Local

I was invited to the celebration of the Alachua Methodist Church on Sunday, June 4, 2023, for “Celebration Day” to officially unveil their historical marker. I felt so welcomed, meeting new folks and renewing conversations with those I knew.

Ted Wilson asked me to attend the celebration and write about it, which is why I was there. Sadly, Ted passed away July 29. He was a wonderful asset to the community, doing so much with a loving heart for everyone, but especially for the youth of our community. I wish I had finished this piece sooner, but life sometimes gets in the way. I missed sharing with him, but I know Ted is watching over his family, the church, and the community. Plus, I wanted to share the love that the church folk have for each other and outside the church.

The First Methodist Church of Alachua is now officially The Alachua Methodist Church. It is the oldest Methodist Church in Florida. As many may be aware, there have been issues within the Methodist Convention—but what denomination hasn’t had differences of opinion? The celebration was to officially join the Global Methodist Church. While I’m not going into the differences, the change in the Alachua Methodist Church is God stirring in fresh ways.

The congregation is putting down anchors and weathering the storm, or you could say that they are making a new and fresh start. The members seem to be excited about this “new beginning.”. They have a new vision for the church, but let’s see where they came from.

The Alachua Methodist Church, formally the First Methodist Church, was originally located in a home owned by the Dells near Newnansville, and it is said it was originally founded in 1822 in what was described as a wilderness near a fort. Newnansville at one time was the county seat, which is where the first Courthouse was located. I have hunted high and low for a picture of the old courthouse, but as far as I know, one doesn’t exist unless it is hiding among old albums on someone’s shelf.

Today, it isn’t common for churches to have circuit riders as they did in the past. A circuit rider would go from one church to another, sometimes traveling 200-to-500-mile routes on horseback. Sometimes they preached every day. It wasn’t unusual for a rider to only preach at each church once or twice a month. It also was common for them to preach every day as they traveled around the countryside.

Now I figure there are some of you out there that would like that option of only going to church once or twice a month. But I have it on good authority that they met most of the day. Folks sometimes fuss if we are running late—past noon—what would they think about it now. It was a hard life for the preacher, and exhaustion, illness, animal attacks and folks that just weren’t that friendly were constant threats.

Once the route of the railroad was decided and moved to Alachua, Newnansville dwindled from the once bustling town. The reason given for the move was because Newnansville was uphill, and the trains couldn’t make it up the hills. I love Alachua, but I wonder what would have developed if the county seat was still up the hill in Newnansville. That would be another story.

The church moved to Alachua in 1897, and a wooden building housed the church. That building burned down in 1910 by the records I was able to find. The Dell family owned most of the land in Alachua and gave the church the property it has been on since 1897. The current building was built in 1913.

I spoke with some of the current members and asked how long they have been a member of the church. Mrs. Colson was a member since 1933 (90 years), Mrs. Shaw since 1949 (74 years) and Mrs. Ruth Fugate O’Conner since 1956 (67 years). That is a long time to be committed to the same church. I think that was more common in the past. If you grew up somewhere, or you got married and started going to a specific church, you continued to attend the rest of your life.

On Dec. 16, 2000, the church was on the “Tour of Churches and Homes” hosted by the Alachua Historical Society and the Alachua Woman’s Club. We had reached out to those that could share a wealth of information about the history of Alachua.

I so enjoyed listening to several of the members share the history of the church and how much the church has devoted its time, love, and physical labor to the Alachua community. There is so much rich history in Alachua and the surrounding area, we could write an article each week.

If you don’t have a church home or you are currently looking for a church home, I highly recommend visiting the church and see if you are a fit for them or them for you. They have wonderful folks who attend and a welcoming pastor. If I was looking for a new church, I would be strongly tempted to join them

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - Alachua County Public Works reminds drivers about school bus safety. The penalty for failure to stop for a school bus is $200, and if a second offense is committed within five years, the person’s license will be suspended for up to one year. The penalty for passing a school bus on the side that children enter and exit when the school bus displays a stop signal is $400, and if a second offense is committed within five years, the person’s license can be suspended for up to two years.

• Motorists are required to stop when approaching a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing and stop arms extended (See the different situations in the diagram).
• All drivers moving in either direction on a two-way street must stop for a school bus displaying a stop signal and must remain stopped until the road is clear of children, and the school bus stop arm is withdrawn (see diagram, TWO-LANE).
• On a highway divided by a paved median, all drivers moving in either direction must stop for a school bus displaying a stop signal and remain stopped until the road is clear of children and the school bus stop arm is withdrawn. (see diagram, MULTI-LANE).
• The only time traffic approaching an oncoming school bus does not need to stop is if there is a raised barrier such as a concrete divider or at least five feet of unpaved space separating the lanes of traffic (see diagram, DIVIDED HIGHWAY).
• On a highway divided by a raised barrier or an unpaved median at least five feet wide, drivers moving in the opposite direction do not have to stop for the bus (painted lines or pavement markings are not considered barriers). However, these motorists should slow down and watch for students loading or unloading from the bus (see diagram, DIVIDED HIGHWAY).

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

Alachua ‒ A Local Pharmacist Has Been Recognized with a national award by the Florida Pharmacy Association at its 133^rd Annual State Conference, which was held July 5 through July 9, 2023, at Marco Island, Naples, Florida.

In total, four area pharmacists from the Alachua County Area Association of Pharmacy, also known as the Alachua County Association of Pharmacists-ACAP, were recognized with awards.

Alachua resident Dr. William Garst received the APhA/NASPA Bowl of Hygeia, a national award.

