Local

HIGH SPRINGS – The City of High Springs’ recent decision to terminate its contract with waste haulers GFL Environmental, Inc. was called into question at the Feb. 23 City Commission meeting. GFL’s Skip McCall requested that the City withdraw their notice of termination of services. The contract, which is set to expire in April 2024, has a clause that notification to terminate the contract must be made in July 2023.

McCall said he was unaware there were issues until receiving the notification to terminate the contract. Assistant City Manager Bruce Gillingham said he should have been aware of the issues since the City has communicated the problems to GFL’s staff on numerous occasions.

Although the Commission did not retract their decision, they directed City staff to meet with GFL to discuss problems the City has had with the company and possible resolutions.

GFL and staff will meet on March 14 and staff will come back to the Commission with the results.

Wild Spaces Distribution

The Commission approved a resolution for distribution of Wild Spaces Public Places funds over the period of the new sales surtax, which runs from Jan. 1, 2023 – Dec. 31, 2032. Alachua County requested that the cities unanimously support the distribution of funds.

In October, the Alachua County League of Cities approved a $375,000 split for each of the cities excluding Gainesville. The rational was that Gainesville receives an additional $3 million from Alachua County, apart from the $3 million grant that is split among all Alachua County municipalities. Gainesville was not present at the October Alachua County League of Cities meeting.

At the Feb. 9 City Commission meeting, several options for the split were discussed. During this Feb. 23 meeting, the Commission preferred the split among the eight municipalities with the exclusion of Gainesville, which would give each city $375,000. However, should this not be acceptable to Gainesville, the Commission would split the money nine ways which would provide $333,000 to each of the cities.

The Commission was reluctant to approve a nine-way split noting that $333,000 may not be enough money for the cities to accomplish a project.

The results of this vote will be conveyed to the Alachua County League of Cities which will convey the overall results of all of the cities to Alachua County.

Blue Gem Approved

A site plan for improvements to Blue Gem Motel was unanimously approved with conditions specified by the High Springs Plan Board. The motel is proposing to add a pole barn and fencing to their existing site. At the Plan Board meeting of Sept. 13, recommendations were made to gable the pole barn, columns to have brick wrapping to match the height of the existing painted area on the main building, make the fence wrought-iron along the road facing the highway, provide a rendering, and update the site plan.

According to the City’s Planning Technician II Kristyn Adkins, Blue Gem's site plan complies with all City regulations including those associated with the highway enhancement zone and the City’s new accessory structure ordinance.

ARPA Funds Usage

Gillingham reviewed American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and requested that the Commission rank the projects with the remaining $369,826 in mind. The city has set aside $1,040,000 for the sewer project. Gillingham said, “Should grant funding be found for that project, some or all of those funds may become available for the remaining projects.”

FY 2020-21 Audit

Brendan McKitrick of James Moore & Co. was on hand to review the2020-21 fiscal year audit. He reviewed the report briefly. As the audit report was not received early enough for Commissioners to review it and ask questions, McKitrick offered to meet one-on-one with each Commissioner to discuss the audit.

“Due to changes in staffing, this report has been delayed and the relevant state offices have been notified of the timeline,” said High Springs Finance Director Diane Wilson.

The second aspect of the audit report was for Commissioners to vote on accepting the report. Due to how late the report was received, this item was deferred to the next meeting for consideration.

Other Business

The City’s water tower will be off line for four to six weeks while 10-year maintenance is conducted. It is anticipated there will be workers accessing the water tower in mid-April to clean and paint. There will be no disruption in water to residents.

The City Commissioners and the Alachua County Board of Commissioners will meet in a joint session on April 20 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

A Push-In Ceremony will be held on March 14 at 9:30 a.m. at the High Springs Fire Station, 18586 N.W. 238^th Street, High Springs. One of the new trucks is a Heavy Rescue 29 - a 2022 E-One Cyclone, built with advanced life support medical equipment, extrication tools and a host of other technical rescue equipment. The second new truck, an Engine 29 - a 2022 E-One Cyclone, is equipped with advanced life support medical equipment, extrication equipment, hoses, ladders and 1,000 gallons of water. The public is invited to the ceremony.

