DRAIN and COVER

DRAIN standing water to stop mosquitoes from multiplying.

• DRAIN: water from garbage cans, house gutters, pool covers, coolers, toys, flower pots or any other containers where sprinkler or rain water has collected.
• DISCARD: Old tires, drums, bottles, cans, pots and pans, broken appliances and other items that aren't being used.
• EMPTY and CLEAN: Birdbaths and pet's water bowls at least once or twice a week.
• PROTECT: Boats and vehicles from rain with tarps that don't accumulate water.
• MAINTAIN: The water balance (pool chemistry) of swimming pools. Empty plastic swimming pools when not in use.

COVER your skin with clothing and use mosquito repellent.

• CLOTHING: If you must be outside when mosquitoes are active, cover up. Wear shoes, socks, long pants, and long sleeves.
• REPELLENT: Apply mosquito repellent to bare skin and clothing. Always use repellents according to the label. Repellents with DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, and IR3535 are effective. Use mosquito netting to protect children younger than 2 months.

COVER doors and windows with screens to keep mosquitoes out.

Keep mosquitoes out of your house. Repair broken screens on windows, doors, porches, and patios.

Other Prevention Measures

• Limit outdoor activity at when mosquitos are most active.  Avoid areas where there are a lot of mosquitoes.
• Contact your local mosquito control agency if there is a significant mosquito problem where you live or work.
• Fill in holes or dips in the ground that collect water.  Level the ground around your home so water can run off.
• Stock your ornamental water garden with mosquito-eating fish (minnows, gambusia, goldfish, or guppies).
• Always read label directions carefully for the approved usage before applying a repellent to skin.  Some repellents are not suitable for children.
• Products with concentrations of up to 30 percent DEET are generally recommended.  Other EPA-approved repellents contain picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535.  These products are generally available at local pharmacies.  Look for active ingredients to be listed on the product label.
• Apply insect repellent to exposed skin or onto clothing, but not under clothing.
• In protecting children, read label instructions to be sure the repellent is age-appropriate.  According to the CDC, mosquito repellents containing oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under the age of 3 years.  DEET is not recommended on children younger than 2 months old.
• Infants should be kept indoors or mosquito netting should be used over carriers when mosquitoes are present.
• If additional protection is necessary, apply a permethrin repellent directly to your clothing.  Again, always follow the manufacturer's directions.
• For more information, see the CDC's guidelines, or the EPA guidelines.
• For more information, contact the Alachua County Health Department at 352-334-7930.

Repellent Information

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According to a memo sent this week by High Springs Police Department (HSPD) Chief Steve Holley, the equipment needs to be purchased to ensure “[Florida Department of Law Enforcement] compliance as well as enhanced IT capability for HSPD Communications and FDLE.”

Among the list of items being requested for funding is some $8,000 to air condition the server room and a generator for the building, a new server operating system at $3,000 and other overlay software costing thousands more.

It was not clear as of Wednesday afternoon how much of the equipment would be required if the City opted to stay with the Alachua County Combined Communications Center (CCC) operated by the sheriff’s office instead of reinstituting its own dispatch service for the police department.

High Springs City Manager Jeri Langman said the requested upgrades have come as a result of an FDLE audit of HSPD.  “Some of the requirements are additional due to having dispatch here,” Langman wrote in an email.  Still, she said, “Many of [the requested upgrades] would have been required with or without dispatch.”

On Wednesday morning, Commissioner Sue Weller, concerned about the request for additional spending, asked City Manager Jeri Langman for a description of each piece of equipment and its purpose, which items are required for communications and why those items weren’t presented when the commission approved reopening its own dispatch service.  Weller also asked specifically if any of the items were required by law or regulation and if so, that those citations be provided.

The commission is scheduled to consider the funding request at its Sept. 13 commission meeting.  In preparing to reopen the dispatch service, the commission has spent some $90,000 so far this year and has tentatively budgeted $268,000 in the 2012/13 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

Funding for the dispatch has been a moving and growing target.  In a controversial and hotly contested move, the commission voted in July to reopen its own dispatch service.  That was after months of debate over whether or not it was more beneficial to stick with the CCC.

Many who have advocated cutting ties with the CCC say they don’t want to rename downtown streets to make them compliant with the countywide grid-based street naming system, as would eventually be required under the CCC agreement.

Proponents for switching to the city-operated dispatch service have also pointed to more local control and what they believe will be long term savings.  Those savings, however, seem to be fleeting.

