BY DAVID LIGHTMAN
HIGH SPRINGS, Fla. – At their April 10 Regular Meeting, the High Springs City Commission approved a special exemption allowing alcohol consumption at the upcoming Hot Rodding For Heroes Car Show and decided to replace City Attorney Scott Walker with Danielle Adams at one meeting each month.
Honoring SFHS Winter Guard and Honor Band participants
The meeting began with a video of a performance by the 18-member Santa Fe High School Winter Guard, which recently won a bronze medal at a state-level competition. Mayor Tristan Grunder presented the team with a certificate of recognition and thanked the students and their parents.
Next, the Alachua County High School Honor Band participants were recognized. Commissioner Katherine Weitz explained that the band consists of approximately 100 students from different schools, ages 14 to 18. Weitz introduced several band members sitting in the audience, and a video was shown of a recent performance. Grunder also presented the Honor Band with a certificate of recognition, and group photos were taken.
Public comment
During the public comment period, David Linch said small children are riding electric scooters at high speeds in High Springs, including on sidewalks with pedestrians. Linch said, “This is dangerous. Someone is going to get hurt or get killed, and the City Commissioners and the City Manager is responsible for the safety and well-being of each person that lives in High Springs, and I urge you to think about this.” Linch also mentioned High Springs’s unique historical concrete streets, and he urged Commissioners not to pave over them.
Grunder asked Police Chief J. Antoine Sheppard what can be done about children on scooters, and Sheppard said education is the only real option unless the State Legislature passes some new law. Grunder said, “I see them coming out of the school, Mr. Linch, and they are moving at a good pace down that sidewalk, and if they clipped a little kindergartener or something, that would be a problem.”
Suspending the alcohol consumption ordinance for an upcoming car show
City Manager Jeremy Marshall introduced the next item, discussing whether the alcohol consumption ordinance should temporarily be suspended for the upcoming Hot Rodding For Heroes Car Show, a one-day event. Marshall explained, “It’s held right here, over in front of the brewery. And each year, they ask, because… they can’t take the alcohol past that sign [where the brewery property ends], but you won’t be able to go look at the cars and walk around, so we suspend the ordinance for them to be able to go look at the cars and walk around. It’s just in the closed-off area.”
Weitz asked Grunder what Chief Sheppard thought about lifting the alcohol restrictions for the event. Sheppard said, “We don’t have any objections to it. We don’t usually have any problems. We ask that it be covered cups and that it be limited to that locality.”
Grunder said the group and the event are great for High Springs and for soldiers. Weitz made a motion to approve lifting the alcohol ordinance for the event, and Commissioner Wayne Bloodsworth seconded the motion. It passed 4-0, with Commissioner Chad Howell absent.
Designating Danielle Adams to replace Scott Walker as City Attorney at one meeting a month
The next item of business was discussing whether to move to a different City Attorney within the same law firm as the current City Attorney, Scott Walker. Weitz said, “If we were able to switch to Mr. [Clay] Martin, which is who I would like to consider – I would love Danielle [Adams], but she doesn’t live in Florida, and I’m concerned that you’re very busy – and I would just like to discuss a possibility of how that would happen, if the Commission were agreeable… Mr. Martin, he’s a High Springs guy, and you know, with his experience with Congressman Yoho in D.C., I think he brings a lot of experience.”
Walker said Adams lives in Boston, but she is in Florida every month and would definitely be up to the job. Walker said, “I have the ability to designate (a replacement), and I think she can be here at least one meeting per month, and we’ll see how that works… – maybe address that in six months again.”
Weitz said, “Just from a personal perspective, I think Clay kind of gets High Springs. That’s kind of why I’m drawn to Mr. Martin. But Danielle is an absolute rock star, and she has that really good balance.”
Walker responded, “My suggestion is, let’s try [Danielle Adams at one meeting every month] for a little bit and see how that works, and if you’re satisfied with it, we’ll continue with it. If you want to make a further change, then we’ll look at making a further change.”
Responding to a concern from Bloodsworth about High Springs not getting the level of attention it deserves from Walker, Walker said High Springs does have a number of problems to contend with, and he wouldn’t feel comfortable placing just any member of his staff there.
Commissioner Andrew Miller asked, “I feel like the question that we just keep dancing around is, is Mr. Clay an option?” Walker responded, “Right now, he’s got Lake City, and he’s full-on in Lake City. So I don’t really think, internally, that that’s going to work, to be totally honest with you, not right now.”
Grunder said, “I’m good with Danielle coming in for a meeting. There’s nothing wrong with trying something new.”
Walker agreed to move forward with the idea and evaluate it after six months.
During public comment on the agenda item, Janet Evans said, “Seven years of unresponsiveness that you mentioned is documented going with this law firm. I was disappointed to see on our agenda tonight that there wasn’t an option of going with a totally different law firm. I think that we have been paying for good service and we have not been receiving it… We have seen continued conflicts of interest with this law firm, and my suggestion is that we consider looking at a totally different firm.”
Grant extension for the Priest Theatre
The last item was a discussion of the Priest Theatre. City Manager Marshall said they received a grant deadline extension from the State because there have been some delays with the project and the Commission needed to approve extending the grant from June to December 31. Responding to Weitz, Marshall clarified that all of the work paid for under the grant will be completed by the end of the year.
Commissioner Miller made a motion to approve the grant extension, and Weitz seconded the motion. It passed 4-0, with Howell absent.
City Manager and Commission comments
During final comments, Marshall said he has been working with the County, and the City likely won’t have to repay all of the $260,000 in Wild Spaces Public Places funds that were received for the Canoe Outpost, as he originally feared they would be required to do.
Marshall said the Commission needs to develop a list of topics for the upcoming joint City-County Commission meeting.
During her comment time, Weitz made a motion to send a letter to the City of Alachua requesting affected party status for the Tomoka Hills development. Miller seconded her motion. It passed 4-0, with Howell absent.
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