MonitorKeystone@Gmail.com • www.StarkeJournal.comDeadline Monday 5 p.m. before publication • Phone 352-473-2210 • Fax 352-473-2210

Y M

C K

USPS 114-170 — Keystone Heights, Florida Thursday, June 15, 2017 44th Year — 6th Issue — 75 CENTS

Weekend Weather: more rain coming

Thursday - Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%.Thursday Night - Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Chance of precipitation is 60%.Friday - Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. Chance of precipitation is 60%.Friday Night - Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 60%.Saturday - Showers and thunderstorms likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 89. Chance of precipitation is 70%.Saturday Night - A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70.Sunday - A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.Sunday Night - A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72.

Worth noting

Free summer meals at

Keystone Heights Elementary

Clay County District Schools’ Food and Nutrition Services Department will launch its annual Free Summer Meals Program at Keystone Heights Elementary School from June 12 through Aug. 4.

Breakfast will be served from 8 a.m. – 9 a.m., and lunch will be served from noon - 1 p.m. No application is required for children under the age of 18 to receive a free meal during these times, and meals will be available to accompanying adults for $2.00.

No meal service will be available on Tuesday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day.

Wreaths Across America

Volunteers are needed for Wreaths Across America fundraisers. This year’s event at the Keystone Heights Cemetery will be on Saturday, Dec. 16 at noon. Organizers hope to place over 700 wreaths this year.

The donation for one wreath is $15, but donors can buy two for $30 and get a third wreath free. Make your check out to Wreaths Across America and put the code: FLKHMG and FL0217 on the check. Donations without the proper coding could result in wreaths shipped to the wrong site.

Please send your order and check to Wreaths Across America, P.O. Box 25, Keystone Heights FL. 32656 Attn: Joan or Harry.

Our Country Day parade and 5K applications now available

The 5k (3.1 mile) run is open to all runners and walkers. Wheelchairs & baby strollers are permitted. No bikes, skates, skate shoes, skateboards or scooters allowed. Entry fee is $35 through June 27 (postmarked and paid) $40 through July 4th. Packets will be available for pick up at City Hall (555 South Lawrence Boulevard, Keystone Heights, FL 32656) on Monday, July 3 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. and Tuesday, July 4 from 6:30-7:30 a.m.

Professional chip timing by Milestone Race Authority. The race will be timed and scored by Jaguar Timing Systems electronic bib tag. Your entry fee covers the cost of the disposable chip which does not need to be returned.

All runners/walkers must have an entry number to participate in the event. The run begins at 8:00 a.m. The roads will reopen at 9:30 a.m.

Visit ItsYourRace.com to register online. http://OurCountryDay5K.itsyourrace.com

T-shirts to all pre-registered entrants. Late and race day entrants are not guaranteed a t-shirt.

Proceeds will benefit Lake Region Kiwanis Club youth programs & Lake Area Ministries.

See COUNTRY, 2A

Mr. Dooley’s last dayMarcus Dooley completes 21 years as McRae Elementary’s first and only principal

Mayor: Volun-teers for Our Country Day urgently needed

BY DAN HILDEBRANMonitor Editor

Keystone Heights Mayor Tony Brown said last week that volunteers are urgently needed for the community’s Our-Country-Day events on July Fourth.

Brown said he was making the request on behalf of the Our Country Day Committee, a nonprofit group which organizes the Independence Day events.

Volunteers are needed to assist with armband sales and gate entrances for the fireworks display, in addition to set up and clean up throughout the day for various events.

Each year, Our Country Day draws thousands of people to Keystone Heights, with an early morning 5K run and a 10 a.m. parade produced by Lake Region Kiwanis, in addition to an evening fireworks display at Keystone Beach, a street dance the weekend before the holiday and other events staged around city hall.

Brown said that over the past several years, the number of volunteers for the day-long celebration have steadily declined.

“If the community wants to continue to have this event in a safe environment,” he said, “we are going to have to have volunteers to help.”

Anyone interested in volunteering should call Our Country Day Commander Shade Hilton at 352-575-1135.

High school honors scholarship recipients

Keystone Heights High School honored its top graduates on May 30 during the school’s annual Class Night. Scholarships and awards handed out during the ceremony included:

—Briggle-Bradley Scholarship: Kaitlyn Cline

—Key Club Scholarship: Savannah Bell, Sarah Pickett

McRae Elementary School Principal Marcus Dooley marked his last day of classes on the campus by carrying out a tradition he started in his first year. After the final bell, while the song “Hallelujah” played over the school’s public-address system, busses filled with departing students circled the bus loop several times, with horns blaring and with students and teachers bidding each other goodbye. Dooley is retiring in December and Superintendent Addison Davis transferred Dooley to the district’s Green Cove Springs central office for the final six months of his career. Keystone Heights Elementary School Assistant Principal Tammy Winkler is McRae’s new principal. Pictured is Dooley waving goodbye to students. Photo: Eileen Johnson for McRae Elementary School

Softball team going to state

The Keystone Heights, Babe Ruth Softball U8 team won the District 3 championship last weekend in Alachua. The title game marked the team’s 30th consecutive win, continuing its undefeated season. The team travels to Lake City June 29 through July 2 for the state tournament. (L-r) Front row: Riley Shuford, Briyten Cooper, Haylee Groff and Isabella Cumbo.Middle Row: Bryley Lee, Audry Cisco, Addison Smith, Alee Horton, Amberlea Wagner, Alexis Taylor, Kadence Massey-Hoadley and Xana Briley.Back row: Coach Amanda Wagner, Coach Brandon Smith and Coach Will Massey.

