Local

NEWBERRY – Newberry City Commissioners were faced with unexpected expenses during their March 12 meeting.

The first unexpected expense was the cost of nearly $43,000 to perform geo-technical repairs to remediate a sinkhole that opened up at the intersection of Southwest 3^rd Place and Southwest 265^th Terrace.

During Hurricane Irma, Newberry experienced more than 10 inches of rainfall. Two sinkholes and a water main had to be repaired due to that event. As those repairs were being conducted, a stop sign on the northwest corner of the intersection was observed as it slowly sank into the ground several feet.

The City contacted GSE Engineering and Consulting, Inc. to perform a geotechnical site evaluation to determine if additional sinkhole activity was occurring under this intersection, which would also potentially damage the potable water mains and sanitary manhole/gravity sewer lines located at the intersection.

Based on their report, the City went out for bids and obtained three, but the bid amounts were above the purchasing policy threshold that requires sealed bids. According to the staff report by Director of Utilities and Public Works Jamie Jones, “Staff has also worked with FEMA to secure funding for these repairs, but it remains to be determined as to if the work will be eligible for FEMA funding.”

Ultimately, commissioners voted to authorize City Manager Mike New to execute a purchase order for $42,990 and have GSE Engineering oversee the geo-technical repairs to the intersection. They also authorized New to approve change orders not to exceed 15 percent of the purchase order amount.

“The repair will be made by pumping concrete under the street to fill a bunch of voids,” said New. “I expect repairs to be completed within a month,” he said.

A second issue requiring immediate attention was emergency repairs to the waste water treatment plant (WWTP) tank #2, which had suffered a critical failure. The staff report indicated, “The failure was to the clarifier drive unit, which caused structural and mechanical damage to the clarifier, rendering it inoperable.” As the City only has three tanks and Tank #3 is currently operating at 100 percent of design capacity, Tank #2required repairs as soon as possible.

Tank #1, which had already been taken out of commission to make recommended repairs, is being readied to go back into service. Funding of $125,000 budgeted for repairs to Tank #1 are being redirected to repair Tank #2, this year and to schedule repairs to Tank #1 next year. “Basically, we just switched the order of those repairs and will repair Tank #2 next year,” said New.

In addition, the Commission authorized suspension of the requirement for competitive procurement and authorized the city manager to execute a purchase order with a qualified contractor to perform all necessary repairs.

It is anticipated that a qualified contractor would be on site in two to three weeks. The repairs will likely take approximately 90 days to complete.

A third item commissioners considered was the transfer of a little more than $76,000 into the Fire Station Construction fund to complete the work begun in January 2017 by Tumbleson White Construction, Inc. (TWC). According to a summary of this issue, “the project was scheduled to be substantially complete on Aug. 17, 2017.”

The City terminated the agreement on Nov. 8, 2017 due to default by TWC. In December 2018, commissioners directed staff to complete TWC's work using the same subcontractors that had been used by TWC.

The City had paid TWC for work completed by their subcontractors. However, TWC failed to pay their subcontractors for work they had completed on the Fire Station project.

“It was very important to the city commissioners that the subcontractors not be penalized because Tumbleson White Constructors went out of business prior to paying them,” said New. The commission authorized payment to the subcontractors for work completed prior to TWC's termination for which TWC had been paid. At the time the City estimated that the cost to complete TWC's work scope and pay the subcontractors was a little more than $88,000.

Additional subcontractors who said they, too, had not been paid by TWC began to come forward. After the claims were substantiated, the total amount to complete TWC's work scope is $126,201, leaving a difference of $38,169.

Commissioners approved staff's recommendation to provide funding of $43,600 from budgeted projects that are unlikely to be used during this fiscal year and the balance of $32,500 from General Fund reserves, which currently total $1,450,000.

“We will pursue this matter further with TWC, which will take some time,” said New. “Right now we are paying for this project twice to get it completed,” he said.

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alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA – The Alachua Branch Library was filled with candy, laughter and enough icing to fill a small pool as children of all ages were accompanied by family and friends to the Alachua Branch’s fourth annual Gingerbread House Workshop, Sunday, Dec. 18. Each person attending the event received a free pre-made gingerbread house and a cup filled with their choice of candy with which to decorate.