City utility customers can expect an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system to be implemented in the June to August timeframe. The new system will allow the City to remotely collect customer water usage data in real time. AMI uses radio-based technology to read water meters, which eliminates the need for manual meter reads and also provides real time use information for property owners.

Farm Share will be distributing food in High Springs on Saturday, March 11. Volunteers are needed to help distribute the food into vehicle trunks. Anyone interested in helping should contact Commissioner Byran Williams at 352-871-7988.

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ARCHER ‒ Norman Alexander Burley, 67, was arrested Sunday, Feb. 26, and charged with tampering with evidence after allegedly shoving marijuana into the grille of a deputy’s patrol car.

An Alachua County Sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop on an SUV driven by Burley at about 1:40 a.m. in the area of 12771 S.W. SR 45 in Archer. The deputy noted that the driver was unable to maintain lines and “crossed over the white line on the right shoulder multiple times” while following him for approximately two miles.

Burley reportedly gave verbal consent to a search of the vehicle and his person. While searching his person, a dime-size baggie of marijuana was found in his left pants pocket. The deputy reported that while he was gathering paperwork inside his patrol car, his in-car dashboard camera showed Burley taking marijuana from the hood of the patrol vehicle and shoving it inside the grille of the vehicle. He reported that he was unable to locate the evidence after a thorough search of the grille and engine bay of the vehicle.

Burley was charged with one count of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony. Burley’s criminal history includes at least two felonies, with his most recent conviction in 2001.

Bail was set at $10,000.

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NEWBERRY ‒ The City of Newberry has cancelled its upcoming election. City Clerk Judy Rice announced that the 2023 Qualifying Period for the 2023 Municipal Election Cycle closed at noon on Feb. 23 with no one challenging the existing elected officials. Rice said, “the Newberry Municipal Election, scheduled for April 11, 2023, has been canceled.” As all three incumbents were the only ones to qualify, they will be returned to office.

Incumbents include Jordan Marlowe – Mayor, Tim Marden – Commissioner Group IV and Tony Mazon – Commissioner Group V.

For questions contact the City Clerk’s Office at 352-472-2446 or email her at CityClerk@NewberryFL.Gov.

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ALACHUA – A two-vehicle crash occurred on Friday, March 3, at approximately 3:22 p.m., at the intersection of Northwest U.S. Highway 441 and Northwest 167^th Boulevard in Alachua. Northbound lanes were blocked on U.S. Highway 441 and all of Northwest 167^th Boulevard was blocked as emergency crews worked the scene.

The High Springs Fire Department along with Alachua County Fire Rescue and Alachua Police Department responded to the scene, which included entrapment.

A medical transport bus registered to the V.A. Hospital and a sedan, driven by an elderly male, were involved. The male sustained minor lacerations. “The front seat passenger, an elderly female, sustained non-life-threatening injuries, but was trauma alerted to Shands Hospital,” said Alachua Public Information Officer Detective Thomas Stanfield.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ High Springs resident William Samuel Evans, 41, was arrested on Sunday, March 5, and charged with arson of a dwelling and several drug charges after allegedly setting a house on fire. The house was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.

A High Springs Police Department (HSPD) officer responded to the fire in the 24000 block of 183^rd Street at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning. A woman called 911, saying Evans had called her and told her to “take a look at the house.” The woman told the 911 operator that Evans “may be doing this to torture her.” She said she and Evans had been arguing prior to the fire and that Evans was hiding in the woods near the house that was on fire. Law enforcement attempted to locate Evans in a wooded area north of the fire.

The HSPD officer noted that the house did not have power and had not had power for an extended period of time. He also noted that Evans had a cell phone in his possession and did not call 911 to report the fire.

Evans came out of the woods on his own with his dog and surrendered to officers. Post Miranda, he reportedly said that he had been flicking cigarettes into a tub full of trash “for days” and that today the papers caught on fire. He admitted that he often threw cigarette butts into the tub to see if the paper would burn and then put out the fire with water. He said it wasn’t his intention to start a fire today, but it didn’t matter to him if he started a fire. He reportedly said he fell asleep after he threw the cigarette butt in the tub, woke up to find the bathroom on fire and fled with his dog into the woods but did not call for help.