School district: Students shine in state test resultsClay County exceeds the state average in Math, English Language Arts, and Social Studies

The Florida Department of Education released state assessment results last week for the 2016-2017 academic year.

The School District of Clay County said preliminary data indicated noteworthy gains in multiple areas at the elementary and secondary levels. The

district said in a news release that a few of the more promising outcomes included:

— English Language Arts Florida Standards Assessments for third through sixth grades improved by 15 points and

See TESTS, 2A

See CLASS, 2A

2A Lake Region Monitor • Thursday, June 15, 2017

Education Government and politics

USPS 114-170Published each Thursday and entered as Periodical Postage

Paid at Keystone Heights, Florida under Act of March 3, 1879.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:

Lake Region MonitorP.O. Drawer A - Starke, FL 32091

7382 SR 21 - Keystone Heights, FL 32656Phone: (352) 473-2210 • (352) 473-6721

John M. Miller, PublisherSubscription Rate in Trade Area $39.00 per year: $20.00 six monthsOutside Trade Area: $39.00 per year:$20.00 six months

Editor: Dan HildebranSports Editor: Cliff SmelleyAdvertising: Kevin MillerTypesetting: Eileen GilmoreAdvertising &Newspaper Prod: C. HurstonBookkeeping & Classified Adverts: Heather WheelerBookkeeping Asst: Linda LacombeFront office Asst: Beth Tillman

Lake Region Monitor

The 5k starts and finishes on Lawrence Boulevard in front of City Hall. This well shaded course winds through the neighborhoods surrounding Keystone Heights Elementary School. Water stations are located at mile 1, 2.25 and the start/finish area.

Awards will be given to the top Winners in age categories, following the conclusion of the race.

Parade lineup is on July 4th from 9:00 am to 9:45. Judging is at 10:00. Parade Procession begins at 11:00.

The parade will form at the front of Keystone Heights Elementary School, located on Pecan Street. Parade Marshals will be on site at 9 a.m. to locate parade positions and assist entries in obtaining a place in line. No entry will be allowed to enter the parade once the parade is underway. Parade applications are available at city hall and Mallard’s Dollarama.

Build a Better World: 2017

Summer Reading Program Theme

The Keystone Heights Branch of the Clay County Library System invites area children of all ages, to take part in the many and varied activities scheduled during the period between June 12 and July 21.

Featured, are days - Monday through Friday, for Lego

construction, a variety of tabletop games, Preschool Storytime, special guest programs for afternoon and evening, and Crafty Kids. On Saturdays – stop in and see what is being offered as unscheduled, drop-in fun.

The goal of the Summer Program is to get, and keep, our children engaged in reading - as entertainment, and as support for reading skills retention during the summer break from school.

We will hold Preview and Registration Days for activities planned for all of our community kids - all ages.

Visit with us Friday and Saturday, June 9th and June 10th to see what we will be doing!

Register soon, and join us beginning -

June 12th @ 2:00pm for “Build it with Lego”

June 13th @ 2:00pm for “The Game Zone”

June 14th @ 10:30am for “Summer Friends” preschool story time

June 15th @ 6:00pm for “Lew E’s Laugh Factory” special program

June 16th @ 2:00pm “Crafty Kids - Summer Style”

June 17th from10:30-3:30 “Drop-in” and make your own fun activities.

Registration is appreciated, but not required on these dates.

You may call or visit at any time, for further information - 352-473-4286, 175 Oriole Street, or visit our website: Library.claycountygov.com

How-To Fest at the Melrose Library

How-To Fest at the Melrose Library on Friday, June 16 from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. Learn 10 Things in two hours. Learn a variety of fun and useful skills from local experts, business leaders, artists, and crafters – as well as from your friendly library staff and volunteers! There will be various instructor-led workshops set up throughout the library with topics ranging from the high tech to the traditional and so much more.

Teens/Adults:How to Get Started with 3D

printingHow to Use a Vinyl Cutter

for Fun and ProfitHow to Use the USPS to

Streamline your ShippingHow to Spin Yarn and How

to CrochetHow to Make Fast, Healthy

SnacksHow to Age Your Brain

GracefullyHow to Create and Care

for BonsaiHow Florida Native

Americans LivedChildren:How to Read to a DogHow to Hula HoopHow to Be a Karate KidHow to be a Fire FighterCall the library at 352-475-

1237 for more information. The library is located at 312 Wynnwood Avenue in Melrose behind the Post Office.

COUNTRYContinued from 1A

outpaced the state gain of nine points;

— English Language Arts Florida Standards Assessments for third through fifth grades ranked 10th in the state;

— Math Florida Standards Assessments for third through sixth grades improved by 10 points and outpaced the state gain of nine points;

— Math Florida Standards Assessments for Grade 6 ranked third in the state;

— Seventh grade English Language Arts Florida Standards Assessments improved by seven points, outpacing the state gain of three points;

— Algebra I end-of-course assessments improved by nine points and ranked 10th in the state;

— Civics end-of-course assessments ranked fifth in the state;

— U.S. History end-of-course assessments ranked sixth in the state.

