thing to happen, we want it to happen right now and right away.”

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