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HIGH SPRINGS – Despite the call by High Springs city officials during the Thursday, June 14 commission meeting for a distinction between commissioner and charter-employee duties, an hour-long debate provided scant information.

On Friday, June 8, City Manager Jeri Langman called for Vice-Mayor Bob Barnas to resign because of his alleged activities that she said were outside of his charter authorized duties. Langman directed her complaints to Mayor Dean Davis, who instructed the city attorney, Raymond Ivey, to thoroughly read the City of High Springs Charter.

During the June 14 meeting, Ivey said, “This commission as a body, when it decides, when the majority decides on action, that is the action of the commission itself, and that is then ordered to the appropriate charter officer.  But individually, the commissioners do not deal with any of the charter officers.”

Ivey clarified that each officer has the right to request information, such as water bill revenues, for the purpose of duties as a commissioner. However, the commission is not allowed to instruct the charter officers to take action.

“I’ve watched for years as commissioners up here have said we need to get that gazebo or direct staff to get that gazebo, or direct staff to get those benches moved somewhere, or direct staff to go take care of the tree that fell down,” Barnas said. “So what you’re saying is we have to bring that to a commission and vote on it?”

Items of attention can be brought before the city manager, Ivey said. However, under the express language of the Charter, commissioners do not have the authority under the Charter to direct staff.

Commissioner Scott Jamison said that under a city manager type of government, the manager is in charge of running the city, not the commissioners. The commission makes the policy, which the manager then carries out the tasks to set the policy in motion.

“Just because the people in the past did it doesn’t mean it’s right,” Jamison said. “That’s all we do up here - rip the people in the past, and now we’re saying because they did it, we want to be able do it. You do what the words say.”

Barnas read from the Charter stating the city manager is required to keep the commissioners apprised of all affairs of the city as he or she deems desirable. Barnas said if the city manager, city clerk or city attorney does not deem it necessary to tell one commissioner over the other, that becomes a problem.

“I think it’s becoming pretty clear I disagree with your interpretation of Section 2.06,” Barnas said to Ivey. “But it’s becoming clear that the Charter has some issues that this commission and maybe others didn’t address properly.”

“By leaving that paragraph in the Charter, it leaves it up to the city manager to decide who to tell. She can include or exclude any commissioner at her free will, and that’s wrong,” Barnas said.

Commissioners Sue Weller and Jamison both agreed that the city manager enforces policies based on the decisions made by the commission. The commission authorizes the budget, decides whether to raise fees and decides where the money goes, Jamison said.

“If we’re going to blame someone, we need to look in the mirror,” he said.

The explanation from the city attorney was crystal clear, Langman later said Monday. “I’m hoping that we will be able to move forward from here.”

On Monday, Barnas said the meeting left unanswered questions regarding commissioner and city manager duties that he feels still need to be resolved by charter amendments.

Also on Thursday’s agenda was an item to “discuss and make motions as needed for the City Attorney, City Clerk and City Manager.” However, Barnas said if the rest of the commissioners were happy with the performance of these officers, then the item could be skipped.

No one spoke up, and the item was dismissed.

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“It’s a pungent, stinky smell,” Paul Hardy, 74, said. “It will actually make you sick, I think.”

The couple said their daughter who lives in the same neighborhood has also noticed the odors. She had thought something died, Beverly Hardy, 74, said.

They said that sometimes the smell is so bad, that they can’t sit outside. The problem is something that has progressed over time, especially the past couple of months.

“The smell has gotten worse and worse and worse,” Paul Hardy said.

According to the city’s utility director, Blaine Suggs, the foul odor is coming from an effluent storage pond. The pond has been covered in a growth of duckweed, which has caused the pond to become stagnant.

Duckweed is a plant that grows on the surface of the water and causes problems in ponds because it essentially seals the pond from sunlight, preventing oxygenation.

Suggs said that the city’s utilities department is working with William T. Haller of the UF IFAS Aquatic Center to apply a herbicide to kill the duckweed.

It’s important that they are careful with the herbicide, Suggs said in an email, because the effluent will be sprayed onto the hayfield. They need to be sure the herbicide does not damage the grass.

Air diffusers will be installed at the bottom of the pond to help with stagnation and remove the muck from the bottom of the pond. Suggs said that once the diffusers are installed, there may be a noticeable increase in the pungent smell for about a week.

Biological microbes may be introduced to combat the muck accumulation.

If everything goes as planned, there should be a noticeable improvement within the next two weeks and the odors should subside, Suggs said.

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 L-R: Brianna King and Natalie Kempton, armed with colorful chalk, are transforming a Newberry sidewalk into an imaginative work of art.  The youngsters are participating in the Newberry branch library’s summer reading program, which has a host of activities scheduled through the end of July.

NEWBERRY – Youngsters looking for a cure to the endless days of summer need not look any further than their local public library.  Like other libraries around the county, the Newberry branch of the Alachua County Library District has a full schedule of summertime boredom beaters.