“Overall, I am proud of the results released today,” Superintendent Addison Davis

said in a news release. “It is evident that our students, teachers, support staff, and administrators have done tremendous work toward improving student achievement. I am confident that our blueprint has established a common purpose for providing our students with high quality tasks and activities that will lead to excellence in the years to come. We will continue to strengthen our focus for preparing students to become college, career, and life ready as a full option graduate.”

TESTSContinued from 1A

—Lake Region Kiwanis and Lion’s Club Scholarship: Emily Bertie, Felicity Sturdivant

—Forever Sisters of the Lake: Allison Fritch

—Keystone Heights Woman’s Club Scholarship: Mary Jo Peters, Felicity Sturdivant, Hailey Turner.

—Ryan Rossano Scholarship, awarded by the KHHS baseball program: Tyler Ricketts: Josh Sheppard

—William Scott Wilkes Scholarship: Gage Hall;

—Robbie Davis Scholarship awarded by the Keystone Baseball Academy: Tyler Keaton, Pierson Lewis.

—Clay Electric Scholarship: Abigail Loose;

—Clay County Golf Classic Scholarship: Hailey Turner

—Emily Rund Champion’s Heart: Michael Dickinson, McKenzie Williams;

—Colonel Samuel Elbert Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution Citizenship Award: Johnathan Eisiliones;

—General Roy S. Geiger Leadership Award: Allison Fritch;

—Duty-Owens Family Scholarship: Abigail Lesch, Abigail Loose, Brody Reed;

—Mingledorff Family Scholarship: Hailey Turner;

—Rotary Club of Keystone Heights Scholarship: Danielle Laraway, Charlee Montford;

—Glenn Harris Memorial Scholarship: Anna Wilkes

—Kathy Beard Scholarship: Hailey Turner, Michael Dickinson

—Hubert White Scholarship: Mary Jo Peters

—Sons of the AMVETS Scholarship: Riley Dingman, Brody Reed

—AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary of Keystone Heights, Post 86Scholarship: Emily Bertie, Jordan Jennings, Kaitlyn Cline

—Savannah Santos Scholarship: Caleigh Lepanto

—FFA Alumni Award: Charlee Montford, Marissa Williams, Hailey Turner;

—Clay County Fair Association Scholarship: Hailey Turner, Marissa Williams;

—Shane Savoy Culinary Scholarship: Victoria Savoy;

—Wes Whiddon Family Athletic Scholarship: Michael Dickinson;

—Erin L. Erxleben/HOSA Scholarship: Christian Pulgarin

—Frank Towers-Camp Blanding Scholarship: Hailey Turner;

—Miss KHHS 2016 Scholarship: Mykayla McLeod;

—Miss KHHS Scholastic Award: Hailey Turner;

—2 words Character Development – Florida 4A Letterman to Leader Scholarship: Abigail Loose, Rian Prieto

—Carson Scholarship KHHS Nominee: Abigail Loose .

The school also recognized scholarships won by students at specific colleges, potential money for G.I. bill for students entering the military, dual-enrolled graduates, Bright Futures Scholarship winners and honor cord recipients.

Inductees into the school’s hall of fame included Valedictorian: Jonathan Valldejuli, Salutatorian: Brody Reed and Luke Dennis, Abigail Loose, Charlee Montford, Brandy Ramos a nd McKenzie Williams.

CLASSContinued from 1A

Students elect council, class offi cersKeystone Heights High School

students elected their officers to represent the school on the student council last week. The new officers for the upcoming school year are:

Brandon Ludwig-Student Council President;

Megan Moncrief-Student Council Vice President;

Jenna Coleman-Student Council Secretary and

Christian Buchanan-Student Council Treasurer.

Senior Class officers elected

were Makayla Smith-President, MaryBeth Stager-Vice President, Katie Sue Walls-Secretary and Ashley Hicks-Treasurer.

Junior Class officers are Stevie Rodriguez-President, Victoria Bannon-Vice President, Preston Williams-Secretary and Austin Tibbets-Treasurer.

Sophomore Class officers are: Mandy Rodriguez-President,

Perla Alonzo-Vice President, Mikaeli Sanders-Secretary and Emily Loose-Treasurer.

Student Council President

Brandon Ludwig said he and the council hope to bring improvements to the school, such as covered walkways to the gym and the pick-up line, more events for junior high students and other programs.

“We already go to a great school,” he said. “If we can address the few problems we have, it’s gonna leave a lasting impact for students here for years to come.”

Marijuana bill headed to Governor’s desk

Legislation to implement the 2016 medical marijuana constitutional amendment is headed to the governor’s desk after lawmakers overwhelmingly approved implementing legislation during the Special Session. The wide-ranging legislation (SB 8-A) will gi ve guidance to state regulators as they put the state’s constitutional amendment medical marijuana into eff ect. Sponsored by Sen. Rob Bradley and Rep. Ray Rodrigues, the bill, among other things, requires the Department of Health to license 10 new growers by October, and allows for four new growers for every 100,000 patients. It also limits the number of retail facilities a grower can have to 25, but allows more to come online as the patient population. The cap expires in 2020. Gov. Scott said he will sign the bill into law.Photo: Sen. Rob Bradley gets a hug from Sen. Dana Young after his medical marijuana implementation bill passed on the fl oor of the Senate on the fi nal day of the Special Session. (Photo by Phil Sears for FloridaPolitics.com)

Bradley’s stand-your-ground bill signed into lawBY DAN HILDEBRAN

Monitor EditorGov. Rick Scott signed Sen.

