HIGH SPRINGS – Dozens of community volunteers gathered on Saturday, Oct. 9, to plant new trees throughout downtown High Springs. 

Thirty-three beautiful new Live Oak and Cypress trees now beautify downtown High Springs from the Farmers' Market Pavilion to High Springs Brewing Company.

The program, funded by Alachua County Department of Environmental Protection and Keep Alachua County Beautiful, was led by Alachua County Arborist Lacy Holzworth. Holzworth and her team will continue to oversee the care and watering of all 36 trees until they are established.

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ALACHUA ‒ The City of Alachua may soon be adding Cottage Neighborhood to its Land Development Regulations (LDRs). At the Sept. 27 Alachua City Commission meeting, Ryan Thompson of Causseaux, Hewett, & Walpole, Inc., proposed amendments to the City’s LDRs that would establish a new housing type, known as a Cottage Neighborhood, in the Corporate Park (CP) zoning district.

The Cottage neighborhood is a concept that incorporates housing and work locations in the same community as well as restaurants, retail and recreation in a planned community. Cottage homes located within cottage neighborhoods offer a potentially lower cost single-family detached housing than in traditional subdivisions and residents have the ability to reduce travel to work or use of vehicles, since all facilities would be within walking or biking distance.

Several factors distinguish cottage homes from other housing communities and include smaller lot size or no lots at all; the application of setbacks; building orientation and configuration; vehicle and pedestrian access with shops, work space and housing. Most cottage homes would be clustered around common greens area. This distinguishes the cottage homes concept by providing open space that is located adjacent to and in front of residential dwellings, rather than a more traditional development pattern where dwellings are located along a road. In addition, utility infrastructure and stormwater management facilities required to serve the development is less than required for traditional development.

The proposed amendments would permit cottage neighborhoods exclusively within the Corporate Park (CP) zoning district. Residential uses are only permitted within the CP zoning district if the lands zoned CP are comprised of at least 50 acres of contiguous land.

According the Thompson, the goal of the Cottage homes concept is to “accommodate a range of research and development, technology and life sciences/biotechnology industries, office, supporting retail, and complementary residential uses.” Two project areas that are currently being considered for the Cottage Neighborhood concept are San Felasco Tech City and University of Florida Foundation property located east of County Road 241.

In other City business, the Commission held the final hearing on the Fiscal Year 2021-22 budget and approved three resolutions on the General City Purpose Ad Valorem Taxes for the 2021 Tax Year. The General Fund rolled-back rate is 5.1155 mills with the final millage rate set at 5.3900 mills. The Commission also approved the final Fiscal Year 2021-22 budget of $42,610,703.

The Commission has appointed two residents to vacant positions on the Senior Resources Advisory Board (SRAB). John E. Brown will serve a three-year term and Vida May Waters will serve a two-year term. The five-member board meets quarterly and serves in an advisory role to the City Commission by providing information on issues of importance to senior citizens in the community.

The City of Alachua has proclaimed October as American Pharmacists Month. In honor of pharmacists’ service to the community, Mayor Gib Coerper read a proclamation and then presented it to Alachua pharmacist William Garst, Pharm.D. The proclamation was in recognition of pharmacists as important members of a health care team with knowledge of medications, the effects they produce in a body, and how they interact or interfere with each other. In addition to safely providing medicine, pharmacists offer many other services as part of their commitment to helping patients live healthier lives. Pharmacists have also played an important role in the fight against COVID-19 by offering testing and vaccines at many locations. Currently there are over 300,000 licensed pharmacists throughout the country.

In a related health matter, the Newberry Opioid Task Force, appointed by the Newberry City Commission, provided information and requested support for their efforts in reducing the number of students who become drug users. Opioid addiction is a long-lasting chronic disease that can cause major health, social, and economic problems. Misuse of prescription opioids and heroin affects more than two million Americans and an estimated 15 million people worldwide each year. The prevalence of opioid misuse and addiction is rapidly increasing. Members of the task force are speaking at commission meetings throughout the county to garner support and funding.

The organization also plan to partner with radKIDS to implement a strategy and a plan to prevent addiction before it occurs. Since 2001, radKIDS has become the national leader in children’s safety education. The task force is requesting $10,000 in funding from the City of Alachua.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ The COVID pandemic closed down the historic Grady House Bed and Breakfast in High Springs in summer 2020. The local landmark had long enjoyed a varied history as a residence, business and finally a historic bed and breakfast, but for over a year, it sat empty and still.

Prior to 1900, the location where the Grady House now stands was a bakery owed by German immigrant Charles Nisi and his family. Eventually, the property was owed by H. L. Grady who lived there with his family for many years. In 1917 a second floor was added, and the home was later used as a boarding house. One of the Grady House owners purchased the 122-year-old Easterlin House next door and transformed it into Skeet’s Cottage, a beautiful two-story Victorian home.

Over the years, a number of owners called the Grady House home, and in 1990, it was transformed it into a bed and breakfast. But by June 2020, the doors were shuttered as COVID claimed yet another business.