The focus this week of the Newberry library branch has been its third annual Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest, which began Monday, June 18 and wraps up Thursday, June 21.  The library provides the colorful chalk and plenty of sidewalk, said Marian Suggs, library specialist in charge of programing for the children’s summer reading program.

“The children just need to provide the inspiration,” Suggs added.

And the contest has already been a smashing success with nearly two dozen youngsters participating by Wednesday afternoon.

Suggs said she had heard about the idea of a sidewalk chalk activity for summer reading programs.  But she upped the ante by bringing a competitive spirit when she introduced the activity as a contest at the Newberry library three years ago.

Despite seemingly drenching rains in recent weeks, the sidewalk chalk contest has dodged the bullet over the past few days.  Those clear skies have left the youth-inspired art sketched on the sidewalks around the library.

But if the skies should let out another downpour, Suggs says fear not.

“We take pictures of them each day so we can share them with everyone and put them on our blog later this week,” she said.

This year, the winner of the contest will receive a Town of Tioga gift certificate.  Other participants won’t be left out in the cold as Suggs said each participant would receive something.

Ten-year-old Brianna King has been spending much of her summer at the library before she enters fifth grade at Newberry’s Oakview Middle School.  With beauty as her inspiration and the sidewalk as her canvas, King chalked out a masterpiece she calls “A Beautiful Day.”  With large shapes and bright colors, King’s drawing, prominently displayed near the library entrance, features flowers and balloons.

Natalie Kempton, also 10 years old and one of King’s schoolmates, has also been passing some of her time at the library since graduating from Newberry Elementary a few shorts weeks ago.  Kempton found a shady spot along the walkway where she drew cooler visions on her piece of art, which depicts a blue flowing river and tall, tall pine trees.  She also drew a picture of her pet pooch and on another sidewalk segment, the image of one of her new favorite activities ­– Archery.

Although the Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest ends Thursday, the fun isn’t over at the Newberry branch library, where each Monday at 2 p.m. they have “Cool Monday Movies.”  On Thursdays at the same time, they make crafts.  A variety of other activities dot the calendar over the next several weeks.  Suggs said the library would close out the summer reading program with a celebration on Thursday, July 26, which will include cupcake decorating, hula hoops, games and prize drawings for the program’s best readers and participants.

To see a complete calendar of events and the sidewalk photos to be posted later this week, visit www.aclib.us/newberry.

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“People are starting to come back out and say we want to rezone, we want to bring a development out of the ground,” said Langman during Thursday’s meeting. “These are types of things where we actually do need someone who has those city planner qualifications.”

Recently hired city engineer John Morrison requested the item be placed on the commission meeting agenda because of the amount of time he spent researching code laws. Officials say there has been an influx of businesses interesting in developing in High Springs, and Morrison estimated he would spend three to four hours on each code-related issue presented to the City.

“What’s happening here is that I’m a civil engineer; I’m not a planner,” Morrison said. “My time is best spent with the engineering issues the City is facing right now, not with the land planning issues.”

Morrison and Langman presented the commission with the possibility of contracting with Laura Dedenbach, formerly a senior planner with Alachua County and the City of Alachua’s Planning and Community Development Director. Dedenback would work for High Springs for a proposed $15,000 a year.

“It’s my understanding when we hired the civil engineer that they were going to be doing the city planning and the city engineering, which is where we were going to save the money,” Commissioner Scott Jamison said. “That’s what I thought the deal was.”

Vice-Mayor Bob Barnas said he thought when the City hired an engineer the candidate would have planning experience. Barnas suggested Langman meet with the City of Hawthorne because they are currently using Alachua County for planning services.

According to Langman, High Springs used to operate under the same arrangement.

“Most people were unhappy with that because it was inconvenient,” Mayor Dean Davis said.

Commissioner Sue Weller voiced concern about the budget, and Commissioner Linda Gestrin said the City needs to look for ways to downsize.

“We need something that fits our city,” Gestrin said.

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City can still choose to stay with CCC

HIGH SPRINGS – Even though the High Springs Commission has voted to bring emergency dispatch back under local operation, one commissioner has other plans.  Commissioner Scott Jamison announced during Tuesday’s special meeting that he will be placing an item on the upcoming June 28 agenda to rescind the previous decision and discuss staying with the Alachua County Combined Communication Center (CCC).

Despite reservations voiced by several High Springs police officers during a May 15 Town Hall Meeting, the commission approved by a 3-2 vote to bring dispatch back to the city.  During a recent meeting, Jamison expressed doubts about the City’s ability to fund the project safely and thoroughly. He said on Tuesday that he has already asked for the topic to be placed on the next agenda.

“Do I believe the dispatch back in our control is good? Yes, I do,” Jamison said during the May 22 meeting. “But I’m not convinced we can adequately prepare for it, technologically, staff it and assume control or take on the added financial obligations that come with it.”

As of June 19, City Manager Jeri Langman said the City still does not have solid numbers for the cost of operating the dispatch center. On May 15, it was estimated the locally operated dispatch would cost the City an additional $145,486 more a year than staying with the CCC. But that number seems to have increased as new expenses have come to light, such as the cost to update various programs, purchase new equipment and train future employees.