Rob Bradley’s change to the state’s stand-your-ground law

The 2005 stand-your-ground law allows residents to use deadly force to protect their lives or property under certain circumstances. The statute reversed earlier law, which required them to first attempt to flee.

A 2015 Florida Supreme

Court ruling said defendants who claimed immunity from prosecution under the stand-your-ground statute, must prove in a pre-trial hearing that they were acting in self-defense. Bradley’s measure shifts the burden of proof in the pre-trial hearing from the defendant to prosecutors.

“The government has the burden of proof in a criminal case from the beginning of a case until the end,” Bradley said

in a statement when filing the bill. “This fundamental premise is guaranteed in our Constitution and understood intuitively by all Floridians.”

Opponents of the change, including Florida’s state attorneys, said that requiring prosecutors to prove defendants did not use self-defense in a pre-trial hearing would force them to try cases twice, giving defense lawyers a look at their cases.

BY DAN HILDEBRANMonitor Editor

The CEO of Tom’s High on the Hog Real Pit Barbecue asked Lake Region business leaders to support his plan to build an RV resort near the restaurant, during the association’s June mixer last week.

Vincent Esson said he preferred calling the proposal an RV resort rather than an RV park.

“When I hear ‘park,’” he said, “I think of a trailer park.”

Esson said his firm is modeling the Tom’s project on an RV facility in Williston.

“It has different amenities, beautiful landscaping, it’s a true gem,” he said of the Williston property. “It’s not just a piece of land with a bunch of spots and just one building. We’re going to have multiple facilities and it’s going to be really nice.”

Esson said the resort would create energy for the area. He added that the restaurant’s entrance has become a revolving door for people looking for jobs.

He also said his motivation for building the project is his love for the area.

“I really fell in love with Keystone,” he said. “I care about the people. I care about the local community and I care about helping the local businesses.”

Esson said that when he first approached Bradford County commissioners about his plans, they were enthusiastic. However, county leaders expressed concern about a lack of fire and emergency medical services in the area.

“We said no problem,” Esson recalled. “We’re going to commit to $150,000 to build up the local fire station.”

Esson said his team also met with Department of Transportation officials whom concluded that because of traffic on S.R. 100, the entrance to the facility would have to be on C.R. 21B instead of the state highway.

Esson then repeated complaints about the special

exception hearing before Bradford County commissioners that Tom’s lawyers made in an appeal after commissioners denied Tom’s request for a special exception on April 20.

False information and a hostile environment

“Somebody’s going out and putting letters in people’s mailboxes in the local community, saying how we’re going to pump raw sewage into the lake, how we’re going to destroy the lake. It created all this false information,” Esson said.

He added that opponents to the project created a hostile environment during the hearing.

Esson said that claims by opponents that RV resort residents would monopolize the Santa Fe Lake boat ramp were ridiculous.

“We said, ‘RVs aren’t going

to haul boats from Canada,’” he recalled.

He said opponents took over the meeting by chanting and shouting down project supporters.

“It was horrible,” he recalled. “We were bullied. The commissioners were bullied.”

Esson said that commissioners whom expressed support for the project before the hearing, were intimidated into withdrawing that support.

He added that as the meeting descended into chaos, he tried a different tact.

“We tried to stop the process,” he recalled. “We said, ‘hey listen, there are some unanswered questions in the community. We would like to address them in a workshop – educate these people. We’re not hiding anything.’ They should have stopped the meeting then. It wasn’t stopped.”

BY DAN HILDEBRANMonitor Editor

Two opponents of a proposed RV park near Tom’s High on the Hog Real Pit Barbecue Inc. are disputing claims made by Tom’s in its appeal to the Bradford County Zoning Board.

Stasia Rudolph and Tom Germano said they are also planning their presentation to the Bradford County Commission, hoping the panel will uphold its earlier action, denying a special exception which would have allowed the project to move forward.

On April 20, Tom’s Barbecue officials told county commissioners they hoped to build a 400-lot RV park near the restaurant, which is located at the intersection of Southeast C.R. 21B and S.R. 100.

County commissioners, acting as their own planning and zoning board, denied Tom’s request for a special exception.

The company then filed an appeal to the board, asking for a hearing before the county commission.

Expecting a large turnout for the appeal hearing, county officials have delayed the hearing to July and moved its location from the courthouse to the Charlie E. Johns Conference Center.

Park opponents dispute appeal claims

In its appeal, Tom’s claimed residents opposing the project spread misinformation about the proposal, prevented Tom’s from presenting evidence at the April 20 hearing and interfered with the company’s due process rights.

Rudolph and Germano disputed all those claims.

“It’s totally false that they were not allowed to make a presentation,” Rudolph said.

Rudolph, who spoke to commissioners during the April meeting, said company officials spoke first during the special exception hearing. She added that the crowd remained silent until a company representative claimed RV park residents would have no interest in boating on Lake Santa Fe. She said the claim drew a verbal response from the crowd, but company officials nevertheless finished their presentation.