But a year later in summer 2021, Scott Towne and Sara Miller reopened the Grady House. Towne, originally from Mississippi, and Miller, originally from Missouri, learned that the Grady House was for sale and visited High Springs to see the property and get a feel for the community. “We absolutely loved the Grady House, along with the companion Easterlin House (Skeeters Cottage) as well as the gardens and event site behind the house,” said Miller. “We decided to purchase it and bring it back to its glory.”

Miller said that the feel of High Springs was just what they were looking for. “We also loved the community of High Springs and felt very welcomed by the people,” said Miller. “We want to be part of the community and contribute to it. We plan to be more than just a B&B, providing special events including music concerts in the back garden and host other special events for the community.” The sale was finalized Aug. 3 and Towne and Miller immediately began restoring the property. Within two months they were ready to open and had a ribbon cutting on Oct. 2.

The Grady House Bed & Breakfast consists of two separate houses and a large private garden on two-thirds of an acre, all within four easy walking blocks of downtown High Springs and restaurants and shopping. The two-story Grady House itself is large with five guest rooms, each named for a color — the Yellow Room, the Green Room, the Red Room, the Navy Room, and the Peach Room. Prices for the rooms range between $175 to $190 per night depending on which room.

The Easterlin House, also known as Skeet’s Cottage, is immediately next door, across a small patio and garden. It is a full-size Victorian house built in 1896, with a kitchen, living room, television room, two bedrooms and one full bath. The Easterlin House is rented as a full house for a single group or individual and is priced at $225 a night.

The Grady House is located at 410 and 420 N.W. 1^st Avenue, High Springs. Additional information and reservations can be made by phone at 386-454-2206 or by visiting https://www.gradyhousebnb.com/

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NEWBERRY ‒ Although Dudley Farm Historic State Park is usually identified as being in Newberry by most area residents, it wasn’t. Now it is. On Sept. 27, the Newberry City Commission formally annexed the park into the city of Newberry.

The property, which is located at 18730 W. Newberry Road, has a Newberry mailing address. However, only a small portion of the park lands actually were officially in the city’s limits. Included in the 13 tax parcels officially annexed into the City were five parcels owned by the State of Florida consisting of approximately 256.253 acres. These parcels, which are located approximately one-half mile east of Northwest 202^nd Street on the north side of West Newberry Road, include Dudley Farms.

With the realization that the annexation of this historic site had finally been accomplished, Commissioners and audience members clapped in approval. Mayor Jordan Marlowe said the City had been working toward this outcome for some time and was delighted the City had achieved that goal.

All totaled, the City finalized the annexation of more than 600 acres of property to “strengthen contiguity and improve overall compactness of the municipal boundary in the various areas,” said Newberry Planner Wendy Kinser-Maxwell.

In other City business, the Commission narrowly approved the establishment of a water public service tax in a 3-2 vote, which will cost residents $1.48 per month. The funds are designed to produce revenue to be used for construction of roads in the downtown Newberry area. Commissioners Tim Marden and Monty Farnsworth voted “no” on this item.

Also approved was Ordinance 2021-45, authorizing the creation of a trust fund where revenues for the Newberry Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) district will be deposited.

This step moves the City closer to administering a CRA for Newberry, something that has taken the City and Alachua County several years to accomplish.

Also receiving approval was the final plat of Country Way Phase 4, which is expected to include 64 lots, re-plat approval of two lots owned by Pat Post to change their orientation from facing north onto Southwest 3^rd Avenue to facing east onto Southwest 251^st Street and a request by Celebrations Catering to allow the sale and consumption of beer, wine and hard seltzer during a one-day outdoor event at the Easton-Newberry Sports Complex.

Commissioners appointed Donald Long to serve the remainder of Bill Conrad’s term on the Planning and Zoning Board. His term will expire on April 30, 2022.

Several other financial items, which were heard initially at the Sept. 13 Commission meeting, were finalized. Commissioners adopted a final millage rate of 5.9999 mills, “which has remained at that millage rate for five years in a row,” said Assistant City Manager Dallas Lee. A final budget amount of $32,815,483 was established for fiscal year 2021-22.

Additional public hearings were conducted to set rates for electric, water, wastewater and solid waste during this meeting. During his presentation Lee presented a graphic of area water rates and commented, “Newberry has the lowest residential rates in the area.”

However, when it came to wastewater rates, resident Mary Gaffney asked the Commission to revisit the way wastewater was charged in Newberry. “People wash their cars and water their lawns with some of the water used and not all of it goes into the wastewater system,” she said. “I don’t think we should pay 100 percent of the water used for wastewater since it isn’t all going into the wastewater system.”

Commissioner Monty Farnsworth suggested the Commission look at this issue prior to setting next year’s rates. Mayor Marlowe said that wastewater requirements from the government are increasing by 500 percent and the City has to pay for those additional costs.

Marlowe suggested she address this issue during budget workshops for the next fiscal year’s budget. He also suggested she could reduce those costs at her home by having the City install an irrigation meter on her property to offset the amount of water going into the wastewater system. Following discussion Commissioners approved the wastewater rates.

City Manager Mike New said a workshop is scheduled for Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. to finalize the Strategic Plan so it could be put to paper. On Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. an educational workshop is scheduled to discuss impact fees.

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