When queried by the commission, High Springs Police Chief Steve Holley has remained confident that if the City operates its own dispatch, the police department will be able to work safely and smoothly. However, Holley did say the dispatch would not be safe if there were only four dispatchers. This prompted the commission to budget for five dispatchers and one supervisor.

On Tuesday, the commission reviewed the letter the City will be sending to the CCC to provide formal notice of separation. Prompted by Vice-Mayor Bob Barnas, Mayor Dean Davis signed the letter, which is slated to be mailed on June 29, depending on the results of the June 28 commission meeting.

Commissioner Linda Gestrin was absent during the discussion, but said during an earlier meeting that the dispatch provides an opportunity for the City to rebuild and make the dispatch the best it can be.

“We have the officers and the community’s safety in mind,” Gestrin said.

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Approves water restrictions

“High Springs is really the heartland of spring’s country, in terms of a city that’s right at the embarkation point to our springs,” Knight said. “I realize you don’t have direct authority over much of what happens at the springs, but you do have the ability to express the interests to the public.”

Due to low water levels, the SRWMD issued a Water Shortage Order for the first time in the history of the district that calls for residents within its jurisdiction to conserve water inside and outside. The order will be in effect until Sept. 30, and residents can restrict their water usage by limiting water waste, irrigating lawns only once a week and eliminating outside aesthetic uses for water, such as fountains.

“Just so you know, a water shortage order will not stop the decline of the hydrologic conditions. What it does is stop the rate of decline, so it’s a conservation measure,” said Steve Menace, representative from the SRWMD. “We’re still extremely dry, and we need all the assistance we can get.”

The water shortage order, which went into effect June 13, followed the Alachua County Department of Health’s announcement about recent algae growth in the Santa Fe River. With excessive water-pumping and the long-term drought, the river stopped flowing in some areas, such as at the High Springs boat ramp. With stagnant waters, the algae flourished.

The Santa Fe River winds through a nexus of the three water management districts, Knight said, including SWRMD, St. Johns Water Management District and Southwest Florida Water Management District. Along the Santa Fe River, approximately 36 springs and 10 siphons exist between River Rise and Cow Creek.

Based on estimates from the Florida Springs Institute, the Santa Fe Springs recharge area has shrunk by approximately one-third of its total area in the last couple decades because of pumping in the local area, Knight said.

“The flow in Poe Springs essentially stopped in the last week before this rain started,” he said. “That is unprecedented in the flow record for Poe Springs, which goes back to 1972.”

The other main problem with the Santa Fe River is a water quality problem, such as higher levels of nitrates. Nitrates come from urban and agricultural sources, such as fertilizers, wastewater treatment facilities and septic tanks.

According to Knight, the springs form the backbone of the economy in this region, producing an estimated $20 million in revenue per year. Floridians pour into the areas surrounding springs, purchasing food at restaurants, renting canoes, and staying in local hotels and bed and breakfasts, stated the Santa Fe River Springs Restoration Action Plan.

High Springs Vice-Mayor Bob Barnas made a motion asking Commissioner Sue Weller to draft a proclamation, based on examples from Florida Leaders on Water, to send to the SRWMD requesting the district increase the water conservation strategies. All five commissioners voted for the proclamation.

In addition to the conservation ordinance, High Spring’s commissioners considered the adoption of a septic system evaluation program. Barnas directed City Attorney Raymond Ivey to research other cities that had implemented the evaluation program. The motion passed three to two, with Mayor Dean Davis and Commissioner Linda Gestrin voting against it.

The program calls for septic tank owners in High Springs to have their systems evaluated every five years by a qualified contractor, which includes a pump-out, certification and evaluation of drain field and upkeep.

“If there’s a failure, you have to repair your systems up to the standards that are in place now,” said Anthony Dennis of the Alachua County Health Department.

In Alachua County, there are 30,000 septic tanks, and the county will discuss the issue on June 26. High Springs has approximately 1,639 tanks within city boundaries.

“We either opt out or support something, and I’m looking toward supporting something,” said Barnas. Weller agreed, stating that adopting this measure was just another step toward protecting the local environment.

But Davis disagreed, saying, “And I’m looking toward opting out.”

“Based on history, what’s going on so far is everyone that’s been given an option has opted out,” he said. “I happen to know that a septic tank will tell you if it ain’t working. It will quit, and then you will have to fix it. You won’t have a choice. We’re creating something else that has to be done.”

Knight said septic tanks may not be the biggest contributor to pollution, but they are a source of nitrogen. When there are so many tanks in such a small area, such as High Springs, it becomes a point source of nitrates going into the river. In Wakulla Springs, every new tank had to be a nitrogen-removal system, which is a step above the requirements imposed by the ordinance High Springs is considering.

This is a watered-down version of the Springs Protection Act, Knight said.

“Now we have the first opportunity for our city to make a statement on trying to stop pollution that’s leading to the destruction of our river, and we’re considering opting out?” said High Springs resident Paul Regensdorf. “I’m absolutely shocked.”

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