Community Update
A Report on the Activities of Alachua County Government
This Issues Features:
County Staff Report available On Springhills DRI Substantial Deviation Request
April is month for crime survivors
County Meeting Reminder
County Crisis Center seeks counselors
SW 24th Ave Construction Workshop
Holocaust Remembrance Day
EPD holds Mobile Toxic Roundup events
What’s on Alachua County Talks?
Affordable Housing Forum
Commission Meeting Highlights
Let’s All Get Involved - Alachua County Advisory Boards
County Staff Report available On Springhills DRI Substantial Deviation Request
The Springhills Development of Regional Impact Substantial Deviation Request and Associated Comprehensive Plan Amendments staff report is available for public review here:
The staff report contains a very detailed review of the applicant’s request and a staff recommendation for denial. The bases for recommending denial include:
The Public Hearing to discuss the Springhills request is scheduled for May 1, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. at the Santa Fe Community College E Building Lecture Hall (auditorium), 3000 NW 83rd St., Gainesville.
For more information about the staff report and the Springhills request, please contact the Alachua County Growth Management Department at (352) 374-5249.
April is month for crime survivors
Across the nation, April is a month for remembering survivors of crime and looking more deeply at how our society can create change in preventing abuse and violence. Alachua County Victim Services & Rape Crisis Center will be recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Victims’ Rights Week, and Child Abuse Prevention Month with the following events:
April 20, 6:30 p.m.
NO! The Impact of Sexual Assault in the African American Community
Documentary film screening and discussion
Alachua County Health Department Auditorium
224 SE 24th Street
Free
April 22, 5 p.m.
An Empty Seat at the Table
Crime Victim Memorial Exhibit
Oaks Mall
Free
April 26, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Victim’s Rights Candlelight Vigil w/ Memorial Tile Painting and Tree Planting
Squirrel Ridge Park
1603 SW Williston Rd.
Free
Please contact Laura Kalt of the Alachua County Victim Services & Rape Crisis Center at (352) 264-6760 for more information about any of these events.
Springhills Public Hearing
SW 24th Avenue Construction Workshop
County Crisis Center seeks counselors
The Alachua County Crisis Center is seeking volunteers to become Crisis Line Counselors. Sixty hours of in-depth training are provided. This is an opportunity to influence the lives of fellow community members and to gain life-enhancing communication skills. The next training class begins Saturday, May 19, 2007.
Please contact Ali Martinez, Training Coordinator for the Alachua County Crisis Center at (352) 264-6782 or visit http://crisiscenter.alachuacounty.us for more information.
SW 24th Ave Construction Workshop
The Alachua County Engineering and Operations Division is inviting the public to a Public Information Workshop for the SW 24th Avenue Construction Project. This public workshop will be held on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at the Doyle Conner Complex at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services located at 1911 SW 34th St., Gainesville, FL.
The workshop will be conducted in an open house format (you may come and go any time) between 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. with a brief presentation at 7:30 p.m. Maps, drawings and other project information will be on display at the workshop. Construction team members will be available during the workshop to discuss the project and answer your questions. The public is encouraged to attend the workshop and share comments.
During Gainesville’s Annual Yom HaShoah Program commemorating the international Holocaust Remembrance Day, Paula M. DeLaney, Chair of the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners, will read a proclamation to recognize April 15, 2007 as “Holocaust Remembrance Day” in Alachua County, Florida. The program will be held at 7:00 p.m.on Sunday, April 15, 2007 at Congregation B’nai Israel, located at 3830 NW 16th Blvd. The program is sponsored by the Jewish Council of North Central Florida.
Sheila Kanter, renowned artist from Tucson, Arizona will also be in attendance as an honored guest, and her Holocaust oil paintings will be on display at the event.
Guest speaker Dr. Walter Ziffer will share his hope for human compassion in light of his experiences during the Nazi invasion of Europe: “The Holocaust and God--A Survivor Reflects.” He was born in Czechoslovakia and was interned in seven different concentration camps before being liberated in 1945. He has lectured extensively on the subject of the Holocaust, Theology, and Biblical Studies in the USA and Europe.
This program is free and open to the public. Families are encouraged to attend. For more information, please contact Jordan, Yom HaShoah Committee Chairman at (352) 331-4807.
EPD holds Mobile Toxic Roundup events
Alachua County’s Environmental Protection Department (EPD) recently conducted two Mobile Toxic Roundup events and will be holding two more in the near future. The Mobile Toxic Roundup events are periodic household hazardous waste (HHW) collection events where the EPD’s Hazardous Waste Collection Program staff host Saturday morning collections in the various neighborhoods and municipalities in Alachua County.
Two future Roundups are on the morning of April 14 in the N. Duval neighborhood, and the morning of April 21 as part of Keep Alachua County Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup at Westside Park.
Hazardous Waste Collection Program staff go to the homeowners instead of them having to drive to the Hazardous Waste Collection Center, providing an additional service to residents of the County. Staff drive a pickup truck to the site with a cargo trailer for the waste, collect the HHW, and return to the Collection Center for disposal. They are currently performing around 12-15 mobile collections per year. As with the HHW Program, this is a free service.
Some events are done in conjunction with The City of Gainesville and Keep Alachua County Beautiful in certain targeted areas to assist residents in beautifying their neighborhoods so they can take pride in their community. Others are done in conjunction with municipalities when requested, or as a periodic collection event in areas such as Haile Plantation, which are lengthy drives for homeowners.
