Micanopy will remain debt-free in upgrading its water filtration system after the Town Commission moved to accept a $371,300 state appropriations request to help fund the project on Tuesday.
According to a Facebook post from Mayor Jiana Williams, Micanopy is working with engineering firm Woodard & Curran to upgrade its water filtration system. The project will cost $1.5 million to complete.
On top of the appropriations, Alachua County will contribute $333,000 through its partnership with the city and a State Resolving Fund will supply $750,000 of loan forgiveness. The city will have just have to cover the remaining $45,700.
“[Woodard & Curran] really went after funding sources for us,” Williams said during the regular meeting on Tuesday. “To be a small municipality and have a firm that treats us as if we were just as big as the next and puts our needs first is great.”
The commission also reviewed its budget, updated as of June 30. The budget showed a roughly $13,000 general fund surplus and almost $30,000 surplus in the water fund.
“You’re in good financial condition,” said Town Administrator Sara Samario. “You’re not in red, you’re in black, with all of our expenditures.”
Willie Mae Stokes Community Center (WMSCC) Executive Director Christopher Stokes presented the commission with a summer update.
He said even though WMSCC was not planning to host a summer camp this year after its YMCA partner didn’t apply to collaborate, they ended up pulling one together anyway.
At zero cost to 35 campers, Stokes said WMSCC provided transportation, food and weekly activities such as fishing, Native American heritage, a planetarium show, farm day and world cooking day.
WMSCC also provided 2,655 miles of transportation for 877 students to and from the center and other summer camps, such as Gainsville Circus and Limitless Adventures for special needs children.
“For a lot of those kids, what we offered them, they would have never gotten an opportunity to do during the summer,” Stokes said. “I am really excited about that.”
Stokes also said WMSCC’s after-school programs completed their second year last year and are already ranked second out of seven county-funded programs.
WMSCC programs served 63 students between the Micanopy Area Cooperative School, Micanopy Academy and Idylwild Elementary School, with 40% below the poverty line.
Stokes said that testing revealed 92% of the students improved in literacy after going through the WMSCC after-school programs and 97% improved in math. In the first week of the new school year, he said 68 students are already signed up.
He added results from a satisfaction survey filled out by families and students revealed that 100% of the families were happy with WMSCC’s communication, 100% felt that they were safe, 95% saw social emotional development, 92% were satisfied with homework help, and 91% of the students felt like that they were safe at the community center.
“That’s what we’re striving to do is to provide support for youth and families, not only in the town of Micanopy but Alachua County and our surrounding areas,” Stokes said.
Williams informed meeting attendees she’d been in contact with Alachua County Transportation Planning Manager Alison Moss about potentially connecting bicycle trails to Hawthorne Road and Waldo Road.
She said hosting a workshop would be the next step, where resident Aaron Weber, who is involved with the project, could relay more details. Williams said the workshop would likely happen in October.
Library staff also informed the commission that construction on a new library building is expected to begin after construction bids are placed in October.
The Micanopy Town Commission will hold its next regular meeting at 7 p.m. on Sept. 9.