ALACHUA ‒ San Felasco Tech City (SFTC) will soon be bringing arts and culture into the heart of the innovative development.

San Felasco Tech City Co-developers Mitch Glaeser and Rich Blaser of San Felasco Tech City (SFTC) have announced that Momentum Dance Arts, LLC, will establish a 7,250 square foot dance school and studio in the Alachua location. Momentum Dance Arts (MDA) will occupy space in the newly completed Phase II of the Tech City development and open their new location at SFTC in January 2024.

According to MDA, their mission is to foster a lifetime of love for dance and fitness under the guidance of passionate, dedicated dance instructors who have trained extensively with the world’s top educators, mentors, and teachers. MDA offer a wide variety of dance and fitness classes that allow children to explore the art of dance and find their own path.

"Momentum Dance Arts opened in 2016 in Alachua,” said MDA owner Jamie Perez. “After almost eight years here, it was one of the best decisions we ever made. 

“We love this city and as our programs continue to grow, we are so excited to grow our facility and have the opportunity to stay in Alachua for years to come.

“We are really looking forward to relocating to Tech City January 2024. The energy and innovation surrounding this community is exactly what we were looking for.  As a creative company with a focus on the performing arts serving ages 2 to adult, we invite everyone to give their child the gift of dance and join us at our new state of the art new facility here at Tech City.”

Perez added, “We can’t wait to get here and start getting our tutus on.”

Mitch Glaeser, CEO, Emory Group Companies (Owner of San Felasco Tech City) says that adding a performing arts company as a tenant like Momentum Dance Arts, meets their goal and commitment to integrating art in many forms at San Felasco Tech City.

Dan Drotos Senior Vice President, Colliers, who represented San Felasco Tech City in the transaction, said “Tech City caters to a wide variety of individual needs and interests and MDA will provide yet another wonderful service for the residents and visitors of Tech City and the region.

“We are excited to facilitate Momentum Dance Arts to join the ever-growing list of innovative companies that have decided to call Tech City Home.”

According to Tech City officials, Momentum Dance Arts, LLC will be joining over 50 innovative companies that call SFTC home, including Vobile Inc., Okito America, Neurotronics, Anamar Environmental Consulting, Inc., TIMCO Engineering, Nextgen Biologics, Fracture, Novapproach Spine, Daft Cow Brewery, and Beaker & Flask among others.

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• $700,000 was awarded to seven education foundations to support impacted teachers.
  • $100,000 to Dixie Education Foundation, Inc.
  • $100,000 to Hamilton County Public Schools Foundation
  • $100,000 to Lafayette Penny Foundation
  • $100,000 to Levy County Schools Foundation
  • $100,000 to Madison County Foundation for Excellence in Education
  • $100,000 to Suwannee Education Foundation
  • $100,000 to Taylor County Education Foundation 

• $700,000 was awarded to support charitable organizations assisting in disaster response efforts including:  
  • Adventist Community Services
  • Cajun Navy Ground Force
  • Catholic Charities
  • Convoy of Hope
  • Feeding Florida
  • Florida Baptist Convention Disaster Relief
  • Florida State Animal Response Coalition
  • Mercy Chefs
  • Operation BBQ Relief
  • Salvation Army
  • Second Harvest of the Big Bend
  • Team Rubicon
  • ToolBank USA
  • Florida Methodist Church Disaster Relief 

• $200,000 was awarded to local community churches that were impacted by the storm. Providing funds to these institutions is imperative to ensure a sense of normalcy is brought back to the area through the faith community. Funds will be used to support traditional community support services or to enable churches to reopen and hold services while they await long-term repairs and applicable reimbursements.

GAINESVILLE ‒ A new facility at Santa Fe College will soon help address the severe state-wide shortage in welding and HVAC certified skilled labor. Shovels were raised and dirt was flying as the College held a ceremonial groundbreaking on Monday, Sept. 11 for the Ralph W. Cellon Jr. Institute for Skilled Trades and Advanced Manufacturing.

Construction on the facility is expected to begin next year with a projected opening of fall 2025. The institute will be built on SF’s Northwest Campus located at 3000 N.W. 83^rd Street across the street from the SF Gymnasium. It will more than double the college's capacity in the Welding and HVAC programs and the college will also begin a new degree program in Advanced Manufacturing.

The event was well attended by the Florida Legislature with State Senator Keith Perry, State Representative Chuck Clemons and State Representative Bobby Payne attending. Many members of the Cellon family, Santa Fe’s District Board of Trustees, Santa Fe’s Foundation Board members and other dignitaries were in attendance as well.

The facility is being named in honor of Ralph W. Cellon, a longtime supporter of the college. Cellon has been a central figure throughout the college’s history. He helped lead the effort to secure the land where the college’s Northwest Campus is located, served as an inaugural trustee on the college’s District Board of Trustees, and has continuously served for 54 years on the Board of the Santa Fe College Foundation.

“Ralph Cellon has been integral to the growth of Santa Fe College since its inception and it is fitting that this new facility be named in his honor,” Santa Fe President Paul Broadie II said. “He knows the power of a college education, and the need for highly skilled workers in the trades. As demand continues to grow in these industries, students graduating from our programs will be able to enter their career field knowing that they have been trained utilizing the latest technology and are poised for success.”

The new facility will increase space needed for students in SF’s Welding and HVAC programs. When the facility opens, the increased space will enable the college to see a 275 percent increase in the number of students that can be trained in HVAC and Welding.

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GAINESVILLEL, FLA. -  As a part of the City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department’s 352walls initiative, local artist Turbado Marabou created a mural at the Clarence R. Kelly Community Center & Park, located in East Gainesville's Duval Community. The artwork is on the south wall of the community center's exterior and faces the park's event lawn and playground. 

Turbado Marabou is a talented muralist and storyteller. He uses his art to speak to the African traditions of moving from youth to adulthood in rites of passage ceremonies, and to foster community engagement, exposure, encouragement, health, cultural education and sustainable art forms. Throughout the summer, Turbado, along with community partners, held engagement sessions with youth and seniors to build community and foster community pride.

The Clarence R. Kelly Community Center & Park mural was funded by the City of Gainesville’s Wild Spaces & Public Places program through the Arts in Public Places Trust. The mural cost $5,000.

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