Germano and Rudolph said the company’s claims that park opponents spread misinformation about the project were overblown.

Germano said that because of the short notice residents were given about the special exception request and because of the lack of project information given out

by company and county officials before the hearing, “people did the best with the information that was available.”

The appeal request also claims the hearing was chaotic and project opponents were severe and dominating.

“Mere words on paper cannot capture the tones and attitudes of the opposition,” Tom’s lawyers wrote in the appeal request. “To give some context – at least one member had to be forcibly removed by the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office.”

Rudolph said the person removed from the hearing was her husband.

“During the meeting, I addressed the commissioners with my concerns about the project,” she explained. “Later in the meeting, (a spokesman for the applicant) called me a liar and my husband was reacting to that.”

“We are reasonable people.”

Since the April 20 hearing, Germano and Rudolph have been talking to area residents about the project and preparing for the appeal hearing. Some residents started the Facebook page: “Protect our Swamp and Lakes – Stop the RV park” to express their concerns.

As of press time, the group planned to hold a meeting at Mossman Hall in Melrose on June 14. The Telegraph-Times-Monitor was unable to report on the event in time for the June 15 issues.

Rudolph said Tom’s and county commissioners underestimated opposition to the plan, and came to the special exception meeting

unprepared to answer tough questions.

She added that Tom’s made a deal with the Clay County Utility Authority to handle sewer at the park by running a sewer line from the property to CCUA’s treatment plant behind the Keystone Village Shopping Center, home to Hitchcock’s Market.

“They thought they had a free pass because of their deal with Clay County Utilities,” she said, “but their presentation (during the special exception hearing) had no science, no environmental (study), no nothing.”

Germano said that if Tom’s had presented environmental studies to back up their claims, many of the project’s opponents would have listened.

“We are reasonable people,” he said.

Rudolph added that when Florida Power and Light first proposed a 1,314-acre solar farm between Melrose and Hawthorne, many locals were worried about the environmental impact of the project. She said that FPL, like Tom’s was surprised by the response and concern among area residents about the plan. However, unlike Tom’s, the utility answered those concerns by communicating with locals and answering questions.

“They have no plan.”

Rudolph said that now, there remain too many unanswered questions about the RV park.

“There are wetlands within that property,” she said. “What’s the plan for the wetlands? What if they can’t complete the project? Is there an exit strategy? If they can’t complete the RV park, will they convert it into a trailer park? We never heard a flood plan. They’re proposing a massive, paved development in an environmentally-sensitive area and they have no plan.”

She also said the magnitude of the 400-lot project worries many residents.

“If we were talking about 20 hookups next to the restaurant,” she said, “that would be fine. But with 400 lots, that’s like adding 30 percent of Melrose’s population.”

Thursday, June 15, 2017 • Lake Region Monitor 3A

Supporters and opponents of RV park prepare for Bradford hearingTom’s Barbecue seeks support for RV resort RV Park opponents: Too many unanswered questions

Stasia Rudolph and Tom Germano at the Melrose Café, discussing their opposition to the proposed Tom’s

Barbecue RV Park.

Keystone-Lake Region Business Association President Harold Gilstrap (right) introduces Tom’s High on the

Hog Real Pit Barbecue CEO Vincent Esson to the group. Esson asked business leaders to support his effort to build an RV resort next to the restaurant. Gilstrap said

the association is taking no official position on the project.

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See TOM’S, 4A

4A Lake Region Monitor •Thursday, June 15, 2017

UF researcher: Study shows later school performance of preemies is often comparable to full-term infants

Health and lifestyle Environment

Commissioner: “I can’t sleep at night.”

Esson said that after the meeting, he and his partner were prepared to take their proposal elsewhere, perhaps Tampa. However, some commissioners expressed remorse for how the hearing went, and asked the applicants to appeal the vote.

“One of them said, ‘I couldn’t sleep at night,’” Esson said of his discussions with commissioners. “’You guys were treated unfairly. We made the wrong decision. Would you please come back and appeal?’”

Esson said he and his partner eventually gave into the commissioners’ pleas.

“I love Keystone,” he told the business group. “I want to invest money here.”

Economic impact He also said that the resort

will benefit not just resort owners, but the entire business community.

“When people come to this resort, they’re going to get a pamphlet, free of charge, with a listing of all the local businesses and a map of the local area,” he said. “They’re going to come, they’re going to go to Ace Hardware. They’re going to go to Johnny’s Barbecue, they’re going to go to the supermarket and they’re going to spend money.”

Esson said that within an 18-month period, RV resort residents will spend over $1 million in the local economy.

He said that business leaders who want to boost economic activity should speak at the July 20 appeal hearing and support his project.

“The commissioners want to hear from people that want economic growth in the community,” he said.

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LEGALS

LRM Legals 6/15/17

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTIONNotice is hereby given that pursuant to the Florida Self Storage Facility Act Statutes (Section 83.801, 83.809), Lake Area Storage, LLC, will sell the following items to the highest and best bidder on Wednes-day, June 28, 2017 at 9:00 A.M. (EST) at 7101 SR 21, Keystone Heights, Florida 32656: Unit# 342, containing misc. house-hold items.

