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ALACHUA ‒ While the day after Thanksgiving is typically reserved for recovering from overindulging in too much turkey and pumpkin pie or joining in the holiday season shopping fray, there is a group of dedicated individuals who are on a mission. And odds are they wear green and gold and proclaim themselves “Hornets.”

Just as surely as Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday in November each year, by the following day, A.L. Mebane High School alumni are busy putting the finishing touches on their homecoming celebration, which traditionally commences on Friday and continues into the weekend.

This year was no different as the A. L. Mebane High School Homecoming Reunion put into motion a full schedule of weekend festivities that brings former students and the community together as each graduating class boasts its preeminence over the others.

Sponsored by the A.L. Mebane High School Alumni Association, the event serves to keep the school's history alive. In 1996, the Alumni Association held their first Homecoming event. For the Alumni Association, keeping their history alive is a matter of community pride with an eye to the future.

This year on Saturday, Nov. 25, crowds began to gather on the sidewalks along Main Street in anticipation of the upcoming parade. Alumni classes designed a float or decorated a car, along with some community organizations and churches that also participated. Led by a police escort, the parade kicked off with sirens wailing and lights flashing.

Sidewalks were lined with spectators as cars and trucks carrying homecoming queens and dignitaries were interspersed with floats sponsored by the various alumni classes, many tossing candy for the excited children attending the parade.

The A.L. Mebane High School Alumni Association holds various fundraisers and community projects throughout the year in Alachua and surrounding communities. Money raised during the weekend’s festivities contributes to the scholarship fund of the alumni association.

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ALACHUA – The City of Alachua Youth Advisory Council (YAC) has become aware of a need among their fellow students. In cooperation with Santa Fe High School, the YAC has learned there are students coming to school in need of basic hygienic supplies. The YAC is deeply concerned about these students and is asking for your help in restoring their dignity. The YAC is collecting the following items:

• Deodorant
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes
• Bar soap
• Underwear (all sizes, men and women, new)
• Socks (all sizes, men and women, new)

Once collected, all items will be packaged by the YAC and distributed at Santa Fe High School. Businesses have partnered with the YAC to host drop-off points. Supplies can be dropped off at the following locations through the months of December and January.

• Alachua City Hall
• Alachua Family Eye Care
• Douglas M. Adel, DDS, P.A. (Alachua)
• Decades on Main (High Springs)
• China Express (Alachua)
• Great Clips (Alachua)
• HCA Florida Hospital (Gainesville)
• Hitchcock’s Markets Pharmacy Desk (Alachua)
• Infinite Wellness Gym (Alachua)
• New York Pizza Plus (Rolling Oaks Plaza)
• O2B Kids (Alachua)
• Publix (Alachua)
• Santa Fe High School Guidance Office (Alachua)
• Tony & Al’s Deli (Alachua)
• Walgreens (Alachua)

The YAC serves as advocates for issues and initiatives to positively impact the lives of youth, discusses issues and offers suggestions for improvement to benefit youth in the community.

YAC members must be enrolled in a public school, private school or a home education program within the City of Alachua in grades nine through 12 or must be a City of Alachua resident enrolled in a public school, private school or a home education program in grades nine through 12 that is not within the City of Alachua's corporate limits.

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NEWBERRY – Some Newberry residents are unhappy about a solar development that will be located near their homes. At the Nov. 27 Newberry City Commission meeting, a presentation by Florida Renewable Partners (FRP), a solar development company operating in Florida, garnered a number of citizen comments. RFP’s representative, Scott Scoville, met with citizens prior to the meeting and addressed the Commission in a presentation designed to respond to citizen concerns.

FRP recently acquired land in Newberry with intent to develop a solar farm. The property is located in southwest Newberry, west of County Road 337 and south of Southwest 30^th Avenue. In August, residents in the vicinity of the proposed solar farm transmitted a letter to the City expressing concerns about the development and identifying suggested conditions for solar farm developments, including the proposed FRP project.

FRP plans construction of a Newberry sited solar farm in 2027 after necessary upgrades to the transmission system have been completed by Duke Energy. FRP anticipated submitting an application for site and development plan consideration in 2026.

Concerns voiced about solar farms included that transmission lines may impact pacemakers, pollution from runoff of solar panels, excessive concrete under the panels and other structures would make the land non-permeable and fences that would negatively impact wildlife as well as the proposed size of the vegetative buffer.

