Newberry’s sidewalk system headed for transformation

 NEWBERRY – More and improved sidewalks are in store for the City of Newberry, with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) scheduled to go to bid for the project’s construction in fall of 2013.

Jordan Green, a rural area transportation engineer with FDOT, said all bidders must be pre-qualified by the department, and that construction usually begins 90 days after the bid closes.

The sidewalk project now underway began in 2004 with an application to the transportation enhancement project program through the Florida Department of Transportation, with the Alachua County Commission acting as administrator, said Lowell Garret, planning director for the City of Newberry.

The initial proposal was for a bike and pedestrian trail through Newberry that would provide a way for children to avoid roads in their commute to and from school.  In its current form, it is a $900,000 project to pave new sidewalks to interconnect the city’s existing sidewalks.

“It became a continuous connective network project through the community with the primary emphasis on getting kids to school safely,” Garrett said.  “It’s nice because what it’s doing is augmenting the streets that were just improved.”

This project can be looked like a step on a staircase: first, the streets were improved, now the sidewalks. And in the future, maybe even streetlights, he said. The hope is not just that the community will appreciate the project, but that it will “maintain and revitalize a community to help out in these down economic times,” Garrett said.

Green said that the department will make efforts during construction to minimize any impacts to neighbors and people traveling.  He said that the FDOT wouldn’t be able to close a street without permission from the City, and mostly likely no work will be done at night.

“Obviously we have to keep traffic off of driveways and sidewalks we are building,” Green explained. In some areas, streets will be improved simply because they are involved in the sidewalk construction. Pavers will pour strips of concrete in areas between where the new sidewalk hits dirt, and where the dirt hits the road.

There will be periods of time where travelers are detoured, but the concrete strips are just as much functional upkeep as they are nicer-looking. They will minimize crumbling along the edges of the sidewalks and streets, providing a smooth transition for tires.

While the project may be regarded as simply a means of providing the facility for pedestrian movement, the FDOT solicits projects such as this because it will impact a large number of people. While there are far more proposals than available funds, the Newberry proposal was strong because of its local support.

The sheer number of project proposals means that applicants must reapply year after year, and all the while meet the FDOT’s qualifications. As the project moved along the long list, its importance grew along with the department’s available funding. The FDOT does evaluate cost and importance, but an appealing factor was the project’s comprehensive nature.

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Email Cgrinstead@Alachuatoday.com

In a special budget meeting Thursday afternoon, Sept. 13, High Springs commissioners voted to immediately suspend High Springs City Manager Jeri Langman.  Langman will remain on paid suspension indefinitely.  Mayor Dean Davis, Vice Mayor Bob Barnas and Commissioner Linda Gestrin voted for the move after Gestrin and Barnas argued that Langman was obstructing the budgeting process.  Commissioner Sue Weller voted against the measure.  Commissioner Scott Jamison was not present because of scheduling conflicts.

Gestrin further pushed the matter by adding to the motion that Langman be ordered to take her belongings, turn in her city keys and have her city email account terminated.

The commission also has another meeting that begins 6:30 p.m.

As of 5 p.m., the commission had not picked a replacement to step into Langman’s position, although talks of appointing Fire Chief Bruce Gillingham or Jenny Parham were underway.  Reportedly, Parham has repeatedly said that she did not wish to fill the interim role as she had done before.   Gillingham said he would need to mull the prospect over with his wife.

HIGH SPRINGS – High Springs City Attorney Ray Ivey has made his departure from the City more imminent than it had been.  This comes on the heels of Ivey expressing doubts on Aug. 23 that the City would find his replacement in the coming weeks.

In an email sent to commissioners Sept. 10, Ivey informed the commission that he would officially and finally be calling it quits on Sept. 21, more than two months after he submitted his resignation on July 11.

An advertisement in August for Ivey’s replacement didn’t net any results, prompting his concern that the commission would have difficulty attracting applicants.

During the Aug. 23 meeting, Ivey said a lack of interest in the position is a “result of the things that are occurring [in High Springs] causes an attorney here considerable indigestion….the activities generating lawsuits.

“And when these meetings go far astray, it’s hard for an attorney to be prepared,” Ivey said.

“What I’m picking up is that attorneys are real uneasy… because of all of these problems.  There are too many bullets flying,” Ivey said, referring to impending lawsuits, among other concerns

He said one attorney who had previously applied for the position said he was intentionally not going to apply due the “hotbed that this is.”

Another attorney reportedly told Ivey that he couldn’t attend the frequent and numerous meetings called by the City of High Springs, because it would compromise his practice.

And it seems compromising Ivey’s other work is exactly what he is trying to prevent.  In the Sept. 10 email, Ivey wrote, “In order to be able to make other commitments and to be able to schedule other work, I must terminate my [employment] effective Friday September 21, 2012 at 5 p.m.”

Sources at the City of High Springs say the issue of advertising the position yet again will be up for discussion at the Sept. 13 commission meeting.

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Santa Fe High School’s new principal Beth LeClear has big plans for the school’s 1,000-plus students.  In addition to her goal of boosting the school’s graduation rate to 90 percent, she also wants to claim the highest graduation rate in the state.

Beth LeClear, 48, has been in education for most of her life.  She holds multiple education degrees, including a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Florida.

She taught for eight years before switching to administration 20 years ago. LeClear said she decided to try out an administrative position and ended up loving it.

LeClear became principal at Santa Fe High School six weeks ago. Santa Fe is the only high school in Alachua and has an enrollment of 1,087 students.

“When you’re a teacher, you can touch 150 students,” LeClear said. “When you’re an administrator and you can hire great teachers and support them, you can touch 1,000 students.”

LeClear has set several long-term goals for Santa Fe High School. She wants to boost the graduation rate to 90 percent.

“I would like to see us have the highest graduation rate in the state of Florida,” she said.

She also wants to increase the passing rates for standardized exams like the FCAT and the ACT.

“I would like to see our students not only passing all the state-mandated required tests, but also passing them with a really great degree of knowledge,” she said.

LeClear said she believes that will happen because of the quality of Santa Fe’s teachers. She said the teachers are hardworking and genuinely care about students.

LeClear shared a story that she said shows how much Santa Fe High parents love their children.

“I sat while the band played for parents after band camp,” she said. “It’s so exciting to see parents appreciate their children and really care about their kids.”

Lacy Colson, a Santa Fe High School senior, likes Principal LeClear so far.

“She’s cleaned up the school a lot,” Colson said.

Senior Wayne Kemp agreed with Colson.

“We’ve had a lot more spirit days,” Kemp said.  “I think she’s really cool.”

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Email astewart@alachuatoday.com