HIGH SPRINGS ‒ Summer can be hard on parents trying to balance work and accommodate time for young children. Pastor Adam Joy of the Deeper Purpose Community Church is offering parents of nursery and pre-school children an all-day program at the church called the Kid's Academy for toddlers and preschoolers ages 1-5.

Parents needn’t worry this is just a babysitting situation. In addition to meals and play time, youngsters will also receive educational assistance. Children will be helped to prepare for the Florida Department of Education approved Pinnacle Program curriculum, which offers a wide range of both secular and faith-based age-appropriate lesson plans and activities for children ages birth to 5.

The Academy is available Monday -Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The church also offers transportation by bus for parents who can’t bring their children to the church. While the program currently is for children over 1 year old, there are plans expand it to accept ad enroll infants in August according to Pastor Adam Joy.

“We feel it’s vital that we have the best teachers, assistants and childcare workers assisting us in ensuring your child is always able to play, learn and grow in a safe, caring and loving Christian environment,” Joy said. “We believe it is important to offer educational opportunities and socialization with other children to help children grow and expand their abilities.” Joy said the preschool is a member of Green Apple Accreditation of Children Services that licenses and accredits childcare centers and preschools nationwide.

In addition to the Kid's Academy program, the church also offers a summer camp for kids age 5-12, with educational classes in math, art, social studies, English and writing. The summer camp runs Monday -Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Wednesday evenings they also offer a youth services for kids ages 12 to 18, which provides teens an opportunity to learn about the bible, play games and hold group discussions about issues involving their age group. It also includes a free dinner.

The church may also be offering a Head Start Program and an Early Head Start Program this fall that will start Aug. 18. In addition, there will also be before and after care for school aged children in the upcoming 2021-22 school year.

Joy said the church also plans to offer programs to families during the Alachua County Public Schools Thanksgiving break, and spring and winter breaks, based on the school calendar.

“We have also decided that since we now have the room, we will do our own pre-kindergarten program for this coming school year beginning Monday, August 16,” said Joy. This program will have 20 spots for students who are turning 4 no later than Sept. 1. Unlike VPK, which is only a three-hour program, this will be a full day for students to better prepare them for kindergarten.

“We really feel that three hours just isn’t enough,” said Joy. “Children are our future, and we have a responsibility to provide as many opportunities as we can to help them build successful lives.”

Deeper Purpose Community Church is located in High Springs at 19930 N U.S. Hwy 441. Additional information and registration can be discussed at 386-454-5300 or at https://www.facebook.com/KidsOfPurpose.

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TALLAHASSEE - Consumers can purchase qualifying back-to-school supplies exempt from tax during the 2021 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday. Passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the sales tax holiday begins Saturday, July 31 and extends through Monday, Aug. 9. 

The sales tax holiday does not apply to the rental or repair of any of the qualifying items. Additionally, the sales tax holiday does not apply to sales in a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment or airport.

For more information on implementing the sales tax holiday, please see the Department of Revenue's Taxpayer Information Publication on the 2021 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday or the 2021 Florida Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday FAQs for Businesses.

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HAWTHORNE ‒ The City of Hawthorne recently received a grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for $500,000. The funding will allow Hawthorne to install green infrastructure stormwater gardens, also known as rain gardens, on Southeast 221^st Street (Johnson Street).

The grant will also allow the city to add curbs and gutters to the existing roadway. Landscaping and stormwater gardens will go into the unused areas of downtown as well.

The grant will enable the city to take another step toward the vision its citizens have for the downtown area and attract more businesses to that part of town.

In addition to helping to beautify the downtown, this project is a benefit to the environment as well. “Instead of sending the runoff out to the lake and draining it out in the wetlands, the gardens will help filter the water before it goes into the stormwater system,” said Mayor Matt Surrency.

Residents, commission and staff conducted a visioning workshop approximately seven years ago. “This is continuing the vision of what we’ve done in downtown already,” Surrency said. “We have a vision of what we want to see downtown look like. This is just another component of that vision.”

Surrency said the city has about 30 grants in process at any one time. “Some may be starting. Some are almost finished. We go after any grants that we feel we are qualified to submit on in order to help us accomplish the city’s vision,” he said.

One of the things the city did prior to submitting the grant was to complete the design process. “That gave us some extra points and makes it so that we can hit the ground running with the bidding process.”

Surrency is hopeful that they can quickly go out to bid and begin implementing the project by the end of the year. However, it is unknown at this time when the project will be completed.

The city is currently working with engineers and FDEP to begin the next steps in the procurement and bidding process.

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HIGH SPRINGS ‒ Tropical Storm Elsa passed directly over north Florida, but despite predictions of 50 to 60 mph consistent gusts, wind was not the major issue with gusts only reaching 35 to 40 mph. There were no confirmed tornadoes in Alachua County, although several warnings were issued Wednesday morning and power outages occurred throughout sections of the county.

What the storm did bring was heavy rain with the official rainfall total in Alachua County at 3.18 inches, causing several road closures due to flooding. But the most damaging flooding did not occur during or right after the storm. As the storm traveled northward through Georgia, heavy rainfall continued, creating runoff into streams and rivers, which eventually flow down into the rivers of North Florida.

The Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers were already high from previous weeks of rainfall, and the storm took them above flood levels and then continued to rise as the storm water from Georgia flowed downward.

Due to high waters, Alachua County has closed Poe Springs indefinitely because of the Elsa-related flooding. “The water has risen beyond a point of where it's safe to use the springs,” said Alachua County Parks and Open Space Manager Jason Maurer. “The water level is currently four feet above flood stage. It's browned out the springs and the water is up to the restrooms, so the whole lower springs area is inaccessible. The boat ramp is also under water, as is the land surrounding the boardwalk to the springs,” Maurer said.

Maurer says the decision to close after Elsa was in part due to more rain in the forecast, which could raise the level even higher.

“It's not as bad as Irma was,” said Maurer. “However, it's pretty substantial, which is why we were on the fence originally.” Maurer says Poe Springs will definitely be closed for the next two weekends, and possibly longer once they can assess the damage. They plan to evaluate the water levels weekly. Once the water does recede, the springs will still need extensive cleaning before reopening.

With the springs swimming area totally under water up to the restrooms and picnic area, crews are working to remove picnic tables and other free-floating items to restrict damage and keep them from floating into the river.

“We can’t really give a timeline on reopening until we see how much clean up and repair is needed,” Maurer said. “So currently the park is closed for a minimum of two weeks and possibly longer.”

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