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ALACHUA ‒ As the country begins to open up as COVID-19 cases drop and summer is around the corner, traditional summer activities are returning. The City of Alachua is offering two summer camps that serve both younger and older children.

The City of Alachua's Recreation and Culture Department is bringing back its summer camp program for children ages 5-13, and in partnership with Santa Fe College and the Children’s Trust of Alachua County, ages up to 18 can participate in a separate academically oriented program.

Starting Monday, June 22 and running through Friday, July 31, the City will host the program for younger children at Legacy Park five days a week, Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The summer camp is designed to help children learn new skills, build self-confidence, make new friends, and feel a sense of achievement. There are a variety of camp activities including art, music, swimming, character development, games, sports, and outdoor activities to do over the summer while school is out. It also provides a safe, informative and organized day care for parents during the work week. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will also be provided each day.

The daily camp schedule starts at 7:30 a.m. - 9 a.m. for breakfast and drop-off; 9 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. for character session; 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. for various activities and classes; lunch from 11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m., followed by more activities and classes from 1 p.m. -3 p.m. From 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., kids can enjoy free play time until they are picked up by a parent or guardian. There will be no camp on Friday July 3 due to the holiday weekend.

Despite the improving conditions of the pandemic, summer camp will look different this year. All programming will be in small groups. Campers will be with the same group of 10 or less all week, with no mixing with other groups. Activities that increase the likelihood of community transmission have been eliminated. These include, but are not limited to: Splash Park, large groups, high contact physical activity and off-site travel (although possible if they can guarantee social distancing guidelines). All meals will be served in to-go boxes to limit contact with surfaces. Campers will be separated from one another to avoid large groups. This includes, but is not limited to: meal times, music time, arts and crafts, and all-camp games.

The City will administer daily health screenings to monitor for any evidence of symptomatic cases. Signup for the camp includes a signed assurance from families that they can promptly pick up if a camper exhibits symptoms or if staff suspects a camper may have been exposed. Other safety measures include new check-in and check-out procedures, cleaning protocols, and staff training in accordance with recommendations from the CDC and the Alachua County Health Department.

The cost for the camp, including all meals is $400. However, the city is offering 100 percent covered scholarships through applications available at the City website, so that no one who wants to enroll is denied due to funding.

The summer camp at Legacy Park may be limited to children 13 and under, but the City has not forgotten older students either. Working with Santa Fe College and the Children's Trust of Alachua County, they have created a more academically orientated program for students up to 18 years of age.

Running during the same timeframe as the Legacy Park camp, this camp will offer a variety of programs in art, technology and science. Classes include visual arts, performing arts, digital design, engineering, biotechnology and crime scene investigation. The cost for the program is $240, but there are also scholarships available.

Applications for both camps, as well as scholarship requests, can be found at the City of Alachua Recreation and Culture website at https://www.cityofalachua.com/government/recreation-culture/sports-activities. Additional information is available by calling the department at 386-462-1610.

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L-R: State Representative Chuck Clemons, Alachua Assistant City Manager Kamal Lathem and Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Secretary Dane Eagle discuss future opportunities for the Alachua biotech community.

ALACHUA – Alachua’s thriving biotech community is on a mission to increase its presence on the national and global stage. Biotech leaders and community partners welcomed Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) Secretary Dane Eagle on Wednesday, June 2 at the Santa Fe College Perry Center for Emerging Technology. Eagle was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to lead the State’s economic development agency in 2020.

Joining in a roundtable discussion of strategies to nurture the local biotech environment was Santa Fe College President Paul Broadie, State Representative and Santa Fe College VP for Office of Advancement Chuck Clemons, Alachua Chamber of Commerce President Mitch Glaeser and Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Eric Godet.

Over 30 individuals representing the local biotech community participated in the strategy session including a number of CEOs, UF Innovate/Sid Martin Bio’s Karl Lapan, Elliottt Welker, and Merrie Shaw as well as Alachua City Manager Adam Boukari and Alachua Assistant City Manager Kamal Latham. The meeting was also available virtually and several biotech leaders including President and CEO of BioFlorida Nancy Bryan and AGTC CEO Sue Washer joined online.

Discussion centered on the factors that make a biotech community grow and thrive. Participants pointed out that important attributes include an available workforce, proximity to higher learning, startup friendly environments, access to venture capital and a quality lifestyle.

There was general agreement by participants that the State of Florida could encourage growth in the biotech industry by supporting measures that boost angel, venture capital, and other funding for biotech and biomed companies as well as offering incentives tailored to the biotech industry in order to be competitive with other states such as Massachusetts, California and North Carolina. Another area identified that the State could assist with is funding for building and site development to support construction of new facilities, or reuse or expand existing facilities.

Locally, the City of Alachua is launching the Alachua Biotech Partnership, a public-private partnership to help grow existing companies and expand the area’s biotech ecosystem. It was suggested that DEO become a member of the partnership. Clemons suggested starting a biotech caucus to further discussion and strengthen the biotech sector.

