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ALACHUA, Fla. - Less than five months after breaking ground on a 42 parking space lot in downtown Alachua, the project is beginning to take shape.  The parking lot is a project of the City of Alachua's Community Redevelopmenet Agency (CRA) and includes an underground stormwater  retention basin as well as underground utilities serving nearby businesses. 

he parking lot is possible because numerous property owners in the project's vicinity donated land in addition to the purchase of a shuttered daycare facility.  Funding for the project came from a $150,000 grant by the United States Department of Agriculture - Rural Development as well as funds from the City of Alachua's general fund and the CRA tax increment financing funds.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Santa Fe College Business programs, Health Information Technology, Information Technology Education and Emerging Technology programs will be hosting an in-person Digital Health Information Technology Education Summit at the Santa Fe College Blount Hall, 530 W. University Avenue, Gainesville, Friday, March 24, from 9 a.m. until noon. A continental breakfast will be served beginning at 8:30 a.m.

This event is designed to bridge and fulfill career and technical education with community workforce needs and initiatives. Attendees will include current and potential students, educators, business and community leaders answering the question “How do I and/or my employees upskill for future jobs?”

According to the book Robot-Proof by Joseph Aoun, “we must rethink how we prepare students for a world where advances in technology are continually changing the workplace landscape – and making many traditional jobs obsolete. We must adapt so graduates will succeed in the AI era.”

At this Summit, industry leaders will discuss hot technology topics such as information governance strategy, “humanics”, data analytics, artificial intelligence in business and healthcare, information technology security, compliance, leadership and emotional intelligence just to name a few topics.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 15% faster than the average for all occupations, and health information technologists and medical registrars, revenue cycle management, and data analytics occupations are projected to grow at an even faster rate of 17%.

Register today and find out how you and/or your organization can upskill and be ready for future jobs. Seating is limited for this event, which is sponsored by Santa Fe College and Northeast Florida Health Information Management Association.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ For most 21-year-olds their focus is on having a job, money, dating or partying with friends. They rarely think about illness or mortality. For the most part, Nathan Blair was a typical teenager who went to High Springs Community School and graduated from Santa Fe High School where he played on the baseball team.

At the age of 19, and not far removed from his high school days, Blair was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a rare form of Bone Cancer. His whole life changed. And for his parents, Anna and Drayden Blair, it was devastating news.

Doctors operated to remove a tumor, and then Blair endured multiple bouts of chemotherapy and long periods sickness, magnified by the chemotherapy treatments. Nathan and his family had support from their friends and family, and events were organized to help with the medical expenses of his treatment.

For two years, Nathan seemed to be in remission and the family held on to threads of optimism. But that changed when several months ago a routine scan showed a mass near his clavicle revealing that the cancer had returned. After another operation, they are unsure of the prognosis.

“This is a much scarier time than last time, leaving us wondering if and when will it be back, are meds working, will I/he live a long healthy life are questions/thoughts that are constantly in our minds,” said Anna Blair. “He had his surgery in November, but the last scan he got shows another lesion close to the shoulder…After two years we never thought we would be going through this again, but here we are.”

Nathan had another surgery last week to be followed by months of radiation treatment. Yet, while the specter of cancer is always present in the family's thoughts, they stay positive of the outcome. By all accounts, Nathan is a young man with strong determination and a fighter. Based on his personality, the family started “Fight With Nate” complete with a Facebook page and events to raise funds for him and raise awareness of cancer, especially among young people.

Nathan has also begun making weekly videos talking not only about his own journey, but also to raise awareness of the disease. “If I can help raise awareness of Osteosarcoma to help others, it's well worth it,” said Nathan. The Facebook page has over 6,000 followers and strong community support.

On Saturday, Jan. 21, the group held a fundraising event at the High Springs Brewing Company attended by over 100 people showing their support for Nate’s fight. Food Daddy supplied BBQ pork dinners with all profits going to the Fight With Nate program. Musician Bryce Carlisle, backed up by several other musicians, and the band County Road 400 provided three hours of music as donations. There were also raffles with donated prizes, a 50-50 raffle and sales of Fight with Nate T-Shirts. The High Springs Brewing Company donated their venue for the event and 10 percent of their sales.

This is the second event the business has hosted for Nate. Brewery co-owner Kristie Ayers taught at Santa Fe High School and Nate was one of her students. “Nate is a great kid, and we are happy to support his cause,” said Ayers.

