Local

HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The City of High Springs will hold its next municipal election on Nov. 7. The qualifying period for the fall election to fill two seats on the City Commission ended July 20 with four candidates on the ballot.

Commission seats #1 and #2 are currently held by Commissioners Ross Ambrose and Gloria James, respectively, and both filed for re-election.

Incumbent Commissioner Ambrose will face off against newcomer Kajana Andrew Miller in the Seat #1 contest, while incumbent Mayor James will face off against another newcomer, Hector S. Tapanes, for Seat #2.

High Springs city commissioners serve three-year terms and receive an annual salary of $11,124.

High Springs’ citizens can verify their voter registration status or inquire about polling locations by visiting the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections website or by call calling the Supervisor’s office at 352-374-5252.

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Staff Report/Alachua Chronicle

ARCHER – David Harris Warner, III, 29, was arrested early Aug. 4, 2023 and charged with prowling and burglary of an occupied residence after allegedly following a woman home and then entering her home.

The victim told an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy that while she was driving home, she passed Warner standing next to a closed city park near her home. She parked her car in her driveway and walked into her home; Warner allegedly followed her on foot to her front door. The deputy reported that Warner can be seen on the victim’s Ring doorbell wearing a hoodie and a mask covering his face. At about 5:22 a.m., Warner allegedly opened her door and walked into her house.

The woman’s dog barked, and her husband confronted Warner, who reportedly turned around and left. The Ring doorbell camera reportedly shows Warner leaving the house about 50 seconds after he entered, then walking down the driveway.

The victim’s husband reportedly followed Warner to ask him why he had entered the house and told the deputy that Warner had removed his shirt and that he threw his cell phone and wallet on the ground. The victim’s husband said Warner moved toward him in an aggressive manner, so he punched him in the face. He said Warner told him he “needed to look him up” and then ran away.

The responding deputy used the ID card in the wallet to identify Warner and made contact with him at his mother’s home, which is a few blocks from the victim’s home. The deputy reported that Warner was unable to dispel his concerns about why he was loitering in the area with his head and face covered.

Warner has one felony and one misdemeanor conviction, both violent. The deputy noted that he had taken a report in February 2023 about an attempted stabbing at the Circle K in Archer and that he had identified Warner as the suspect in that case, but the victim was never identified. No charges were filed in that case.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The at Catherine Taylor Park in High springs on July 29. The library has a selection of books for young children. A child, or their parent, may select a book, take it home, read it and then return it for another book.

Through the establishment of the free library at a local park, the Kiwanis Club is advocating for children by reinforcing the importance of reading in individual’s lives and that learning to read should be stressed at a very early age. The Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe says that a child that can read and read well will succeed in school.

The primary focus of Kiwanis clubs worldwide is young children. It is during these early years that a child’s education is so vital to the child’s development.

A Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe member said that the club is happy to be able to provide this library for the children of the community and looks forward to supplying more books for the children to enjoy. “The Kiwanis Club hopes that families and children will take advantage of this opportunity.”

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NEWBERRY ‒ The Newberry City Commission on July 24 approved two items related to Cedar Estates Addition subdivision that will move the project forward. Josh Black, Turnsole Builders, LLC, owner of 2.4 +/- acres of land located southeast of the intersection of Southwest 246^th Terrace and Southwest 2^nd Avenue, applied for and was granted a waiver of bonding requirements and approval of a final plat for the subdivision.

Black said he plans to build each of the homes himself rather than have other builders construct homes.

His petition proposes seven developable lots and one retention basin where six developable lots currently exist. “The proposed Plat and subsequent lots meet the minimum standards of the Residential, Single-Family (RSF-2) zoning district and the density maximums of the Residential Low Density future land use designation,” said Newberry Principal Planner Jean-Paul Perez.

Construction plans were approved by the Commission in February. Normally, it is required to bond improvements in lieu of completion prior to consideration of final plat. In this case, Black requested and received a waiver of these requirements due to the small size of the project.

Comprehensive Plan

The City of Newberry is in the midst of updating its comprehensive plan, a state requirement related to growth management. CHW Professional Consultants has been working with Newberry staff to revise the City’s Comprehensive Plan’s Future Land Use Element, Transportation Element and Housing Element.

The two public Open House events were held on May 30 and June 27. The first workshop attracted a good number of citizens who commented on the plan elements being revised. The second hearing was less attended with about 10 individuals present.

There will be additional workshops and public hearings in the future. The plan will ultimately go to the State of Florida Department of Commerce for review. CHW anticipates the new Comprehensive Plan will be finalized by the end of the calendar year.

Audit

In other business, the City’s independent auditing firm, Purvis, Gray & Co., completed their audit of the City’s fiscal year 2021-2022 financial statements. CPA Barbara Boyd was on hand to report on their company’s findings. After describing what the auditors looked at and their assessment of the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, Boyd said, “Overall, the City received an unmodified or ‘clean’ opinion on its Annual Financial Report.”

“This opinion reflects the best level an organization can receive on its financial statements,” said Boyd. “This is the seventh consecutive year of receiving this distinction,” said City Manager Mike New upon hearing the auditor’s comments. Boyd noted one finding regarding the timeliness of bank reconciliations, but indicated that the City has already taken action to correct this issue.

Following acceptance by the City Commission of the report, it will now be submitted to the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada for review to receive the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. Also, copies of the report will be forwarded to all required governmental and financial organizations.

City Hall

A representative from Monarch Architects revised their earlier design for the proposed new City Hall based on earlier feedback from the City Commission. The new design enhances the project’s alignment with the city's existing architectural landscape, while also balancing aesthetics and budget. The building design now has a greater number of arches added into the building's structure, echoing the aesthetic of the current City Hall and Mentholee Norfleet Municipal Building. The design also features a facade that is part contemporary and part historic. These elements include rock, brick and stucco.

“These design decisions ensure that the new City Hall is not just a functional civic structure, but also an architectural nod to the city's history and style,” said Building Committee Chair Travis Parker. The Commission unanimously approved the new design concepts and expect to see finalized plans for the new building in the near future.

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NEWBERRY ‒ Six City of Newberry employees have graduated from the nationally-recognized Certified Public Manager (CPM) program at Florida State University's Center for Public Management. “These six leaders have shown exemplary commitment to serving our city and furthering their skills in public management,” said City Manager Mike New.

The CPM program is a nationally recognized comprehensive management development program that provides participants with an in-depth understanding of the principles, practices and issues of professional public management. The two-year-long CPM program consists of 31 days of classroom instruction, supplemented by homework assignments and exams, focusing on the fundamentals of leadership and management.

“We are confident that the skills and knowledge they have gained from the CPM program will significantly benefit our residents and contribute to the ongoing development of our community,” said New.

The City’s CPM graduates are Assistant City Manager for Public Works & Utilities Jamie Jones, Assistant City Manager and Chief Financial Officer Dallas Lee, Director of Parks, Recreation, and Facilities Travis Parker, City Clerk Judy Rice, Customer Service Manager Tammy Snyder, and Director of Planning & Economic Development Bryan Thomas.

“I am incredibly proud of these leaders for their dedication and hard work,” New, said. “Their commitment to enhancing their skills through the CPM program epitomizes the spirit of continuous learning and service that we value so highly here in Newberry. This accomplishment not only enriches their professional journey but also reinforces our commitment to providing the highest level of service to our residents.”

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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

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