Scoville responded to those claims by saying he had not seen any studies showing negative impacts to pacemakers. He also said the only studies he had seen about panels polluting soil had to do with grinding up the panels for recycling and distributing on soil, which they had no intention of doing. He said they would consider planting a vegetative buffer with smaller plantings now so that they would grow into larger plantings by the time the site was operational.

Concrete under the panels was not an issue, Scoville said, because there was a minimal amount of concrete used on the site. He said the panels were on steel poles planted into the ground and the poles would be removed along with the panels when dismantling the site.

Scoville said the planned fencing would be six feet high near the right-of-way, but was “red top” fencing at four-feet high everywhere else, which would allow deer and other animals to jump the fence line. He showed photos of a panther and birds that had re-inhabited a solar array site after construction was completed.

In March 2019, the City Commission approved land development regulations for solar farms in Newberry’s agricultural zoning districts. Changes to the existing solar panel ordinance will be reviewed during the first quarter of 2024. While Newberry Mayor Jordan Marlow said this was an opportunity to consider “tweaking” the existing solar farm ordinance, he cautioned that any changes would not be required of FRP as they were approved under the existing ordinance.

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BELL, FL and LAKE CITY, Fla. - The Spirit of the Horse is a magical, heartwarming theater story on horseback that the whole family will enjoy! It is a showcase of World Class riders and horses brought together in an entertaining fashion as the original live production unfolds. This delightful one-and-a-half-hour event features a story rich with characters and diversity. You will see everything from orphans to villains and from dressage to liberty work (where the horse works in a free environment, unrestrained, without any riding equipment). The show includes Paula Frasz and the fabulous Pas de Cheval dancers, and a holiday atmosphere with theater sound and lighting. The costuming is amazing, the horses are beautiful, and the story is one that all can embrace.

Spirit of the Horse is a story of hope, love, and the greatest treasure of all…family. The show features two orphans, whose only wish is a family to love them. In the story, they have been selected to carry the magic of the horse on to the next generation of horse lovers and are brought to the Snow Palace.

Highlights of the evening include bronze, silver and gold medalist Lars Biedenbender, four USDF Grand Prix gold medalist riders: Kiersten Main (the Toy Soldier); Kassie Kuz (Royal Couple and Fairy); Kayla Barteau (the Guardian Angel); and Yvonne Barteau as the beautiful Snow Queen.

Yvonne Barteau, of KYB Dressage, has entertained audiences across the United States with this family-friendly live holiday tale! A USDF Gold medal rider and trainer, for years Yvonne has spent her life performing in equine entertainment from the Arabian Nights Dinner Theater in Orlando, Florida to The TODAY Show and Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The annual Spirit of the Horse event is the biggest fundraiser for the organization in terms of the number of people involved and money raised for a single event, said Barteau who founded Horses Without Humans. She said “the proceeds from Spirit will allow us to care for more horses who have been neglected, abused or in some other way let down by the humans entrusted with their care”.

Horses Without Humans, located in Bell, Florida, is a nonprofit equine adoption organization devoted to rehabilitating and retraining unwanted and at-risk equines with the goal of finding them suitable life-long adoptive homes.

Directed by Jessica Lawton, this holiday show is not to be missed. There is limited seating for three nights only – Dec. 15 at 7p.m., Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. All performances will be held in the outdoor covered arena at The Oaks Equestrian Center, 211 S.W. Theodore O’Connor Circle, Lake City, Florida.

Arrive an hour early to tour the beautifully decorated barn, pet the horses, view the silent auction items, and visit the food vendors and then enjoy the show and the wonderful memories! Tickets start at $15 and are now available at https://www.hwhrescue.org/spirit-of-the-horse

For additional information, to volunteer at the Spirit event, to volunteer with Horses Without Humans, or to request a speaker, contact Janet Herzberg, Office Manager 386-935-3902, e-mail HWH.adm.assist@gmail.com

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L-R: Alachua Chamber President Mitch Glaeser, architect Paul Stresing, Alachua Mayor Gib Coerper, Tower Hill CEO Kirk La, Scherer Construction President Erik Otte, and CHW President Robert Walpole turn the dirt marking the official start of construction of Tower Hill’s new headquarters building.

ALACHUA ‒ One of Florida’s largest residential property insurers will soon be calling Alachua home. A groundbreaking ceremony took place on Tuesday, Nov. 28 for Tower Hill Insurance’s new headquarters in Alachua.