Based on the agreement with the CCC, the cost of dispatch for High Springs is $14.75 per call, but when the City reaches a population of 6,000, that figure would rise to $24.26.  The City expects to cross that threshold in the next five years based on census projections.  Even so, to operate its own dispatch service, the annual cost eclipses those of the CCC.

Some estimates project that reopening the city’s emergency dispatch center will cost in excess of $600,000 more than sticking with the CCC over the next four years.

The total cost of an in-house emergency dispatch service is estimated at $1.3 million through September 2016.  On the other hand, sticking with the CCC would only cost an estimated $653,000 for the same time period, including a higher per call rate for the last of those four years.  Those figures don’t account for what appears to be a rising capital outlay cost for equipment, from which the City is feeling the pinch today.

What’s more is that commissioners sent a letter to Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell, notifying the CCC of the City of High Springs’ intent to terminate the CCC agreement effective Oct. 1.  But as that date has drawn closer, the City has had to ask for an extension in the event the in-house dispatch center isn’t ready.

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Email editor@alachuatoday.com

L-R:  Standing in front of an assortment of guitars, Leon Barrows and Gene Menet view the Music Junction as a way to share their knowledge of music with the community.

ALACHUA – Leon Barrows was born into music.

Barrows’ father is an inductee in the Music Hall of Fame, and Barrows says his whole family is musically inclined.

“We didn’t have a choice,” he said.

Seven years ago, Barrow retired from his contracting job in upstate New York and moved to Florida. He says he always dreamed of opening a music store.

In 2007, his dream became reality. He called the store Music Junction and opened a shop in High Springs.  Less than a year ago, Barrows moved Music Junction from High Springs to Alachua. That was a good decision, as Barrows says business in Alachua has been better than it was in High Springs.

“Everyone in Alachua welcomed us with open arms,” Barrows said.

Music Junction, located at 14856 on Alachua’s Main Street, sells many instruments, but Barrows also focuses on offering music lessons to members of the community.  The store offers lessons for the banjo, guitar, dobro, piano and violin. Barrows said there will soon be lessons for wind and brass instruments as well.

Music Junction’s students range in age from 4 to 92. While Barrows has students from all walks of life, he said one of the store’s primary efforts is teaching children how to play musical instruments.

“I want to teach everyone who wants to learn,” he said. “Music is really important.”

Gene Menet, a friend of Barrows, helps run Music Junction and also teaches banjo. He emphasized the importance of learning to play music.

There’s nothing like having the ability to become one with an instrument,” Menet said.

Barrows said most people find out about his store from word-of-mouth. He said he thinks it’s important to buy instruments locally and keep money circulating throughout the community.

Barrows said he loves to meet different people and mingle with Alachua residents.

“Everyone who comes through the door is my family,” he said.

The Music Junction is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Email Astewart@Alachuatoday.com

Robert Allan Nodine, of High Springs, was found guilty of attempted voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on June 20, and on Sept. 4, following an investigation into his criminal and life history, Nodine was handed the prison sentence by Senior judge Maurice Guinta.

This sentence includes 15 years in prison for attempted voluntary manslaughter, 15 years in prison for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer while armed, and two five-year sentences for possession of weapons on school property. The two possession charges will be served concurrently.

Despite his guilty verdict, jurors did not find Nodine guilty of two more severe charges being sought by the State Attorney’s Office: those of attempted first degree murder and attempted second degree murder.

Nodine was additionally convicted on two counts of possession of a weapon on school property, one for a firearm and the other for a knife.  He was also found guilty of trespassing on school grounds after being escorted from the premises by a law enforcement officer.

The shootout may have been triggered as a result of a reported investigation by the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), which asked the school not to release Nodine’s two grandchildren.  A 9-1-1 caller who was reporting the incident as it unfolded said DCF had not yet arrived at the school to deal with matters related to that investigation.

Responding to the school on May 18 were both Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputies and High Springs Police Department (HSPD) officers.

Police say Nodine became irate while at the school, and while being escorted off the campus the grandfather was reportedly able to arm himself.

Nodine challenged a deputy and a police officer, according to reports.  The incident escalated and police opened fire on Nodine who was the only person injured in the exchange of fire.

The shooting occurred in a breezeway leading into the school office.  Meanwhile, the school was in lockdown for much of that afternoon as deputies restricted access to and from school grounds.

Most of the school’s children had already been released because of an abbreviated Wednesday schedule.  But some 170 students remained on campus for after-school activities when the shooting occurred.

HSPD officer Harper was placed on administrative leave, but returned to work in the week following the incident.

Nodine was initially taken to an area hospital for treatment, but was later booked into the Alachua County Jail.

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Email editor@alachuatoday.com