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HIGH SPRINGS - After a year on hiatus because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Pioneer Days was in full swing April 17 and 18 with locals in full attendance at the annual celebration. The town of High Springs took a trip back in time to the 1880s when the town was known for its rowdy ways. For more than four decades, the High Springs Chamber of Commerce has hosted the Pioneer Days festival to celebrate the town's colorful past.

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NEWBERRY – An updated plan to increase the size of the proposed Sandia Town Parc was presented to the Newberry City Commission at the April 12, 2021. Approximately 10 years ago a plan for Sandia Town Parc was proposed and approved by the then sitting City Commission. At Monday’s meeting, CHW’s Craig Frasier presented three related applications for Sandia Town Parc.

The developer is seeking approval to include an additional 312 acres. The requested expansion is to allow for additional economic development opportunities that could benefit from a larger footprint, as well as to provide direct access to the CSX rail line for light industrial uses. The project is located behind and to the south of Champions Park.

The conceptual plan includes four hotels, single and multi family residential units, retail space, recreation and golf areas, championship stadium, and in the southern portion of the development, light manufacturing.

Three quasi-judicial hearings were conducted following CHW’s presentation in which each application was heard and voted on separately. All three applications previously came before the Planning and Zoning Board and were recommended for approval as well.

The first application is a large scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment to modify the plan boundary. This is the original plan referred to as Phase I.

The second application, Phase II, is a Plan Development Amendment to Phase I for a rezoning change from Agriculture to Planned Development.

The third application is a Plan Development amendment application for Phase I to amend the existing Plan Development entitlements and layout.

The addition of Phase II to Phase I would provide 270 multi-family units, 70,000 non-residential and 200 hotel rooms. The two phases together would provide a net increase of 710 single-family detached and attached units, a 150,000 square-foot sports arena, a 1,000-seat stadium and 550,000 square feet of light manufacturing area.

City staff recommended approval along with the Planning and Zoning Board, but with suggested modifications to Ordinances 2021-13 and 2021-12, which deal with water and wastewater capacities.

Water and wastewater capacity for development is on a first come, first serve basis when final development orders are approved by the Commission. Currently, capacity to serve the proposed development exists based on the City’s present water and wastewater flow data and outstanding capacity reservations.

“As the City is in the process of expanding its wastewater treatment capacity it makes no representation as to available water and wastewater capacity at any time in the future,” said Planning and Economic Development Director Bryan Thomas.

All three applications were approved by the Commission on first reading and will come back for consideration again at a future meeting.

In other business, the City Commission approved extending the allowable length of stays in RV resorts and campgrounds from 90 days to unlimited days and to increase the allowable number of park model RVs from 10 percent to 30 percent.

The City Commission also approved Ordinance 2021-02 that brings the City’s Code of Ordinances into compliance with recent changes to state statutes placing limits on local government regulations of mobile food dispensing trucks and providing for regulation of food trucks within the City limits.

Outgoing Commissioner Paul Norfleet received a plaque commemorating his service to the citizens of Newberry as a city commissioner. Norfleet did not seek re-election in the April 13 municipal election.

A proclamation in honor of Municipal Clerk’s Week was also read into the record. Mayor Jordan Marlowe thanked City Clerk Judy Rice for her service to the citizens of Newberry.

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ALACHUA – Final preparations are underway as the City of Alachua kicks off the Legacy Park Concert Series beginning in May.

The concert series is a free, two-month event that will feature some of the best music talent in the region performing in the beautiful Legacy Park Amphitheater.

The Saturday, May 1 event features two rising stars on the Country/Southern Rock Music scene, Cliff Dorsey and Jamie Davis. Taking the stage for the June 5 event will be the top Funk/Soul bands in the area, Fastlane and The Stagers.

Food trucks, vendors and general concessions will be available in a smoke-free environment at Legacy Park , located at 15400 Peggy Road in Alachua. Pets are not allowed and social distancing protocols will be observed.

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HIGH SPRINGS – Get ready for some western style family fun. Every year on the fourth weekend of April, the High Springs Chamber of Commerce hosts the Pioneer Days festival to celebrate the town's colorful past. This year, the 44^th Annual Pioneer Days Festival will be held in downtown historic High Springs on Saturday, April 24, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is held in and around James Paul Park, located behind City Hall in the heart of downtown.

The event is presented by the High Springs Chamber of Commerce. Admission and parking are free. There’s something for everyone this year including Kids Korral with many free activities, and pony rides for a fee, plus a bounce house that will be sanitized regularly throughout the day, face painting and more. Other attractions for the weekend-long event include over 60 crafters, artist and various vendors as well as seven food vendors featuring a wide variety of food and deserts.

High Springs is now known for its peaceful small-town charm with antique and art shops, eateries and recreation areas. People come for the unique nature that surrounds the town with the rivers and springs for swimming, boating and scuba diving. But the town’s beginnings had little to do with recreation.

One of the earliest settlements in the vicinity was established at Crockett Springs, located about three miles east of present-day High Springs. Settlers and ranchers moved into the area during the 1840s, but no town developed in the area before the latter part of the nineteenth century. In 1884, the Savannah, Florida, and Western Railroad was extended from Live Oak to Gainesville, passing through High Springs. A post office and train station were established in the town, which grew due to the rail lines. In the next few years, High Springs boomed as a result of the development of phosphate mining in the area as well. In 1892, the town was incorporated. During the next year, the Savannah, Florida, and Western Railroad completed its South Florida Division which connected High Springs with Port Tampa. By the beginning of the twentieth century, High Springs had become an important railroad center.

