MediaUpdate

​The Local Planning Agency and Planning Commission voted 3-2 against the 82-acre rezoning in April. The development is being led by Adams Homes and Garden Street Communities.

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​On Saturday, people got the chance to attend an emergency preparedness seminar.

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Owners of the Gainesville Juniors Volleyball Club hope this time they won't be turned down to become a tenant at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center.

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​Alachua County Commissioners Ken Cornell and Mary Alford were recently appointed to positions on the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) at its annual meeting.​

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The subcontractor that’s been running events at Alachua County’s Sports and Event Center is defending its role after county leaders found the official operator in default.​

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​At the July 8 Alachua County Commission meeting, the board heard from a large number of people about a proposed development near Paynes Prairie, approved a preliminary site plan for the Ironwood Industrial Park, and set the maximum property tax rates for next year.

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​Alachua County is working hard to make our community healthier through the implementation of a five-year Community Health Improvement Plan, or CHIP, that reflects county health priorities.

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​“The county has been wonderful working on the course for us and getting it to a safe condition,” Alachua County parkrun founder Shauna Dixon told Mainstreet after finishing a run on the new course. “I’m going to be very proud to show it off on Saturday at our inaugural event.” ​

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​The Alachua County Crisis Center is recruiting volunteers to answer its local crisis hotline with an eight-week training course scheduled to start on Sept. 20.

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​The Alachua County Commission on July 8 voted to terminate its agreement with Celebration Pointe over the operation of the Alachua County Sports & Events Center and take control of the facility this fall.

​​"While the early months of the Center were plagued by issues beyond our control that affected the ramp-up timeline of significant events and programming, we did persevere and through our concerted efforts brought several impactful events to ACSEC," Dyrkolbotn wrote in his response.

​Dyrkolbotn wrote that his operation of the center has helped the county in several ways like hosting the World Masters Athletics Indoor Championships — which generated more than $23 million and saw over 17,000 visitors — and was instrumental in securing the purchase of the West End Golf Course, claiming to save the county $3 million.

Lieberman said if the violations are not cured by July 11 at 5 p.m., the county will take over operations at the sports center, effective Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year.

​She elaborated that she did not want the county to interfere with any scheduled activities or events like its summer camps.

Commissioner Anna Prizzia expressed her concerns to Lieberman that that the county has no idea what it is taking on.

"I'm interested to understand the full budget cost of operations and revenues and if it makes sense to bring it in house or if it makes sense to contract operations with an organization that does this kind of thing," Prizzia said.

​Lieberman clarified that the board will have an opportunity to discuss several options during its next meeting in August, including possibly closing the center until a new operator steps in, a decision the county doesn't want take.

Drawing on a similar situation with the county owning but not operating the Alachua County Agriculture and Equestrian Center in Newberry, Commissioner Marihelen Wheeler said the decision is coming from a business perspective, not on friendship.

​Board Chair Charles Chestnut IV cited concerns over an audit after reviewing Celebration Pointe's recent letter of its generated revenue and how it was spent, to which Lieberman said she will have more information in August.

The county's decision to take control of the events center follows a bankruptcy filing by Celebration Pointe and multiple lawsuits filed against the developer by lenders and investors. Patricia A. Shively, the largest investor in the project, has claimed in a lawsuit that she was scammed into personally guaranteeing dozens of loans totaling more than $319 million to keep the project afloat, in addition to nearly $100 million in personal contributions to the project.

Among the loans guaranteed by Shively is an $8.4 million loan from Ken and Linda McGurn. The McGurns, who played a major role over the years in the development of downtown Gainesville, filed a lawsuit on May 20 against Shively, Dyrkolbotn and his wife.

​Ken McGurn told the Mainstreet Daily News that the money was used to help Viking Companies with its share of the sports center.

​Tommy Crosby, assistant county manager for Alachua County, said he anticipates a six-month timeline to find a new medical examiner. He said Thogmartin has spent the past year stabilizing the office following a few departures before launching the search.  

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​At the recent Florida Association of Counties (FAC) Annual Meeting, Alachua County Commissioner Ken Cornell was re-appointed chair of the Community & Urban Affairs Policy Committee for the 2025–2026 term. 

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​Alachua County Commissioner Mary Alford has been officially appointed as the District 9 Representative on the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) Board of Directors. Her appointment took place during the recent 2025 FAC Annual Meeting & Conference, where county commissioners from across the state were selected to serve on FAC’s 46-member Board.

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​Alachua County will take over operational control of the Alachua County Sports and Event Center this fall after sending a default letter to the current operator, Viking Companies, just two years after opening.

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​Alachua County leaders may be taking over operations of the sports center at Celebration Pointe after the operator failed to make payments and meet reporting requirements.

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​In June, Alachua County attorneys sent a notice of default for non-payment to CP Event Center Operations, LLC, the company that manages the event sports center.

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​At the July 8 Alachua County Commission meeting, the board voted to take over the operation of their Sports and Events Center from the current operator, which was declared to be in default of its contract.

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​A second parkrun event is coming to Alachua County.

West End Community Park will host a weekly parkrun beginning July 12 at 7:30 a.m. across from the Town of Tioga at 12830 W. Newberry Road.

The free, timed 5K event will be held every Saturday at the park, formerly known as the West End Golf Course. People of all ages and fitness levels are welcome to run or walk the event.

This event joins the Depot Park parkrun, near downtown Gainesville, which has been running for six years, and will become the 89th parkrun event in the U.S.​

​Participants are encouraged to register for free at parkrun.us to obtain a barcode, which is valid for any parkrun worldwide and never expires.

“The global parkrun movement is about fitness and community,” said Lisa Brosky, co-director of the West End parkrun, in a press release. “Everyone competes only with themselves. It is a very supportive community that welcomes experienced runners and those walking their first 5K. We even welcome ‘barkrunners,’ dogs on leashes.”

​Brosky and co-director Shauna Dixon, who started the Depot Park event, mentioned that the Depot Park event typically attracts 100 or more participants each Saturday, making it one of the largest events in the country.

“With the county opening this beautiful new park, we knew we had the opportunity to share parkrun with even more people,” Dixon said in a press release. “This community has been so welcoming to parkrun, and we believe both events will be highly successful.”

​Parkrun started at Bushy Park near London 20 years ago when a group of friends decided to hold a time trial. Since then, it has expanded to over 2,500 events in 23 countries, with notable growth in the U.S.Regular participants can earn “milestone” T-shirts for both running/walking and volunteering. These milestones are awarded at 25, 50, 100, 250 and 500 parkruns. Junior parkrunners, those under age 10, can earn a milestone shirt starting at 10 parkruns.

​Parkrun is run entirely by volunteers. Roles include timekeeping, barcode scanning, course setup, and tailwalking. The tailwalker ensures no one finishes last. Volunteers can include youth and teens. For more details, visit parkrun.us/westendcommunity.Other Florida parkruns are held at the Clermont Waterfront near Orlando, Weedon Island Preserve in St. Petersburg, Halsema Trailhead and Ed Austin Regional in Jacksonville, and Rec Plex North in Pensacola.