The two most recent Mobile Toxic Roundup events were in Lincoln Estates and Micanopy. The Lincoln Estates event was done in conjunction with the City of Gainesville as part of the neighborhood clean-ups they do annually with Keep Alachua County Beautiful. The event in Micanopy is conducted annually in the spring. In the above box are the resulting amounts of waste collected from each event.
Lincoln Estates Neighborhood Mobile Toxic Roundup
TOTAL COLLECTED 3,902 POUNDS (1.95 TONS)
Town of Micanopy Mobile Toxic Roundup
TOTAL COLLECTED 4,383 POUNDS (2.19 TONS)
What’s on Alachua County Talks?
Tune into Alachua County Talks on Community 12 Your Local Government Channel.
Alachua County Fire Cheif Will May talks about fire assessment fees.
Alachua County Fire Rescue’s DJ Ferguson discusses special recruitment for Fire Rescue.
To view show times click here: http://www.alachuacounty.us/government/depts/comm/schedule.aspx
As a member of the Alachua County Affordable Housing Coalition, the Housing Programs office in the Department of Growth Management announces that the Alachua County Affordable Housing Coalition will host an Affordable Housing Forum on Wednesday, April 25, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Cooperative Extension Center (2800 NE 39th Ave., Gainesville). The forum will consist of two panel discussions, the first focusing on legislative initiatives such as property tax reform, and the second on local regulations designed to promote the development of affordable housing.
Panelists include Michael Chaney of the Florida Housing Coalition, Dr. Robert Stroh from the Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing, William Wright of the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and City of Gainesville Commissioner Craig Lowe.
For more information, please contact Ashon Nesbitt, Assistant Housing Programs Manager, and Secretary for the Alachua County Affordable Housing Coalition at (352) 337-6284 or anesbitt@alachuacounty.us.
Presentations, Proclamations and Recognitions
Advisory Board and Committee Reports
The Board accepted the Annual Report of the Alachua County Fair Housing Human Rights Board
The Board heard the presentations by the Alachua County Public Works staff and the Chair of the Historic Commission on the Scott-Phifer House project and directed the Public Works staff to proceed with either the bid process or the sole source certification process to complete the project within budget.
County Attorney
The Board approved the Brown and Kamemi: Partial Settlement to resolve Eminent Domain Claims/SW 24th Avenue Road Project (Brown, Kamemi the partial settlement terms, including payment of $353,822.06 to Brigham-Moore, LLP, Trust Account. Amount: $463,639.06
The Board approved the ABC research Corp: Partial Settlement to resolve Eminent Domain Claims/SW 24th Avenue Road Project (ABC Research, Corp.). Amount: $392,656.65
County Manager
The Board approved the task based agreement with Alachua County and Advantek Consulting Engineering, Inc. to provide professional consulting services relating to energy systems.
Community Planning Group
The Board directed staff to continue development of ten year long term concurrency management system.
The Board approved the new fairgrounds deed restriction and authorized the Chair’s signature on the deed restriction; approved the County Manager’s creation of a Fairgrounds Stakeholders Work Group to prepare a new Fairgrounds Master Plan for the Weseman property; and authorize the county staff to initiate a comprehensive plan text amendment to the Industrial Land Use Policies for a fairgrounds use.
The Board heard a presentation regarding the Future Traffic Circulation Map(FTCM) Project and directed staff to proceed with the map project as presented.
Let’s All Get Involved - Alachua County Advisory Boards
The Alachua County Commission is committed to citizen involvement on its 33 advisory boards and is soliciting applications for the following vacancies:
Board of Adjustment : One citizen-at-large
CHOICES Health Services Advisory Board : One Health Policy Professional, one Hospital Employee, one Certified Public Accountant
Citizens Disability Advisory Committee : Two citizens-at-large
Community Agency Partnership Program: One citizen-at-large
Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee : Three citizens-at-large, one alternate
Cultural and Environmental Funding Advisory Board : One Heritage organization member, one Alachua County resident alternate
Economic Development Advisory Board : One representative of UF
Energy Conservation Strategies Commission: One representative of UF; one former elected official from the City of Gainesville; one former elected official of the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners; six possessing demonstrated expertise and/or advanced training in the areas of demandside management, LEED or Green Building Code standards, renewable energy technologies or a related field; and one alternate.
Environmental Protection Advisory Board : One alternate
Fair Housing Human Rights Board : One lending institution representative, one alternate
Health Care Board : One Alachua County Dental Association representative, one citizen who is a Low Income Health Care Consumer, two citizen representatives of Community Advocacy Groups
Historical Commission : Three citizens-at-large
Local Planning Agency and Planning Commission: One citizen-at-large, one Building Industry Related citizen
Poverty Reduction Advisory Board : Two citizens-at-large with a disability, one citizen 55 or older, one low income citizen, one representative of faith-based organization
Regional Transit System Advisory Board : One senior citizen
Tourist Development Council : One alternate citizen-at-large
Veterans Service Advisory Board : One citizen-at-large, one citizen-at-large (alternate), one VFW Representative
Victims Services and Rape Crisis Center Advisory Council : Two citizens-at-large, one alternate
Thank you for your continued interest in County Government!
Community Update is produced by the County Manager's Communications Office.