ALACHUA/HIGH SPRINGS – Organizers and volunteers for Relay for Life, a signature fundraising event for the American Cancer Society, have been gearing up for weeks for tonight’s Pink and Purple on the Patio event, sponsored by the Great Outdoors, and also for the upcoming culmination of Relay for Life at Hal Brady Recreation Complex in Alachua.

Good food, live music and a full bar are available at The Great Outdoors Restaurant, 18587 High Springs Main Street, from 5 – 8 p.m. Let the server know which team you support as the Great Outdoors will donate a percentage of the proceeds to Relay for Life or to your Relay for Life Team. This year’s theme is “United We Stand, United We Relay!” The top sponsors for this event are Waste Pro and Taylor’d HVAC Services Inc.

Coming up next month is the culmination of a considerable amount of fundraising efforts at Relay for Life of Alachua and High Springs. April 13 from 6 – 10 p.m., volunteers, cancer survivors and their caregivers will join together at the Hal Brady Alachua Recreation Complex, 14300 N.W. 146th Terrace, Alachua, to honor cancer survivors. There will be food and games available.

Luminaria bags, small bags decorated with names and sometimes messages to the people they are dedicated to, are lit at night in remembrance of a life touched by cancer. They can be dedicated to a loved one lost, someone currently battling cancer, or anyone who has overcome it.

“It is not too late to start a team or join an existing team,” said American Cancer Society Event Organizer Stevie Doyle. In addition to going online to sign up, Doyle can answer questions and steer potential volunteers toward team captains who might need some extra help. She can be reached via email at stevie.doyle@cancer.org or by calling 352-240-5055.

Helping hands are always needed the day of the event. For those people who want to get involved, but cannot commit their time to a team, there are many ways they can help. Tents need to go up, luminaria bags need to be lit at night, funds need to be collected and counted. Organizers agree that there are many small ways to help out that make a huge difference.

This year something new has been added to the Relay for Life event. A fireworks display by the “Detonators” is planned for 10 p.m. to end this year’s Relay for Life. “It’s also a fun way to celebrate our cancer survivors, their caregivers and all the volunteers who made this year’s Relay for Life so successful,” said Doyle.

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alachuatoday.com

With more than 16 years at the City of Hawthorne, LaKesha McGruder is a mainstay in the local government.

HAWTHORNE – LaKesha H. Hawkins-McGruder, MMC of City of Hawthorne, has earned the designation of Master Municipal Clerk (MMC), which is awarded by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC), Inc.

IIMC grants the MMC designation only to those municipal clerks who complete demanding education requirements and who have a record of significant contributions to their local government, their community and state.

HIGH SPRINGS – Recreation is a large part of people’s enjoyment of the community in which they live. Realizing that, as well as having the opportunity to purchase 3.88 acres east of Memorial Park, 2715 U.S. Highway 441, the High Springs City Commission approved a land purchase to improve the recreational facilities at that park.

The City will also plans to submit a grant application to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop the nearly four-acre site. The grant being considered would provide $200,000, with a match from the City of the same amount, resulting in $400,000 to make improvements to the Memorial Park Extension. The City intends to use money from Wild Spaces Public Places, already awarded to High Springs, for the $200,000 match.

Recreation Director Robert Basford was on hand to explain the proposed improvements to that property. As there is currently no parking area provided at Memorial Park, one of the first things he mentioned was a 100-vehicle parking area.

“Right now, if you go by there, you can see cars parked everywhere because we don’t have places to park,” he said. He also said there are currently 13 softball fields, but no baseball fields in the city, so a baseball field is another feature of the intended improvements. Lighting will also be included in the grant proposal along with a new playground. “We don’t have a playground at that park,” he said.

There are other items to be included in the grant request, just in case funds are available after all of the main projects have been completed. One item mentioned by Basford is a walking trail.

Before city commissioners considered the property purchase during the March 22 commission meeting, City Attorney Scott Walker said that during a title search of the property it was found that there was an exception granted to Seaboard Coastline Railroad whereby they had reserved a mineral rights easement on the property.

“Both Mr. Booth [city manager] and I think it doesn’t affect the proper use we have for the property,” he said. “This is a very common thing with railroads. The commission needs to decide if they will accept the title exception.”

The property closing agreement includes the cost of the land purchase at $194,000, $23 settlement charges to be paid to the city attorney, a binder deposit of $20,000, leaving $173,236 for the City of High Springs to pay the property owner.

On another recreation-related topic, City Manager Ed Booth explained that the Civic Center building renovation was going along well and the project is expected to be completed by the first or second week of April.