Eagle offered several suggestions regarding possible funding opportunities through the Department of Economic Opportunity and advised that some measures mentioned would require legislative action. It is expected that Eagle will return to the area in the near future to tour local facilities.

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ALACHUA ‒ On Wednesday, June 2, Alachua County Sheriff’s deputies discovered 13-year-old Delia Young’s body during a large-scale search operation centered around County Roads 236 and 239 in Northwest Alachua County. Her body was found off of Country 239 nearly three weeks after she disappeared. Her identity was confirmed by an autopsy on Friday June 4.

Delia's short life had already been hard, she had health issues, lost her mother and was in foster care, living with her aunt and step mom Marian Williams, 57, along with Williams’ sister, Valerie Young, 52.

Delia was reported missing May 16 by Young, who told deputies that Delia disappeared from her home at 3223 N.W. 142^nd Avenue during the night and that she had a history of running away.

The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ASCO) began an investigation but found no leads, so ACSO tweeted about Delia’s absence May 19, urging community members to call the ACSO communications center with any information about her whereabouts. As time passed and the search grew more desperate, ASCO interviewed the two women and noticed inconsistencies in their stories.

Then on May 26 the case broke wide open after Williams willingly traveled to the sheriff’s office and confessed her involvement in Delia Young’s disappearance and implicated Valerie Young in her death and the concealment of her body.

Based on her confession, ASCO immediately arrested Williams. According to the arrest report, Williams told detectives she was home on May 16, and saw Valerie Young, her sister, beating Delia with an electrical cord. Williams said Valerie Young stopped after Williams asked her to, but later that evening, Delia was limping and had large welts on her legs.

Williams said she asked Delia if she wanted to go to the hospital, but she refused. Williams said she last saw Delia alive on the floor of her bedroom using a computer. On May 17 around 7 a.m., Williams said she discovered Delia dead on the floor of her bedroom. She said she called Valerie Young, who was not at the home, in a panic and the two discussed where they would hide Delia’s body.

Detectives say Williams and her sister put the 13-year-old's body in a tote bag, and drove her to a home in Lacrosse that Young owned. According to the arrest report, Williams and her sister left the bag in a bedroom in the house. That was on May 17, according to the arrest report.

Detectives say Williams told them she returned to the home on May 18 and found the bag outside the home and Delia's body gone. According to the arrest report, Williams said she burned the tote bag because it linked her and her sister to Delia's death. At the time of her arrest, Williams claimed to have no knowledge of the whereabouts of Delia Young’s remains.

Based on their confessions and other information, the ASCO narrowed the search to County Road 236 area using ATVs and K-9 units. The location is around 15 miles from Valerie Young’s home where the child was last seen. Finally, on June 2, Deli's remains were found.

Williams has been charged with negligent manslaughter of a child, neglect of a child with great bodily harm, obstruction, and destruction of evidence.

Authorities have charged Valerie Young with manslaughter, aggravated child abuse, evidence tampering and depriving Delia Young of medical care. Young is being held on a $2,650,000 bond and Williams's bond is $1 million.

ASCO Sheriff Clovis Watson, Jr., announced the conclusion of the long search effort on the ASCO Facebook page, confirming the remains were Delia's. “It is with deep sorrow, we announce the remains have been identified as Delia Young.”

Watson also thanked all those who have worked on the case: “Sheriff Watson would also like to express his appreciation for the hard work, commitment, diligence and tenacity of the deputies and investigators that worked so hard on this case and also for the outpouring of support from the community.”

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The High Springs City Commission recognized two individuals at the May 27 City Commission meeting. Mayor Gloria James congratulated Commissioner Ross Ambrose, who was honored with a 2021 Home Rule Hero Award by the Florida League of Cities. James said Ambrose worked tirelessly to promote local voices making local choices to protect the Home Rule powers of Florida's municipalities.

James also recognized High Springs Police Chief Antoine Sheppard who recently received a Masters of Criminal Justice Degree from St. Leo University. The City held a reception in his honor on Monday to celebrate the achievement, which Sheppard said took a lot of late nights of studying to complete.

High Springs is about half way through their strategic planning effort according to Tom Kohler of GAI Consultants, the firm working with the City on a Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Plan update. Kohler anticipates presenting the plan to the Commission by the end of July or the beginning of August and then to the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners in September.

In other business, a City ordinance is under consideration that has some residents concerned. Although the ordinance was continued to the July 22 meeting, a resident of Bailey Estates subdivision said she had “77 petitions” from residents asking that the City deny the measure. The ordinance seeks to amend the City’s zoning map by changing the zoning district from Residential-1A (R-1A) to Residential-3 (R-3) on 89.69 +/- acres east of Bailey Estates. The applicant is J.H. Londono, agent for SAFECA, Ltd.