The railroad and mines brought a lot of workers into the area, along with vices, entertainment and services they required, along with general merchants, an opera house, hotels and boarding houses came the saloons, gambling halls and houses of prostitution. Early High Springs was a wild rough town with a bad reputation. The first sheriff was shot down in the street and a few years later another one was ambushed and wounded.

By the early 20^th century, a large railroad terminal was located in the town. There was a huge roundhouse, machine shops, two large water towers, a two-story hospital and boarding houses that are all gone now. When the phosphate mines declined in the 1920s High Springs lost much of its population and businesses. By the 1960s the railroads had stopped running and High Springs reverted back to an agricultural and recreation based small town. It's a much quieter place than its wild past.

The annual Pioneer Days festival celebrates that rough and rowdy bygone time, while also holding a family friendly event. Free entertainment will include the popular historic cowboy gunfight reenactments from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on both days. The High Springs Museum, located by the police station will also be open for visitors. The historic St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, which is celebrating its 125^th Anniversary this year, will also be open for tours.

There are also live music concerts in James Paul Park featuring four bands on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, April 24, featured performers are Wild Blue Yonder at 10:30 a.m. performing a combination of classic rock songs and originals. At 2 p.m. on Saturday, it’s The Imposters, which include a who’s who of Gainesville’s finest musicians. Some form of the band has existed for 37 years and the current lineup is comprised of Brad Bangstad, keyboard; Ron Thomas, vocals and bass; Don David, vocals and guitar; Mike Boulware, vocals and guitar; Rob Rothschild, drums; and Michael Derry on vocals and guitar. The Imposters will be playing a combination of classic rock and acoustic music from the 1960s -70s.

On Sunday, Sides-Morris Band takes the stage at 10 a.m. featuring a semi-acoustic vocal duo comprised of local favorite Barry Sides and recent Nashville transplant Gary Morse. The duo’s playlist encompasses The Byrds, Bob Dylan, Howlin’ Wolf, Neil Young and Tom Petty, in addition to roots country and Americana.

Bringing the weekend festival to a close, local favorites Fast Lane will play at 1 p.m. with a unique combination of blues, rock & roll, funk, and soul.

For more information visit the Chamber website at www.highsprings.com, or call the chamber at 386-454-3120.

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HAWTHORNE ‒ A City of Hawthorne employee complaint sparked a Special City Commission meeting Tuesday night after the employee contacted city commissioners about an incident with City Manager Ellen Vause.

Concern over the reason for the Special Commission meeting was so strong in the community that the meeting room had more citizens in attendance than could be accommodated, with people standing in doorways, against walls and in an adjacent room. Some had heard rumors about the meeting and others expressed concern that the posted agenda was vague and City employees referred callers to the mayor when they asked for details.

Vause, who has been City Manager for approximately eight years, had reprimanded a City Public Works Department employee because she believed that something he was doing would adversely impact the City’s ability to obtain a grant; something she had been working to obtain for the City.

It is the city manager’s authority to hire, fire and reprimand employees, but the issue between the two became heated and Vause finished her reprimand by swearing. At issue also was that the employee was reprimanded in front of other employees; something Surrency and others suggested might better have been done privately.

Commissioner Jacquelyn Randall brought up instances in which she believed Vause had either been inconsistent or negligent in her procedures. She further expressed concern that there were no negative notes in the City Manager’s employee file, which she believed should have been there.

Surrency suggested that a letter be placed into Vause’s file regarding the way in which she handled this interaction with her employee so there would be a paper record available and to help the Commission determine if improvements were made following this incident.

Vice-Mayor Deloris Roberts-Cheatham suggested the City’s Charter should be changed to reflect grievance procedures. The City Attorney suggested instead that those issues would be best spelled out in the City’s Employee Manual as a change in the Charter was a lengthy process.

Commissioner Patricia Bouie-Hutchinson said she hadn’t been aware of some of the issues Commissioner Randall raised and wants those issues addressed. The City Attorney reminded the Commissioners that the purpose of the meeting was this one incident and that her advice was not to address other issues.

Several citizens addressed the Commission to express their feelings about the issues. Comments offered both supported and opposed Vause.

At Surrency’s suggestion, commissioners unanimously approved three measures, one of which would be a letter he composes to be placed in Vause’s file, and would bring back to the next Commission meeting for final approval.

Surrency also offered that an evaluation process should take place to establish a base line and he offered to work with the City Clerk to review criteria from other similar cities and provide it to Commissioners before the next meeting.

He also suggested that the City schedule a policies workshop to evaluate the current policies.

Vause addressed the Commission, saying she would hold an employee meeting Thursday morning and provide each employee with an employee manual with the grievance procedures highlighted. She indicated she had done this previously, but would do so again.

Vause’s employment contract runs through August 2022.

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GAINESVILLE – The Santa Fe College chapter of the Association of Florida Colleges (AFC) will be holding a food drive Thursday, April 29, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the parking circle by the Santa Fe College Police Department. The community is invited to participate to help food-insecure people in SF’s service district, and all of the food that is collected will go to SF’s Food Pantry. Preferred items include canned meats (tuna, chicken), canned fruit and fruit cups (pop-tops), individually wrapped snacks and toiletries. 

Even before the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic, as many as one out of every five people, and one of every four children in the community did not have reliable access to food. The economic strain brought on by the pandemic has not only continued to impact the most vulnerable in the region, but also those who had never needed to rely on food donations have now found themselves in need. 

Santa Fe College is also in the process of expanding their food pantry. In addition to a portion of the food pantry housed in the Santa Fe College Police Department, the college is working on moving the other food pantry, located in Building H to a larger and more accessible facility in Building S. The new facility will also allow for refrigerated items, providing more variety and healthier options for food-insecure individuals. 

The SF chapter of AFC thanks the students, faculty, staff and community in advance for helping those most in need.

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