During a joint meeting on Monday, the Alachua City Commission updated the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on steps taken towards purchasing Pinkoson Springs for preserving and improving the water quality of the historic property.
The commissions voted during last year’s joint meeting to explore options for partnering on the project, which, according to a staff presentation, features a six-acre parcel of land appraised at $170,000, one tributary and two springs that flow into Turkey Creek and the Florida aquifer by the Split Rock Sink in San Felasco.
Former Alachua County Sheriff Charles Pinkoson opened the springs for recreation in 1925 before it became a designated place for African Americans in 1940. The expansion of Highway 441 between 1949 and 1955 impeded the flow of the springs and recent water samples demonstrate that both E. coli and nitrate levels exceed Florida surface water quality standards.
Staff said the city’s main focus since last year has been acquiring the private parcel of land, which the owner is willing to sell. But the city is still looking for a source of funding to do so.
The city hired environmental consultant WSP, which it previously contracted for the Mill Creek sink project, aiming to duplicate a similar partnership between the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
WSP also submitted a grant application to the district on behalf of the city and preliminary water quality improvement options. SRWMD requested more detailed project research and a 50% cost share with the city, which staff said is not currently within the city’s budget.
The city does plan to submit an application to the state’s springs grants program this summer and staff also attempted to gauge the Alachua Conservation Trust’s interest in helping to acquire the parcel, but never heard back.
The land could be re-nominated for Alachua County Forever, but would need new information for protection about the property since it was first nominated in 2017.
County Commissioner Ken Cornell said that the property next to Turkey Creek would ultimately be developed if not acted on.
Although the city has already designated the entirety of its Wild Spaces & Public Places funds, Cornell said if they can find $85,000 in its budget, the county would be willing to cover the other half with stormwater assessment fee funds that partially go toward water quality.
Gainesville resident Sylvain Doré also offered that he and other citizens would be willing to buy the property without interest since it needs to be done in a timely manner.
“This piece of property is priceless,” said Vice Mayor Shirley Green Brown. “I would hope that we can find the funding to purchase, develop, improve the water quality, whatever we need to do. This is a great opportunity for a partnership.”
County staff also updated the city on upcoming road improvement projects, including ones for County Road 235 next year and a section between 62nd Avenue and 94th Avenue that will be done in 2027 as part of its $250 million capital improvement plan.
When City Commissioner Dayna Williams expressed her concern that a section of 235 frequented by distribution center trucks was not included in the county’s plan for improvements, county staff said that a $13.9 million grant had been separately applied for to cover that section.
County Commissioner Anna Prizzia said the grant would allow the county to bring the road up to an engineering standard in order to support the demands of the distribution centers and she also requested the city implement impact fees to make sure developers pay their share of taking care of the roads.
“I hope we can continue on that journey together thinking about how to be a place that takes growth seriously, but also takes it responsibly, and really thinks about the resources that we rely on to be here on this planet, and the fact that we have to be stewards of that growth long after the developers who put it in the ground are gone,” Prizzia said.
Multiple residents also brought up their desire for the city to live stream its meetings with closed-captioning capabilities like other cities in Alachua County offer. They said the streaming would be helpful for residents who aren’t able to make it to the meetings in person and closed captioning could help those with disabilities or language barriers.
Alachua City Manager Mike DaRoza said he’d look to the City Commission for direction on the topic approaching budget season, and that while they’d explored Facebook Live and YouTube in the past, the platforms guaranteed only a certain percentage of accuracy with the closed captions which didn’t meet ADA standards.
Alachua County Fire Rescue Chief Harold Theus announced to the county and city commissions the new Fire Station 21 at 15040 NW U.S. HWY 441 in Alachua will hold a grand opening at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 30, followed by a community day open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The new station is intended for 50 years of use to accommodate Alachua’s growth and features the second Safe Haven Baby Box available in Alachua County.