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alachuatoday.com

RAY CARSON/The High Springs police and fire departments delivered gifts to seven different locations for the annual Operation Holiday Cheer giveaway. Since 2008, High Springs first responders have been delivering presents to selected families who may be having financial difficulties during the holiday season.

HIGH SPRINGS – On the morning of Dec. 21 a convoy of emergency vehicles gathered in front  of the High Springs Police station. They were on a special mission called Operation Holiday Cheer. At 9:30 a.m., a convoy of four police cars and a fire truck left the parking lot with emergency lights flashing and a police siren to alert traffic at crossroads. One police vehicle towed a trailer full of presents. These first responders were on a mission to make Christmas special for kids that might otherwise receive little. It’s a chance to give to others and help keep the excitement and joy in a child’s heart for this special time of year.

Since 2008, the High Springs police and fire departments have asked for donations of new toys, pajamas and books from the community so they can provide them to local children. Several local businesses, the Rotary Club and the High Springs Community School are also involved in the effort.

The High Springs Community School notifies the police department of families they feel could use the help, and the police department then contacts the child’s parents to get approval for a delivery and find out if there are other children in the house. They don’t want anyone to feel left out, so if there are other children in the house they are also added to the list. This also gives the police an opportunity to see what the children want and they try to match the gifts to the children.

Once the visit is approved by the parents, the families are added to the list. For some families, the delivery date did not work, so they were able to pick up the gifts at the police station or a day care center. However, part of the total experience for the children is the delivery. It’s not often that a child has a convoy of police and fire vehicles come to their home with lights flashing and a trailer full of wrapped presents.

The event is organized by High Springs Police Officer Jason Taylor and on the morning of Dec. 21, Officer Taylor, his son Jason Jr. and friend Noah Brock were joined by fellow officers James Yakubish, Tony Pakala, Assistant Chief Antione Sheppard and Chief Joel DeCoursey. Lieutenant Kevin Pearson also arrived with the fire truck and crew.

The first delivery was to a boy living with his mother and grandmother. They both knew what was to happen, but the boy did not. As the convoy pulled into the apartment parking lot the boy had a surprised look on his face, which only grew as Jason Jr. and his friend Noah brought a large box of wrapped presents to him. As his mother and grandmother looked on, he excitedly began opening the presents one by one. After all were opened, he thanked everyone and shook hands with Chief DeCoursey and Lt. Sheppard.

At the next stop, both parents were working and the two middle school kids were home on Christmas break. They were hesitant to open the door and come out with all the police cars there with lights flashing. A call to their parents resolved the issue and they came out to a crowd of uniformed officers in Santa hats complete with a box of presents for each of them. They opened them in a stunned silence, unable to believe it was happening, with smiles growing on their faces with each present.

The next stop was two boys living with a guardian. The initial reaction was the same as the others, a disbelief that this was happening to them. Accompanied by a friend, they opened the presents. At the end they thanked all the officers thinking it was over, but the crew had an additional surprise for them. Officer Taylor pulled two new bicycles off the trailer and presented them to the boys. As the boys climbed on the bikes, Taylor halted them and explained that as police officers they had to make sure that these two riders met the legal safety precautions and produced two helmets for them as well. After the officers put the helmets properly on the boys they were allowed to ride, with a reminder that they should always wear a helmet.

The next delivery was a house with five children. They all gathered on the front porch as the convoy pulled up. The eldest had her hands clasped together and a smile on her face. As dad looked on, she walked down the steps to greet Jason Jr. as he approached with a large box of presents. Like the previous stops, she had a look of shock and joy mixed on her face. The box was brought back to the porch and the name on each present was called out. One young boy stopped opening presents when he got a drum. It was what he wanted and nothing else mattered as he picked up the drum sticks and began hitting the drum.

The five kids were not the largest delivery. Next was a house with six children. Their excitement showed as they each opened presents leaving the yard strewn with wrapping paper. But this was still not the largest group. The final stop of the morning was a day care center, where about 15 young children gathered in the fenced yard to be handed presents by police and firemen. For one police officer, this stop had special meaning. His young son attended here.

Operation Holiday Cheer has brought happiness for nine years for children who have little  For those children, these gifts made a huge difference. Operation Holiday Cheer is well named, bringing joy and happiness by the simple act of compassion and giving to children who need it.

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Email rcarson@alachuatoday.com