ALACHUA ‒ Police officers from both the Alachua and High Springs Police departments converged at the Alachua McDonalds restaurant on Oct. 5. The early morning gathering wasn’t the result of a disturbance, no crime had been committed, and they weren't serving up tickets. They were there to celebrate the annual event known as Coffee with a Cop.

The event is part of a nationwide program that helps police officers interact with the citizens they protect and build better communications with the community. Typical encounters between the police and citizens happen when they are called for assistance or pulled over by a patrol officer. These interactions are often stressful and confrontational, which puts the officers in a situation where he or she is seen as an authority figure, and not as a fellow human being. The idea behind the program is to allow an environment where the public and the police officers can interact over a cup of coffee on a personal level and where the public can ask any questions they may have about the department or policies.

The program was started in 2011 in Hawthorne, California, by the local police department. At the time they were trying to restructure their department to a more community-oriented model where the officers worked within the community, so there was a familiarity between officers and the people they protected. As they considered ways of building community trust, it was suggested that maybe a simple idea like sitting down at a local coffee house could allow officers to interact in a more casual way with the citizens It could also have the benefit of putting a human face on the person behind the badge.

Several years ago, the Alachua McDonalds learned about the program and approached the Alachua Police Department to see if they would be interested in partnering and hosting Coffee with a Cop. The event has happened every year since, except when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the event was canceled in 2020 and 2021.

The Alachua Police Department revived the annual get together this year. Officers, including High Springs Chief Antione Sheppard, chatted with customers, discussing current issues and learning about each other.

“COVID has disrupted many events, including this one, but we want to bring it back,” said Sheppard. “Positive interaction with our community is important and we want to keep people aware that the police force is there for them.”

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ALACHUA ‒ Shoppers and visitors in downtown Alachua will soon find parking more convenient. On Sept. 26, City of Alachua officials, staff and local business owners gathered in a dirt lot behind Conestoga’s Restaurant. They were there for a groundbreaking ceremony for a new paved parking lot for downtown businesses, customers and visitors.

Located between Main Street and Northwest 142^nd Terrace, part of the dirt lot had been used for parking on a patch of land the city has owned for many years. But the spaces available were limited and the lot was on uneven ground with the surrounding land owned by various businesses and individuals. The project comes after numerous property owners in the project’s vicinity donated land and the City of Alachua’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) purchased a closed former daycare facility.

Crediting local property owner support, CRA Coordinator Lindsay Rizzo said, “Their generous contributions are at the forefront of what made this project come to reality. Each of these property owners donated a portion of their land to create a parcel large enough to accomplish this impactful project. There has been a need for additional parking in the downtown area to support these business owners for a long time”

Rizzo says the new parking lot will transform the back of buildings along Main Street as well as enhancing curb appeal with new landscaping. It will enhance access to Main Street via a winding sidewalk between two historic structures with subtle overhead lighting. “It will create a charming walking experience and create a cohesive aesthetic to blend with other projects we have been working,” said Rizzo. “The CRA is very proud to break ground on a project that is much more than just a parking lot.”

The project will also improve the infrastructure and functionality in the downtown area with underground utilities running behind the historic buildings. “This will create open space without poles and wires for businesses to have outdoor dining and cafe spaces,” said Rizzo. “An underground water retention basin will relieve some of the water flow issues during significant rain events and it will enhance safety with a well-lit parking area.”

Funding for the project comes from the City of Alachua general fund, the CRA tax increment financing fund, and the United States Department Agriculture Rural Development. Andrews Paving will construct the parking lot, but due to supply chain issues that still exist, there is no set time for its opening.

“It is with 10 years of forethought, planning and great diligence that we were able to break ground on this parking lot and it will add to the access to all the stores on Main Street,” said Rizzo.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The High Springs Lions Club has a long history of helping others in need, especially during times of crisis. And this time, in the wake of Hurricane Ian, there is a personal connection as well.

On the early evening of Sept. 28, 2022 southwest Florida was decimated by Category 4 Hurricane Ian. With sustained winds up to 155 mph the storm made landfall near Fort Myers with storm surges of 12 to 18 feet creating a wall of water that that obliterated everything in its path. It also brought massive amounts of rain as it barreled across the state, exiting on the Atlantic side of Florida to continue up the coast creating more damage along the coastal areas of Georgia and the Carolinas. In the interior of Florida, rainfall across the state was staggering. In just 24 hours, automated rain gauges reported as much as 31.52 inches of rain near the Ponce Inlet community on Florida’s east coast, causing massive flooding.

A deadly combination of storm surge, rainfall and high winds left 2.6 million people without power in the state. The hardest hit areas have been described as resembling “a war zone” with destroyed and flattened buildings, cars and boats tossed from their original locations. Florida faces the grim reality that Hurricane Ian is the deadliest storm in the state since 1935 and ties for the fourth-highest landfall speed on record in Florida.