6/15 2tchg 6/22-LRM

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTIONNotice is hereby given that pursuant to the Florida Self Storage Facility Act Statutes (Section 83.801, 83.809), Lake Area Storage, LLC, will sell the following items to the highest and best bidder on Wednes-day, June 28, 2017 at 9:00 A.M. (EST) at 7101 SR 21, Keystone Heights, Florida 32656: Unit# 207, containing misc. house-hold items.

6/15 2tchg 6/22-LRM

TOM’SContinued from 3A

While premature babies sometimes display developmental impairments, a study by a group that includes a University of Florida researcher indicates that not all preemies perform poorly in school.

The study examined birth and public school records of 1.3 million children born in Florida between 1992 and 2002 and found that premature infants in public schools often performed at levels comparable to children born at full term on tests of kindergarten readiness and standardized math and reading tests.

In fact, the study showed that about two-thirds of those born extremely prematurely — at 23 to 24 weeks gestation — later were considered ready to enter kindergarten. Additionally, nearly 2 percent were categorized as “gifted” by middle school age. While these extremely premature babies often scored low on standardized tests, preterm infants born 25 weeks or later performed only slightly lower than full-term infants. In fact, as the length of pregnancy increased after 28 weeks, the differences in test scores were negligible.

The study was published June 12 in JAMA Pediatrics by a group led by a team of Northwestern University physicians and economists that also includes Jeffrey Roth, Ph.D., research professor emeritus in the UF College of Medicine’s department of pediatrics’ division of neonatology.

“The conventional wisdom is that extreme prematurity is very deleterious to educational accomplishment,” said Roth. “The fact that two thirds of these kids showed up ready to start school is very reassuring. When physicians talk with parents

about the prospects for their newborn infant, they can say that some very premature babies do brilliantly. That’s comforting to both parents and physicians.”

The study’s lead author echoed those thoughts.

“What excites me about this study is that it changes the focus for the clinician and families at the bedside from just focusing on the medical outcomes of the child to what the future educational outcomes might be for the child born early,” said Craig Garfield, M.D, also an attending physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and an associate professor of pediatrics and of medical social sciences at

Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

The study examined birth certificates from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics for all babies born from 23 to 41 weeks’ gestation. Researchers then matched the certificates with Florida public school records from the Florida Department of Education. Those included scores on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test, or FCAT, for students in third through eighth grade.

Roth said Florida’s willingness to link health and education data makes it an ideal location for conducting this kind of longitudinal analysis and one of the few places in the United

States where such a large study could take place.

Roth acknowledged that a weakness of studies that use these kinds of administrative data sets is that birth and school records do not contain other information about important events in a student’s life that may affect cognitive performance.

“We have a snapshot at birth and we have a snapshot at school,” he said. “We don’t yet have a lot of information about what happened in between: What illnesses did these premature children contract? Did they live near a toxic waste site? How good was their pre-school? What elements in their environment could be optimized to help them develop academically over the long term?”

While the study noted that degree of prematurity was associated with worse educational outcomes, Roth said the results were generally encouraging in that most babies born extremely premature end up performing reasonable well in school.

“Our future work in this area will focus on what parents and service providers can do to help future premature children to achieve their full potential,” Garfield said.

The study was led by faculty members at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and the Institute for Policy Research in Evanston. Funding support was provided by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, the Smith Richardson Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the National Center for the Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research.

“We have a snapshot at birth and we have a snapshot at school,” he said. “We don’t yet have a lot of information about what happened in between...”

Annual report shows recent water use increase as rainfall decreases

Annual reporting conducted by the St. Johns River Water Management District shows that total water use was approximately two percent above the 10-year average, and was 14 percent higher than 2015, while total population increased about two percent. The district’s 2016 Survey of Annual Water Use was presented at the district’s June Governing Board meeting.

“On the heels of an unusually dry year, water conservation remains a crucial tactic to ensure sustainable use of Florida’s water,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Dr. Ann Shortelle. “We commend the efforts of citizens, local governments and all water users who make water conservation a year-round priority. No action is too small.”

At less than 46 inches, 2016 was the fourth driest year in the last decade and one of the driest of the last five years.

Data collected shows that public supply continues to account for the greatest total water use within the

district. Between 2007 and 2016, public supply water use decreased by 6 percent (from 611.47 million gallons per day (mgd) to 575.29 mgd), while the population served by public supply increased approximately 3 percent (from 4,081,029 to 4,218,862 persons).

Factors such as

conservation, less landscape irrigation with potable water and increases in multifamily housing occupancy can decrease gross per capita rates. Conversely, expanded tourism and other commercial development, larger irrigated lots, and increases in single family housing can increase gross per capita rates. Since 1978, population increased by 189 percent while public supply water use increased by 146 percent.

The district has published annual water use data since 1978. These “annual water use surveys” assess total water use, with data arranged by source, category of use, and county. Water Use amounts are based on the best available data at the time of publication. Published reports can be found on the district’s website, www.sjrwmd.com.

At less than 46 inches, 2016 was the fourth driest year in the last decade and one of the driest of the last five years.

BY DAN HILDEBRANMonitor Editor

Gov. Rick Scott has appointed Janet Price of Fernandina Beach to the St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board, filling a vacant seat that represents the St. Mary’s River Basin and the adjacent coastal area. The appointment takes effect immediately and runs through March 1, 2018.