The state-of-the art 65,000 sq-ft two-story building will feature more than 25,000 sq-ft of energy efficient glass and was designed by local architectural firm Paul Stresing Associates. When completed, the facility will house 300 of the company’s 500-plus employees. Tower Hill currently has offices in Gainesville, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and Lexington, Ky, and operates in 17 states in the U.S. Anticipated construction completion is planned for spring 2025.

The soon-to-be headquarters for the 50-year-old firm will be accessed from U.S. Highway 441 at Northwest 167^th Boulevard traffic signal south of where the Alachua Publix is located. CHW serves as the project civil engineer and Scherer Construction is the project contractor.

Tower Hill Insurance was founded in 1972 by William T. Shively as a mobile home insurer based in Miami. His son, Bill Shively, now carries on the family business. Bill Shively has long had a vision of building Tower Hill’s headquarters in Alachua on the property he has owned for some 30 years.

When founded, Tower Hill offered only mobile home insurance. Today its portfolio has grown to include residential and commercial property insurers offering homeowners, rental property, condominium, and flood insurance, among others.

On hand for the groundbreaking was Tower Hill Insurance Group CEO Kirk La who spoke of the company’s vision for the property and its corporate responsibility as a member of the Alachua business community. La said that in the face of insurance woes that have plagued Florida, Tower Hill is unyielding in its commitment to the state in which it was founded.

Also present at the groundbreaking ceremony was Alachua Mayor Gib Coerper who included in his remarks that many people know the property as the former home to an ostrich farm. Joining Coerper representing the City of Alachua were Alachua Vice Mayor Dayna Miller and Commissioners Jennifer Blalock, Shirley Green Brown and Ed Potts. Also on hand was a large contingent of the Tower Hill executive team and employees.

Alachua Chamber of Commerce President Mitch Glaeser also addressed the crowd of well over 150 people about the impact of Tower Hill on the Alachua community. Glaeser likened the groundbreaking as a moment in time that in the future will be remembered as a watershed moment marking a turning point in the economic evolution of the city.

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GAINESVILLE, FLA. - The Builders Association of North Central Florida, a 500+ company member professional and trade association representing the building industry recently installed its 2024 leaders during its 68th Annual Installation Banquet held on Dec. 1, 2023.

Outgoing 2023 BANCF President, John Jones, presented the following awards:

Individual “President” Awards – Fred Lesperance, Gator Solutions LLC; Brad Stumpff, 2 College Brothers, Inc.; John Roscow, Holden, Roscow & Caedington, PL; Luis Diaz, Dibros Design & Construction

Big Spike of the Year – Justin MacDougall, Santa Fe College

New Spike of the Year – Beth Phillips, CHW; Michelle Vickers, Scherer Construction of North Florida LLC

Retention Spike of the Year – Barry Rutenberg, Barry Rutenberg & Associates

Ambassador of the Year – Beth Phillips, CHW

Distinguished Spikes – Barry Rutenberg, Barry Rutenberg & Associates; Justin MacDougall, Santa Fe College

2023 Chairs of the Year – Debby Knopf, Millhopper Family Dentistry, PA; Dianne Gates, The Best Restoration, LLC

George Barnes Spirit Award – Beth Phillips, CHW

2023 Associate of the Year – Debby Knopf, Millhopper Family Dentistry, PA

2023 Builder of the Year – Matt Marino, Oelrich Construction, Inc.

The following 2024 Officers and Directors were installed: President: Don Kellogg, Scorpio.

Associate Vice President:                       Jason Cason, First Federal Bank

President Elect:                                       Fred Lesperance, Gator Solutions, LLC

Associate Vice President Elect:              Sue Fisher, BHGRE Thomas Group

Treasurer:                                                David Hilman, Custom Design Renovations, LLC

Secretary:                                                Kevin Brown, Renasant Bank

2024 Board of Directors

Amber Beckham

Andreana Graham

Arlene Stewart

Barry Rutenberg

Brad Stumpff

Bryce Hartley

Carly Waters

Chancey Padgett

Chris Trowell

Christopher Decker

Craig Brashier

Debby Knopf

DJ Samples

Erik Anderson

Ian Brown

Jake Plein

Jason Robinson

Jay Brown

Joe Burns

John Jones

John Roscow IV

Juddy Carter

Kara Bolton

Keith Perry

Kim Wolfmeyer

Larry Hartfield

Lisa Rutenberg

Luis Diaz

Madi Joyner

Margarita Purvis

Mark Hurm

Matt Marino

Michelle Vickers

Rob Edmunds

Rob Lash

Ryan McGriff

Stephanie Sutton

Steve Burroughs

Toney Sullivan

Wesley Emmanuel

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