HIGH SPRINGS ‒ Confusion surrounded the Jan. 27 High Springs City Commission meeting as the subject of murals was discussed. Vice President of the Heart of High Springs Olivia Medina requested the Commission consider allowing a mural of former principal Tom “Pop” Diedeman on the wall of the old school building.  A barrage of citizen comments in opposition to the request followed.

Citizen objections were not against honoring Diedeman, but instead were focused on the placement of murals on buildings in general.  Many of the speakers seemed to confuse this request with items not on the agenda or with a different agenda item, which was a special event permit application for a proposed public forum to be held on March 12 – 19 to receive public input on future murals.  

Some residents also held that the “Gateway to the Springs” mural, which they said they did not like, had been painted by the Walldogs group.  As it turned out, the Springs Institute had obtained funding from the City of High Springs and the Alachua County Tourist Development Council for the mural.  Later in the meeting it was pointed out that a local artist and the Institute were responsible for the mural’s design.

In addition to the negative reaction to painting the sides of buildings, the question arose regarding a conflict of interest on the part of Commissioner Ross Ambrose as he is a member of the board of directors of the Heart of High Springs non-profit organization.  City Attorney Andrea True Parker weighed in on the subject and pointed out that there was no benefit, financial or otherwise, to Ambrose and thus, no need for him to abstain from voting on the issue.  

Commissioner Linda Jones said that it might not be illegal, but she believed it was not “morally correct” for him to vote.  Ambrose responded, “If an issue was brought up on a commission agenda regarding the Chamber of Commerce, of which some commissioners are a member, it would not be considered a conflict of interest and I don’t see the difference.”

Comments against murals centered on several concerns, one of which was that the paintings would destroy the red brick building façade and thus the historic significance of the structure.  However, it was later pointed out that any building that had already been painted would not be adversely impacted historically by a mural or other painting.  

Other comments included an emphasis on patronizing local artists instead of bringing in outside artists, the possible destruction of the quaint atmosphere of the city, belief that 10-12 murals would be overwhelming and concern that increased economic development would bring in more traffic, which would be unmanageable.  

Speakers in favor of the request pointed out that local artists would be used to help paint the murals, but that every artist is not skilled in large-scale mural painting and some do not want to do that type of work.  Also mentioned was that there are already about 10 murals in High Springs and most people don’t even realize it so it wouldn’t be overwhelming to add to them.  

After lengthy discussion, the Commission voted to continue the item to a future meeting.

In other business, the Commission considered a request for a special event permit for a Walldogs launch in High Springs on March 12-19.  Heart of High Springs member Sharon Yeago made a presentation explaining that this would be a week-long event in which the public could participate, share their ideas and vote on what concepts and locations might be appropriate for a mural. 

Local artist Tina Corbett addressed concerns that the public had not had an opportunity to participate in the process by pointing out that two public meetings had been called prior to COVID-19 with little participation from the public.  Because of COVID, the group continued to work on the issue, but didn’t have the opportunity to include public meetings.  “The purpose of the special event is to seek input from the public,” Yeago said.

The proposed week-long program will include public events to include an introduction of the Walldogs mentoring mural program and voting for project concepts, a self-guided tour of murals already in place in the city, review by the public of the various project concepts and public voting on the mural suggestions.  The murals will have historic significance, said Yeago.

Jones said she believes the Walldogs is a distraction and that the organization will come up short financially and will ask the City for additional financing, which the City cannot afford.  

Commissioner Katherine Weitz said she would prefer a workshop to discuss the matter further.  Ambrose seconded that motion, which was unanimously approved.  A date was not set for the workshop during this meeting.

In other City Business, Parks and Recreation Director Damon Messina asked for and unanimously received approval for an addendum to the operating agreement with Anderson’s Outdoor Adventures to extend the agreement.  The original agreement was to last until Jan. 31, 2022.  The extension is the only change to the agreement and extends it until March 24, 2022, unless mutually agreed to end it sooner.  The extension will allow more time to finalize the details of the contract for Anderson’s to continue managing the Santa Fe Canoe Outpost for the City on an interim basis.

Forty-foot residential lots may be a thing of the past in High Springs. Following concern expressed by Mayor Byran Williams regarding 40-foot residential lot sizes, Commissioners asked that a higher standard be included in the Land Development Code to prevent property owners from building homes on such small lots in the future.

The City Attorney was asked to look into the issue with the City’s Land Development regulations.

A request by Commissioner Jones to amend the Rules of Procedure to add a section for commissioner response after Citizen Requests and Comments was discussed.  Commissioners voted unanimously to ask the City Attorney to bring back a resolution addressing the issue for Commission consideration.  

Assistant City Manager Bruce Gillingham said the Suwannee River Water Management District had sent funds approaching $7 million to the City for the sewer project.  He also reported that the CDBG playground project should be completed by Jan. 31.  A presentation on Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) will occur on Feb. 10 and a second presentation by a second qualified company will take place on Feb. 24, at which time he will ask the Commission to make a decision as to which company the City wants to hire.

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alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA ‒ The City of Alachua is losing its police chief while the Alachua County Sheriff's Office (ASO) is gaining a police commander with 32 years of experience. At the Jan. 24 Alachua City Commission meeting, Alachua Police Chief Chad Scott announced his resignation to accept a job with the ASO as the Chief of Operations with the rank of Major.