For the Blair family, the amount of support from the community has been overwhelming. “At this event we raised more than $5,000 to help with medical bills,” said Anna Blair. “The love, prayers and support we have gotten is amazing. It shows what compassion and caring there is in people.”

To learn more about the Fight With Nate project or to support the cause, information can be found at https://www.facebook.com/FightwithNate.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The City of Gainesville has announced its spring schedule of sports programs and events.

Start Smart Sports

Start Smart Sports helps parents of preschoolers 3-5 years old objectively measure their child's abilities. As the programs progress and children show improvement, the skills and exercises are altered so that each child remains challenged while using age appropriate equipment. They will learn concepts and skills including: sport specific skills, preparation for organized sports, building self-esteem and confidence, and social skills.

• Start Smart Baseball(age 3-5, begins March 13)

Lifeguard Certification

Want a rewarding and fun summer job? Get certified as a professional American Red Cross Lifeguard! To prepare future lifeguards, the City of Gainesville is holding lifeguard certification classes this summer for those age 15 and up. There are six sessions (each with four lessons) to choose from, and the first session begins March 16.

Teen Midnight Basketball

Teen Midnight Basketball offers athletic opportunities in a positive environment during nights and weekends when kids might otherwise be unsupervised. This program is held monthly on the first Friday from April through August at the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center (1028 NE 14th St.). The theme “Got Skillz” refers to skills on and off the court, such as creativity, adaptability, teamwork and leadership. Besides basketball, kids will compete in athletic contests and get mentorship from Gainesville community partners to inspire their success.

Spring Swim Lessons

Registration for spring swim lessons begins Wednesday, March 1!

Other Upcoming Events . . . Stay Tuned

• March 2: Accessible Tram Tours
• March 3: Live & Local concert series
• March 5: Ranger-led walking tour at Sweetwater
• March 16: Story Time
• March 18: Movie Night at Depot
• March 19: Figure Drawing in the Parks
• April 7: Live & Local concert series

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Gainesville, FL — The City of Gainesville was awarded $8 million in funds as part of The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to use for affordable housing.

"We can utilize and leverage those dollars from the federal sources to make sure we provide and build as much affordable housing as possible," Gainesville city commissioner Casey Willits said.

The City of Gainesville's Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) shared its most recent quarterly report with city commissioners at today’s meeting.

According to city leaders, during the past few months, HCD has come up with new ways to get families into places they can afford. One of these initiatives will help build five new single-family homes alongside up to ten new accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on city-owned property. The ADUs, also known as in-law or mother-in-law units, are separate, smaller structures close by or attached to the main house. They provide more options for housing older family members or younger people just entering the workforce, and contribute to housing diversity in the City.

"We can really get a picture, a snapshot of what we're doing and what kind of spaces to ensure that we have affordable housing for as many people as possible. And whether that's multi-family homes, single family homes, whether it's for people to own or to rent, whether it's about new construction or rehabilitation or just improving the general quality of our housing stock," Willits said.

The City is also partnering with Bright Community Land Trust and Habitat for Humanity to build ten additional homes that will be placed into the Trust and remain permanently affordable. The $1 million in funding comes from The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

An additional $320,000 from ARPA is helping eligible homeowners make safety and energy improvements to their properties, while another $320,000 goes toward providing low-income buyers with down payment assistance. The $7.2 million ARPA funding for the development of new affordable rental units and single-family or multi-family homes remains the biggest single item to report.

Gainesville resident and realtor Rodney Long says today's meeting was a good first start to the affordable housing conversation, but residents shared concerns about opportunities for local contractors to participate in building these affordable housing projects.

"I think the concerns that I and others have at a local, especially builders and realtors, is of the $7.2 million that are going to be put out now for request for funding, availability is a disadvantage for a lot of the smaller builders, contractors who want to build affordable housing because they don't have the upfront dollars," Long said.

Commissioner Reina Saco says the goal is to create safe and affordable housing for everyone.

"Whether you live on your own or just with a partner, that there is a housing option available to you, that what is within your means that is not going to cost burden you, and that is near everything that you need in order to be not just surviving, but thriving in our city," Saco said.

City leaders are planning townhalls later this year to get the public's input on the affordable housing projects.

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