The Bailey Estate resident claimed there were problems with the development but she was not specific about the types of problems experienced in the subdivision. City Manager Ashley Stathatos responded later to a question by Commissioner Linda Jones referencing Homeowner’s Association funds and residents of the subdivision. Stathatos said she would attempt to get the parties together with the developer to see if they could work out an amicable solution.

A preliminary plat was unanimously approved for Crockett Springs following a comment by Stathatos that the plat met all City requirements and was approved by the Planning and Zoning Committee.

A fee waiver request was made by Nancy Levin for a lot split at 18743 N.W. 243^rd Street. Levin said her $500 fee waiver request was based on the property owner’s financial hardship. Currently, there is no language in City codes for a fee waiver in this situation and Commissioners expressed concern that waiving it for one person would mean others would expect the same.

Commissioner Scott Jamison suggested an alternative solution to the issue. Since the lot split was required so that the property owner could sell part of the property, he suggested that the owner defer fee payment until such time as the property she is splitting is sold. This action was approved by the Commission.

Recreation Director Damon Messina announced that a job fair has been scheduled for June 22 at the High Springs Civic Center. The hours are 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Messina also reported that the recreation department is teaming up with Good News Arts for an art focused summer recreation program. “This is a summer arts camp for youth (K to 12),” he said. Children will work directly with artists as they create different types of art projects each week.

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ALACHUA COUNTY ‒ The deadline for prospective candidates for partisan offices to change party affiliation for the 2022 election cycle is June 12, 2021.

Prior to the enactment of Senate Bill 90, only candidates who wished to qualify with a political party needed to affirm that they had not been registered with another party in the 365 days before candidate qualifying begins. Now, all candidates for partisan office — even those without a party affiliation — must have maintained their party affiliation, or non-affiliation, for the 365-day period.

The new law prohibits a person from seeking to qualify for office as a candidate with no party affiliation if he or she has been a registered member of any political party within the 365 days preceding the beginning of the qualifying period, and requires a person seeking nomination as a candidate of a political party to have been a member of the party for the 365 days preceding the beginning of the qualifying period.

Upon qualifying, all candidates for partisan office must sign an oath attesting they have maintained their registration status with respect to party affiliation.

Candidate qualifying for federal, state and local offices begins June 13, 2022.

Voters may change their party affiliation by turning in a Florida Voter Registration Application or using the online voter registrations system at RegisterToVoteFlorida.gov.

For more information, contact the Supervisor of Elections at 352-374-5252.

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WALDO ‒ Cool cars, poodle skirts, doo-wop singers and more brought Waldo-area residents outside on Saturday, May 22, to enjoy the fine weather and frivolity. All this fun was scheduled for a good reason – to earn money to improve the old Waldo school auditorium.

The event took place at Waldo City Hall Square, 14450 N.E. 148^th Avenue. The day began with back-to-back T-ball games at the Square and moved on to a large car show. Car owners brought their prized cars in from all over North Florida for this show. Approximately 179 cars showed up from as far away as Crystal River, DeLand, Jacksonville and Palatka, as well as from within Alachua County.

Car show entries ranged from antique and classic up to current day. Vehicle categories ranged from 1990 and older, 1991 and newer and top divisions for each manufacturer were also judged. In total, 68 awards were given out at this show, which included Best of Show and People’s Choice Awards. Women who dressed in poodle skirts and other 50s hot rod-era dress also competed for trophies. Another fun competition was for the oldest person in attendance, who happened to be 85 years old. Exact birthdates came into play in this category as three people were in competition for the oldest of the 85-year-olds.

Show organizer Mark Wyant of Gainesville Street Rod Club said there were about 27 active members who put this show together, which took about three months to organize. “I have put on about 50 shows all total and this one was one of the best so far,” said Wyant. “The venue was perfect. The day was breezy and sunny. We had food vendors, live doo-wop singers, a disk jockey and the people came out to support the event,” he said.

And support the event they did. After expenses the group presented the City of Waldo with a check for $4,000 toward their auditorium project.

Waldo City Manager Kim Worley said she would have been delighted if the City had received a check for $400. “This was more than we could have hoped for,” she said after receiving the check.

Vendors included Waldo’s B&R Crafters and the Waldo Area Recreation Department’s concession stand. Food vendors included Sweet Dreams Ice Cream (in a fire truck). Cowboys BBQ was also in attendance with their food truck to help feed hungry visitors. Items for sale included car parts, unique signs and other arts and crafts items.

The Waldo Area Historical Museum was also open for those out-of-town visitors who wanted to learn a little about Waldo’s history.

Music was provided throughout the event by a DJ and live music was featured by a Doo-Wop band called Kitch’N Sync.

“The most important thing about this event was that everyone had fun, from babies to 85-year-olds,” said Worley. “We hope to have more events like this on our grounds to bring our citizens together and entice others to find Waldo and learn about our great city.”

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