Ian’s death toll has climbed above 100 as rescue crews go door-to-door to search for survivors and help in recovery. Federal and state relief efforts are moving forward and power has been restored to all but 440,000 customers in Florida, but it will be months and possibly years before these victims can rebuild their lives. Federal and state sources can help rebuild infrastructure, but for many people, simple daily items are not available.

The hardest hit areas were the barrier islands, like Captiva, Sanibel and Pine Island, where the storm surge washed over the islands leaving little standing and destroying bridges that linked them to the mainland. People who did not evacuate were stranded without food, water, power or communications. The only access is by helicopter or boat until the bridges are rebuilt.

Lions Club member Justin Young's mother-in-law, Kimberly Teasdale, lived on Pine Island. Young desperately tried to locate her, hoping for the best. Teasdale was found, but she was stranded on the island along with others. Understanding the dire straits these individuals were in, the Lions Club sprang into action, seeking donations to help those in the area who lost everything. They approached the local Winn Dixie asking to use their parking lot as a central location for community donations. The store agreed and made food donations as well as offering discounted prices for supplies purchased with monetary donations.

Currently, the hurricane victims need food, clothing and hygiene items rather than small sums of money. For days Lions Club members have been loading donations on a large trailer to take south, and with the community’s help, the trailer is almost full. This week their first trip is scheduled to drop supplies in Fort Meyers to be taken by boat to the barrier islands.

“On this initial trip we are concentrating on daily essentials like food, hygiene and toiletry items, medical items and baby needs,” said Lion member Mark Moomaw. “These are people who have lost everything but the clothes on their backs.” Moomaw added that while the government focus is on the major things like rescues and rebuilding, just getting their daily needs met is vital for these people.

“It’s often the small things that people don't think of like pet food or can openers to go with canned food donations. We are using any cash donations to buy the items donators don’t think of,” said Moomaw. “We will continue the efforts and expand it for clothing and other items that aren’t immediately vital, but this trip will be about getting them food, water and daily items.

Moomaw says the Lions Club will continue to make these trips as long as people will donate to help those affected by the hurricane. “The needs are massive, but we are going to do our part to help,” Moomaw said.

Anyone interested in donating to help the victims can drop off donation at any time at the Lions Club located at 26900 W. U.S. Highway 27 in High Springs or call 386-454-4521 for more information.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ This past weekend the High Springs BMX track became the first track in Florida to host the Southeast Region Gold Cup Series finals competition on Sept. 23-25. The national DK Bikes sanctioned competition brought BMX riders from throughout the southeast including Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and the Carolinas, with nearly 700 riders and over 2,000 spectators, making it the largest Gold Cup event this year.

To reach the Gold Cup finals, riders count their best two scores from Gold Cup Qualifiers in a region and by racing both Saturday and Sunday of the Gold Cup Championship Final in that same region. In addition to awarding a Gold Cup jacket and #1 plate to the winner in each pointed age and skill level, winners are also awarded Gold Cup #2 and #3 plates.

The off-road bicycle competition includes up to eight riders on a serpentine single lap clay track that includes jumps and large banked turns. The bikes are single gear, with two classifications based on either a 20- or 24-inch wheel size. Since the 1960s BMX has gained popularity around the world and in 2008 it was officially sanctioned as an Olympic sport.

The High Springs track was built in 2002 by the City of High Springs and a partnership with local volunteers to provide youth and family-friendly sporting in the area. The track is managed by John and Laura Pringle who are both BMX racers along with their two daughters. But to Laura Pringle it's not the competition that's important. It's the family orientated spirit among the BMX community.

“Many times, the parents will come to watch their kids race and wind up doing it themselves,” said Pringle. “You don't see too many sports where parents participate with their kids.”

Pringle says they have been successful in helping expand the sport in the region since the track opened and lobbied to bring the Gold Cup series to the High Springs track. “We’ve been working for about six years with the sanctioning body, the Gainesville Sports Commission and Visit Gainesville,” said Pringle. “There are 22 sanctioned tracks in Florida and over 40 in the southwest region.” She said many of those tracks were competing to host this event and High Springs offered a central location for the region. “BMX riders and families are willing to do a day’s drive to compete in the larger events,” said Pringle.

Pringle credits partnerships with making High Springs the site of the Southeast Region Gold Cup Series finals. “We couldn't have made this happen without the support of all the community volunteers, along with the City and the High Springs Parks and Recreation Department who provided the infrastructure and extra land for this big event.”

Pringle says the event is a positive contribution to the local economy, bringing revenue for businesses with the influx of visitors. The City provided parking for a $20 fee and a $75 weekend camping area fee for the event. In addition to generating business for local businesses, the track had two food concession trailers on site, Kickstand Cafe and Char Bar, which offered breakfast, lunch and dinner options.

Competitions started Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Sunday with final winners announced at the end of the day on Sunday. “It turned out well and bigger than we expected,” said Pringle. “It was also a great opportunity for the BMX community from all over the region to get together to compete, have fun and make new friends.”

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