“We welcome Ms. Price and the knowledge and proven leadership she brings to the board,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Dr. Ann Shortelle. “Her experience and understanding of Florida’s unique environment will benefit our entire 18-county district as we continue to prioritize vital projects that protect our water resources now and into the future.”

Price is the corporate environmental manager for Rayonier Inc. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Alabama and her master’s degree from the University of Alabama.

“I’m pleased to be appointed to serve on the district’s governing board,” said Price. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to put my experience with environmental management to good use helping protect and restore our natural resources.”

The nine member governing board sets policies and procedures for operation of the district. The board holds monthly public meetings, and members serve without compensation.

The appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

In other news from the St. Johns River Water Management District:

Water reuse highlighted

During the May meeting of the district’s governing board, Scott Laidlaw: Bureau Chief of Water Supply Planning, told board

members that the organization will continue to develop water reuse projects.

The board proclaimed May 14-20 as Water Reuse Week.

Laidlaw said the country’s first water reuse project was built in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in 1912. Florida’s first effort was a 1966 reclaimed water farm in Tallahassee.

“As of today,” he said, “all the theme parks within Orlando rely 100 percent on reclaimed water for their irrigation. California uses reclaimed water for 70 percent of its artichokes.”

He added that now, reclaimed water is being used all over the world and one bottled water company in Singapore is using reused water as its source.

Laidlaw said that Florida, along with California, has been recognized as a leader in water reuse.

“Across Florida there are 430 water reclamation facilities that produced 738 million gallons a day in 2015 in reuse water,” he said. “Use of that source has avoided the use of over 140 billion gallons of potable ground water, while serving to add more than 88 billion gallons a day back into the system.”

He said that within the St. Johns River Water Management District 18-county area, water reuse is up over 35 percent from 1995 levels.

Laidlaw added that roughly one-half of the reclaimed water captured within the district in 2015 was beneficially used, meaning that reclaimed water was used in the place of potable ground water.

“Twenty-four percent was for landscape irrigation, nine percent for golf courses, seven percent for groundwater recharge,” he said.

Amy Tracy: past-president of the Florida Water Reuse Association, told the board that the district’s cost share program has expanded water reuse in northeast Florida.

“The significant investments that you’ve made with your partner utilities have allowed communities to recycle water that would have otherwise been disposed of,” she said.

Tracy added that although reclaimed water was, at first, used primarily for irrigation, “in the past decade, we’ve seen significant increases in the use of reuse through mitigation of saltwater intrusion barriers, the recharge of groundwater and also the elimination of potable ground water for industrial uses.”

She also said the district has an important role in developing rules for water reuse.

MFLs for springs proposed

Also during the governing board’s May meeting, the board approved publishing notices for rule changes, establishing new minimum flows and levels for three springs within its jurisdiction.

Joanne Chamberlain, the district’s chief for the Bureau of Resource Evaluation and Modeling, said Florida law requires the district to set MFLs, to establish limits at which further withdrawals would be significantly harmful to water resources.

The governing board proposed an MFL for Silver Glen Springs at 99.6 cubic feet per second.

Silver Glen Springs is located in Marion County, near the community of Salt Springs.

Water from the springs discharges into a three-quarter mile run, leading to Lake

Thursday, June 15, 2017 • Lake Region Monitor 5A

Gov. appoints price to water management district Arts and Community

Price

See SPRINGS, 6A

Dine. Shop. Buy.L O C A L L Y

SUPPORT • STRENGTHEN • BUILD OUR COMMUNITY

Benefit Local Civic & Community GroupsOur community merchants support local Civic, Educational, Student and School Activities including:

• Band• Football • Pop Warner• Baseball • Softball• Tennis • Golf • Student Clubs • FFA • KRA • 4-H • Scouting Groups & Explorers• Churches, Church Groups & Events• Senior Citizens Organizations• Food Banks • Health & Wellness Programs• Veterans Groups, Organizations & Events

When local businesses do well, so do students and local organizations which help build and strengthen the fabric of our community. Your local merchant wants to help support these community groups and activities, but they need your support in order to continue.Fulfill your family’s wants and needs by buying locally! Invest in your own community by supporting local businesses.

Build Communities’ Economic FoundationsSupporting local small businesses including restaurants, goods and services means investing in our present and our future :

• Keep money in the neighborhood. Locally owned businesses recirculate 70% more money back into their own local community than big box chain stores and restaurants.

• Embrace what makes us unique. Where we shop, eat, work, play and hang out makes our communities home. If we wanted to live someplace that was like everywhere else, we wouldn’t be living in this region of Florida.

• Get better service. In a local business you know the person behind the counter and they know you. They have a deeper understanding of the products and services they are selling and they take the time to serve their customers.

• Create & keep good jobs. Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and account for the vast majority of job growth. Growing local businesses mean more jobs for residents and more taxes to invest in our own communities, churches, schools and groups.

New Lions Club forming in Keystone Heights

BY DAN HILDEBRANMonitor Editor

Lions Club district officers are launching a new chapter in Keystone Heights.

Lions Clubs International is the largest service club in the world with over 1.4 million members in over 45,000 clubs, organizers said in a news release.

Lions Clubs provide eye examinations, eye glasses and eye surgeries to the less fortunate, plus support projects that improve education, assist the disabled and improve the safety of the community. Each local club determines the projects that the members feel will benefit their community the most.