A search incident to arrest reportedly produced a small amount of marijuana, methamphetamine and a glass pipe.

Evans has been charged with second-degree arson, possession of a controlled substance, possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana and possession of drug equipment.

Evans has seven felony convictions, with the most recent in 2015 and has served two state prison sentences and was most recently released on Feb. 1, 2013. He also has 11 misdemeanor convictions, eight traffic violations and one failure to appear citation.

Drug possession charges were filed against Evans in 2021 but later dropped.

Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $212,000 at first appearance on March 6. Evans remains in the Alachua County Jail as of the date of this writing.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ Tuck Tucker was a musical artist of passion and talent. He toured for over 10 years playing dobro, electric and acoustic guitar with various bands such as Harmony Grits, Dancing Horse, Red & Murphy, and the nationally known Marshall Tucker Band. While he played a variety of stringed instruments, he was known as a dobro player extraordinaire. His talent graced the recordings and stages of many musicians, not only in Florida, but around the country. He played on over 150 recordings by various artists and released three albums of his own original music.

On March 4, musicians gathered at Rum 38 not only to remember Tucker, who had passed away in 2021, but to also raise money to help the widow he left behind.

James “Tuck” Tucker started his musical career in 1975, when he joined the national touring group Harmony Grits Band. Tucker was hired to replace the departing dobro player. At that time Harmony Grits was an all-acoustic Bluegrass band, but, in 1977 they crossed over to Outlaw country. That change doubled their touring dates and destinations to six days a week. In 1980 a record company approach them about a record deal, but after touring for three years straight with no down time for resting, the rigorous schedule took its toll on the band and they disbanded in January 1980.

Tucker immediately started looking for another band, and when a band he was acquainted with came to perform in his hometown, he grabbed his dobro and went to their show. He asked if he could sit in, and by the end of the evening he had been invited back for the next night. By the end of the second night, the band asked him to join them in Dahlonega, Ga. Tucker went on to perform, travel, and record with this group, Red & Murphy & Co. for the next five years.

It wasn’t long after he married his love, Edwoina, that Red and Murphy moved to Winchester, Va., and Tucker decided to stay in Florida. It was a hard decision for him, but he chose to put his musical career on the back burner to work a traditional day job to support his wife and child in McIntosh, Florida.

For the next 22 years he worked hard to keep his music alive. He played with many different groups such as Endless Highway, The Adobe Brothers, The Driftwoods, and Dale Crider to name a few. He also played on multiple CD projects with local Gainesville bands, as well as recording with the nationally known The Marshall Tucker Band.

Tucker continued to work a day job to support the family during these years, but after his son, Cory, left home Tucker returned to playing music full time, which included a year long stint in Nashville. Tucker found he couldn’t afford to live there and he returned to Florida where he continued to play, becoming a local legend.

On Dec. 23, 2021, Tucker passed away and the music stopped. Still, his musical talent was not forgotten by many musicians he had worked with.

A year later, John and Raven Smith, who had worked with Tucker in Harmony Grits, and were now the main players in Quartermoon, sought to create an annual musical event to honor Tucker and help raise money for his widow, Edwoina. Tucker had performed at Rum 138 several times, and owners Doug and Merrilee Jipson offered their venue for a concert, and the call went out to local musicians to play at the event. Eight groups offered to play for free to help, and the March 4, 2023 the event was held under cloudy skies to an audience that also included many of Tucker's fans.

Mike Boulware, another local music legend, opened the show followed by Barbara and Mike Johnson, Smiley Tunehead, Hannah Harber Winn and In The Moment band, with Quartermoon finishing the night in tribute to their friend and former bandmate. By the end of the night, over $1,000 had been raised for Tucker's family.

“We were really pleased with all the support from the musicians, Rum 138 and the audience that came to honor him,” said John Smith. “It was a day of great music, which we hope to make an annual event, bringing back some of the well-known musicians he worked with nationally and grow it to be a musical celebration.”

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