“Law enforcement was my passion ever since I was a teenager,” Scott said. Growing up in Newberry, Scott described himself as a kid who always talked with local law enforcement and asked a lot of questions, learning about the career by listening to officers’ stories. After high school Scott played on the football team at Bethel College, graduating in 1988 with a Bachelor’s Degree focused in Social Sciences.

Two years later he began his career in law enforcement when he was hired by the ASO. Over the next 16 years he served in a variety of capacities, including Patrol Deputy, School Resource Deputy, Detective, Special Operations, and SWAT. As he advanced through the ranks, he further developed his professional skills through classes and coursework.

Scott’s tenure with ASO would ultimately come to an end, when in 2007, an internal investigation alleged that he had incorrectly filled out timesheets over a year’s time, resulting in overpayments totaling $900. While the investigation was underway, Scott was placed on probation. Although the investigation ultimately failed to find evidence, as well as a second investigation by the State Attorney’s Office, then Sherriff Sadie Darnell kept Scott on probation.

After the dustup with the sheriff, Scott realized that further advancement with the department would be limited, and he resigned. Scott says that at the time he considered changing careers. “However, what I thought was my worst day, turned out to be my best day ever.”

Scott had come to know many people during his time with ASO, and some became friends. One of those individuals was current Alachua County Sheriff Clovis Watson, Jr. Watson had served as the Deputy Chief of Police with the City of Alachua Police Department and later became City Manager. “Although we had been friends for a long time, he was also my mentor, giving me advice and support in my law enforcement career,” said Scott. “When I told him about my thoughts of changing careers, he told me ‘Chad, you are a cop and nothing else will make you happy,’” Scott said.

Scott was hired by the City of Alachua Police Department (APD) in 2008 as a reserve police officer. Over the next 13-plus years he would be hired full time and rise through the ranks. He was first assigned to the Patrol Division until his appointment to the Traffic Safety Unit. In March 2010, he was promoted to the rank of Detective and assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division where he investigated multiple high-profile cases.

In May 2011, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and assigned to the Patrol Division as a supervisor. Scott also supervised the Traffic Safety Unit until his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant in November 2011. As a Lieutenant, Scott was responsible for the oversight of Police Operations and Administration. In August 2014, he assumed the position of Deputy Chief of Police and was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Police Department.

In 2015, APD Police Chief Joel DeCoursey, Jr., retired and then Alachua City Manager Traci Cain appointed Scott to replace him. “My work ethic has always spoken for itself,” Scott said. “I just think the City of Alachua recognized it as an asset to the ‘Good Life Community.’”

During his tenure as Police Chief Scott saw the department grow and become more involved with the community. He stressed that officers must always be professional and treat people fair. “You have to be engaged in your community,” he said. “That consists of, at times, of being a big brother or a big sister, a mentor, a counselor, a teacher. Sometimes you have to be a minister or a deacon. And my most favorite is being a coach.”

Scott believes he is leaving APD in good hands and that his move to ASO will benefit Alachua by establishing a stronger bond and communication between the city and the county. “I may be moving on to a new position with the ASO, but my heart stays with Alachua.”

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ALACHUA ‒ Children naturally gravitate toward dancing almost as early as they can walk.  And benefits of dance for children are widely accepted.  From physical fitness to coordination, to balance, strength and posture, dance provides a variety of benefits in early childhood development.  

The City of Alachua has teamed up with the Dance Alive National Ballet (DANB) to bring their dance program for children directly to area youth.  Danceabout is a Dance Alive program for elementary and middle school children that brings dance to the community through experience and education in a fun and uplifting way. According to Outreach Director of Dance Alive Emily Pozek, the concept is “Educate, Entertain, Inspire.” Classes are designed to expose children to the art of dance as both a way to express themselves and a possible future career. 

DANB isn’t new to Alachua as the dance company has performed their annual Christmas Nutcracker performance in Alachua for the past four years as well as other dance performances.  The Gainesville based DANB has been performing over 56 years and has become an internationally recognized ballet company. Education and community outreach have always remained a priority to DANB, and in addition to their established professional school, the company has several programs to bring dance to the community and provide exposure of the arts to people and children that might not otherwise have the opportunity. 

Classes are designed to be fun for the students so they enjoy dancing, all with friendly encouragement from the teacher, Emily Pozek.  Pozek has been providing art based outreach programs to children and hospitals throughout her career. She graduated from the University of Florida with a BFA in dance and was the first graduate to earn a Masters in Arts in Medicine. For over five years, Pozek was the Dancer in Residence for UF Center for Arts In Medicine, as the lead instructor for their Parkinson’s dance program. 

Pozek also taught as an adjunct dance professor in the University of Florida School of  Theater and Dance. In Virginia, she served as outreach manager for Charlottesville Ballet overseeing multiple community programs including Chance to Dance, which provided over 250 elementary students free weekly dance classes.

Now the classes are being offered in Alachua as a joint collaboration between Dance Alive and Alachua’s City's Parks and Recreation Department.  Each Tuesday through March 1, Pozek will be offering free classes and dance experience for children in 1st through 8th grades at the Legacy Multipurpose Center from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

About the decision to offer the classes in Alachua, Interim City Manager Mike DaRoza said, “We heard about the school programs Dance Alive has conducted and that these classes made a positive difference in student performance and focus.” To register to attend, DaRoza said parents should call the Alachua Recreation and Culture Department at 386-462-0145.

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Cont: Free classes offered by Dance Alive National Ballet