The Lake Region previously hosted a Lions Club, but the organization sold its clubhouse on Orchid Avenue in 2015, donated the sale proceeds of over $90,000 to area charities and disbanded.

Former president Mack Wheeler said the club boasted a membership roll of over 50 in the 1980s, but membership steadily dwindled down to under 10 in the year the group disbanded.

Lions Club official Carl Harrell said he is reaching out to the former members, hoping they will join the effort to relaunch the local chapter.

He said the group needs a minimum of 20 people to launch the chapter and added he is confident the organization will reach that goal.

All community leaders, business leaders and retirees are invited to be charter members. The club’s first and second organizational and informational meetings will be held on Thursday June 15 and Thursday June 22, noon at the Park of the Palms’s Gilbert Lodge, 691 Hebron Avenue.

Members will be assessed a one-time entrance fee of $35,

plus monthly dues averaging $7, which will be billed $40 semi-annually in the months of January and July. Entrance fees are waived for Veterans.

For more information, contact: Harrell at 386-336-6553 or email: pcclioncarl@comcast.net.

Nell Mason Page was recently inducted into the Kiwanis Club. Her

sponsors are Steve Hart and her brother Johnny

Mason. Nell said she and her husband Carlton have just built a new home and

settled into the community. They moved here from

Virginia to get warm and to be near family.

She has a marketing background and is looking forward to going to work

with the club.

Haven Hospice Administrator Deb

Strickland with Kiwanian Lawson Shaw. Photos: Marilyn Martin for Lake

Region Kiwanis.

Haven Hospice administrator speaks to Kiwanis Club

BY STEVE HARTLake Region Kiwanis

Deb Strickland is the administrator for Haven Hospice’s Palatka office.

Haven’s best-known role is comforting persons and their families when they are very ill, helping people to live fully until they pass on.

Strickland told the Kiwanis Club that the organization is launching a new venture in advance care planning.

She recently completed

See KIWANIS, 6A

George. The springs are popular for swimming, boating, fishing and for viewing wildlife.

In 1984, Silver Glen Springs produced an average of 117.06 cubic feet per second of water. Ten years later the flow increased to 133.09 CFS, but by 2015 the flow had dropped to 67.81 CFS.

Chamberlain said that in proposing the MFL, the district’s staff considered the site’s most sensitive ecological factor, which is that the springs produce water at a constant 72-degree Fahrenheit temperature, attracting manatees in winter.

The governing board proposed an MFL for Alexander Springs for 95.7 cubic feet per second.

Alexander Springs is located within the Ocala National Forest and has a 300-foot wide spring pool. Water from the springs travels through a more than 10-mile run to the St. Johns River. The site is popular for swimming, paddling, fishing and birding.

In 1983 the spring produced 125.91 cubic feet per second. By 2014, that flow had decreased to 84.91 CFS.

Chamberlain said the most ecologically-sensitive factor affected by springs flow is based on a hydrologic event that would cause ephemeral pools in the flood plain to dry too often, which would impact habitats used by frogs and other amphibians.

She added that using that criteria, the district could have allowed a 21-percent reduction in springs flows in setting the new MFL. Such a reduction falls well outside the normal reductions for MFLs, so the staff instead recommended a reduction of 6.8 percent, which is the mean of reductions adopted in other springs MFLs across the state.

The governing board proposed an MFL for Gemini Springs at 9.3 cubic feet per second.

Gemini Springs is located in Volusia County, within the City of Debary, near Interstate 4 and the western shore of Lake Monroe. The springs’ reservoir is the focal point of the 210-acre Gemini Springs Dog Park, and the springs’ adjoining wetlands have been highly altered by Interstate 4. Swimming was once a popular activity in the reservoir, however since 2000, swimming has been banned due to high fecal coliform levels.

In 1995, the springs produced 7.59 cubic feet per second. The output peeked in 2005 at 10.72 CFS, and in 2015, the springs produced 8.51 CFS.

Chamberlain said that since the ecology around the springs is determined by the St. Johns River and not the springs, the most important ecological factor at the springs was its aesthetics value.

6A Lake Region Monitor • Thursday, June 15, 2017

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training in LaCrosse, Wisconsin learning how to educate clients in identifying their health care goals.

She told the Kiwanians that advance directives, such as health care powers of attorney,

living wills and proxies, are very important to communicate what your wishes for medical care are, including the withholding of treatment.

She said she will be working with elder law attorneys and interested groups in educating in the importance of this planning.

She added that mobile phones can be used to display a patient’s

wishes for emergency medical workers, and that the best place to display an advance directive is on your refrigerator, because emergency workers look there first.

Haven is formulating instructional materials about advanced directives which Haven employees and volunteers will share in the very near future.

KIWANISContinued from 5A

Melrose residents host 6th Annual African-American FestivalResidents of Melrose, the surrounding area and one man from California danced, ate and fellowshipped during the 6th Annual African-American Festival last week. Event

organizers said this year’s crowd was the event’s biggest, with around 400 people attending the three-day celebration. All photos: Cornelius Clayton.

Booby McGollie, Larry Ford and Julius Mitchell.

Jimmy Williams lights memory candles during the festival’s church services.

Johnny Archer and Kenneith Pelham

Rev Greg Pelham and Rev. Tony P erryman

Keith Archer travelled from California to attend the

event.Maxine Williams and Berdette Williams of Johnson.