Additional awardees were Sandra Buck-Camp of Lake City, who received the DCPA Sidney Simokowitz Pharmacy Involvement Award, Edwin (Charlie) Brown of Gainesville, who received the IPA Roman Maximo Corrons Inspiration and Motivation Award and Dr. Jeffry Consaul of Gainesville. who received the Frank Toback Consultant Pharmacist Award.

In addition, the Alachua County Area Association of Pharmacy was recognized with two of the six possible Unit Association Awards. The Association was recognized for Legislative Involvement for exceptional legislative involvement and advocacy of pharmacy issues and Community Service for outstanding projects or services designed to serve the association's local or extended community.

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

WALDO – A proposed road project in Waldo has created a stir among residents. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) held a community meeting on Thursday, July 20, at Waldo City Square to discuss State Road 24 northbound through the City of Waldo, starting at Northeast 141^st Drive. At that point the road would transition to a single lane by putting a turn lane into Northeast 141^st Drive. This would essentially end the right lane and make it one lane in the center of the two original lanes.

The project cost is $23.4 million, which covers the entire road project from Gainesville to Waldo, starting at the south entrance of the Gainesville Airport and ending in Waldo where State Road 24 and Highway 301 merge. FDOT’s anticipated completion date is in 2024.

Due to a request from the City of Waldo to slow down traffic and add a bike path from Gainesville through Waldo, FDOT engineers proposed to reduce SR 24 travel lanes, starting west of Northeast 141^st Drive to U.S. 301, from two eastbound lanes to one lane, adding pedestrian crossings and a parking/bicycle lane. Residents asking to slow down traffic also believe the change will encourage economic development in the downtown area.

While FDOT’s proposed changes may help accomplish that goal, there are significant issues with each of the proposed changes discussed. Traffic at certain times of the day is particularly heavy on the two existing lanes. Some residents expressed concern that narrowing the roadway to one lane would bottleneck traffic. Also of concern was parking in the area. If the parking lane is used as a bicycle lane, parking would be reduced in the downtown area.

Adding a turn lane in the area of Northeast 141^st Drive, which connects U.S. 301 to Waldo Road, could be helpful in disbursing traffic. But local residents in that area are against the additional traffic that would run through their neighborhood to connect on the small side street to State Road 301.

“Citizens expressed valid concerns,” said City Manager Kim Worley. While some residents want traffic slowed, others fear congested traffic and lack of parking may adversely impact downtown business owners and residents. “It’s difficult to know what is best because there are pros and cons to every option,” she said.

Residents suggested a traffic light, but FDOT is not likely to approve that option said Worley. Some citizens were concerned about the $23.4 million price tag for the project, but Worley said that FDOT is going to spend that amount on resurfacing and striping the roadway whether the road remains as is or whether the proposed changes are made.

FDOT accepted comments on the project until the end of July. FDOT Engineer David Tyler was not available to comment on other suggestions that may have been made online.

#     #     #

Email cwalker@

alachuatoday.com

ARCHER‒ Archer residents can soon expect improved internet access in their area. On Tuesday, July 18, Cox Communications announced the expansion of its footprint in Alachua County as part of the company’s commitment to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to reach underserved and rural communities across the country.

This expansion will allow Cox to provide reliable symmetrical gigabit internet speeds across a fiber-powered network to nearly 500 residents and businesses in Archer.

During the celebration announcement held at the Archer Community Center, Cox also presented a $10,000 gift to The Education Foundation of Alachua County to benefit Archer Elementary School’s reading and STEM programs.

“Connectivity is at the heart of everything we do, and bringing strong broadband connections to more homes and businesses in Archer will have a positive ripple effect throughout the community,” said Mark Greatrex, president of Cox Communications.

In addition to private investments, Cox is also seeking public-private partnerships to help accelerate broadband deployment to unserved and underserved communities. Earlier this month, through Florida’s Broadband Infrastructure Program, Cox was awarded funds to further extend service in areas of northwest and central Florida to households without access to reliable broadband.

The company says that in the last 10 years, it has invested more than $11 billion in network upgrades and will continue making multibillion-dollar annual infrastructure investments over the next several years.

Residents interested in learning more about the service should visit Cox.com/getfiber.

#     #     #

Email cwalker@

alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA COUNTY ‒ School starts Aug. 10, and Alachua County Public Schools is urging parents to register new students now. Schools are open this week and next week to help parents register their children.

The advice is aimed at the families of students who will be entering an Alachua County public school for the first time, such as kindergarteners, students who’ve just moved into the district or those entering an ACPS school from a private, charter or home school option. Students who have moved or will be moving to a new school zone within the district also need to register at their new school.

“Families can get through the registration process much more quickly if they do it sooner rather than later,” said the district’s director of communications Jackie Johnson. “The lines at school offices tend to get longer the closer we get to the first day of school.”

Other disadvantages of late registration for students include delays in starting class and fewer course options, particularly in middle and high schools. District and school staff are hoping to reduce the last-minute registrations that make preparations for the upcoming school year more difficult. Without accurate information on the number of students who will be attending a school, what grades they’re in and what courses and services they’ll need, scheduling is much more complicated.

If a child will be entering an Alachua County Public School for the first time, parents should go to www.sbac.edu/enrollment and complete the online registration form. They will then need to take required documents to their zoned school, including the child’s birth certificate, two proofs of primary residence, proof of a recent physical and proof of immunizations.

The Alachua County Health Department is offering free school immunizations and $35 school physicals seven days a week. Interested families should call 352-334-7910 to make an appointment.

Those who’ve moved to a different school zone within the county will just need to take two proofs of the new residence to the school.

Parents who aren’t sure which school their child is zoned for or who need more information can visit the enrollment webpage, contact the district’s zoning office at 352-955-7700 or email zoning@gm.sbac.edu

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com