MediaUpdate

​Currently, the landfill operates under an emergency order from the state that dates back to 2022, when subtropical storm system Nicole hit Florida. That order expired in 2024 but it allows for a 24-month grace period, meaning the landfill should close in August 2026 if the state does not renew the order. Gainey and other residents want to make sure that’s what happens.

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​At about 4:57 a.m. this morning, units from Alachua County Fire Rescue and Gainesville Fire Rescue responded to a report of a residential building fire off SW 69th Terrace.

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​This week, environmental workers provided an update to county commissioners. They say the Cabot site is in the monitoring and maintenance phase. As for the Koppers site, EPD officials are negotiating with FDOT to relocate a drainage easement.

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​The fire is about 50% contained, and 8-10 homes have been evacuated; firefighters from Alachua County Fire Rescue, Florida Forest Service, and Melrose Fire Department are currently working on extinguishing the blaze.

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​The Alachua County Commission will conduct a special meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. The meeting is in the Grace Knight Conference Room on the second floor of the Alachua County Administration Building (12 SE 1st St., Gainesville).

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​Several Alachua County Fire Rescue crews put out a brush fire this afternoon before it spread.

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​At their January 28 regular meeting, the Alachua County Commission voted to move forward with a code amendment to regulate small-scale alcoholic beverage production facilities and directed staff to bring back a plan to fund the Community Health Worker program after its pilot program ends.

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​Just after 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 30, High Springs, Alachua County, and Lacrosse firefighters responded to a reported brush fire at 28206 N CR 1491 in unincorporated Alachua County.

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​The Alachua County Youth Fair and Livestock Show Association is pleased to announce the upcoming 2025 Alachua County Youth Fair & Livestock Show. The event is free.

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​Elliot Tritto
Gainesville Sun

Alachua County commissioners are still trying to decide how to proceed with much-needed renovations at the jail.

Alachua County Facilities Director Travis Parker during Tuesday's County Commission meeting gave a presentation on the status of the jail and how much a potential renovation could cost.

The 314,000-square-foot facility at 3333 NE 39th Ave. in Gainesville houses 1,148 inmates and was constructed in 1999. It has only been renovated twice during that time, the last in 2009, making it 16 years since it’s last renovation.

Projected to be a $81.7 million project, Parker broke down the cost to five different components: mechanical, electrical, plumbing, building envelope and other.

With mechanical as the largest cost at $30 million, it would look to replace the heating/cooling system and building automation.

“I don't even want to talk about the staff time that it takes to maintain the existing systems that we have now,” Parker said.

Commissioner Mary Alford suggested investing in cheaper HVAC systems like mini splits.

“I think ceiling mounted mini splits for less money and not be spending so much money to push air and water around a huge structure,” Alford said.

Alford said she doesn’t like the idea of spending $30,000 per inmate on air conditioning.
“I would like to think that we could do it in a way do that would save us money on energy and save us money on engineering costs and save us money on long-term maintenance and all of those things and potentially create a much more comfortable space for everyone,” Alford said.

Parker said there are alternatives and that he will investigate the matter.

Building envelope upgrades were projected to cost $21 million to replace the roof, flooring and upgrading its door systems.

With $15 million in plumbing, it would look to mostly fix sanitary sewer lining alongside water supply lines and water heater systems.

Parker said there are 18 water heaters with each costing $30,000 and shared an image of a water supply line behind a wall with sinks.

“It’s kind of a mess in there to get in there and replace. Every time you go in, you got to break seeing the block, and then you got to throw back and replace that.

The "other" category includes $8 million for such things as renovating the jail's kitchen equipment, infrastructure like IT, and commercial dishwashing equipment.

Regarding electrical, $7.7 million would be allocated to upgrading electrical panels, lighting systems, backup generators and security systems.

At the end of Parker’s presentation, he recommends that commissioners consider the cost for the jail's construction, labor, project management and permits.

District 4 Commissioner Ken Cornell recommended over the course of the next year that the county should work on a 10-year renovation plan and to not build a new facility.

“We're talking in the numbers that start with a 'B,' and I don't think it’s realistic with this community,” Cornell said.

County Manager Michele Lieberman reminded the board that the state Legislature is still working on an appropriations request that commissioners previously approved.

“We do have a sponsor of both the House and Senate to provide those appropriation requests to help us get a more detailed review of the facility and really analyze what does construction look like versus renovation where potential savings that could be a source of funding those improvements or construction and really analyze that in more detail,” Liberman said.

Commissioner Chair Charles Chestnut IV requested funding from the Alachua County Legislative Delegation in early January.

The commission wanted to stress the importance that stakeholders will be in the process.

"We need to get input from all the different people that have experienced the jail in all the different ways, so that we can figure out a way that makes sense, so that we can do rehabilitation in our jail, and not just punishment," Alford said.

​Alan Festo
Gainesville Sun

Alachua County residents were placed at "great risk" Sunday morning after the county's trunked radio system, the communications system used by first responders during emergencies, "became inoperable" following an "electrical power failure" at a site in northwest Gainesville.

In an email sent Tuesday afternoon by Alachua County Fire Rescue Chief Harold Theus to Gainesville Regional Utilities General Manager Ed Bielarski, Theus wrote that there was an "electrical power failure" at a tower that broadcasts the trunk radio system signal. Theus believes the power failure occurred Saturday evening, which activated the system's backup battery system, and that the "transfer switch failed to turn on the generator."

"As a result of the multiple points of failure, the Trunked Radio System became inoperable affecting all law enforcement, emergency medical service, and fire department communications in Alachua County. Most concerning was the lack of notification to any public safety entity during the points of failure," Theus wrote.

Theus also wrote that "This failure placed our public safety professionals and the citizens at great risk therefore, I would like to schedule a meeting as soon as possible to learn more about what occurred, review maintenance schedules for backup power equipment, and preventative steps moving forward."

In an interview with The Sun on Thursday, Bielarski said that there "wasn't anything procedural that had been done" that caused the outage, but that it "was a mechanical problem with a switch."
"I think the switch was pretty old. If we could do anything over again, it would be, I guess when we transferred that system over, we probably should have done a better evaluation of that switch and replaced the switch,' he said. "Sometimes those switches can last for 40 years."

The county purchased the trunked radio system from the city of Gainesville in December 2023 for $8 million. At that time the county also entered into a lease agreement with GRU to lease the radio tower sites and for GRU to provide an "uninterruptible power supply system" for the trunked radio system.

Bielarski said Thursday that the system has a backup generator and a battery backup. He also said GRU has ordered two new switches and a replacement battery.

"It probably gives us the opportunity to do something better, and that's what we're going to do. It's a partnership that we established with them (the county)," Bielarski said. "... It just gives us a chance to reevaluate it and do the right thing."

Alachua County spokesperson Mark Sexton in an email to The Sun wrote that the problem impacted communications countywide and resulted in a "complete system outage."

"This was an unprecedented event that had not been previously encountered," Sexton wrote.
Sexton said that the system went down Sunday at 11:26 a.m. and was restored by 1:22 p.m. It went down again at 6:18 p.m. and was back up at 7:21 p.m.

"Despite the failure of the radio system, all units were still able to respond to calls. Dispatching to all fire rescue agencies continued without interruption using alternative technologies. Likewise, law enforcement was able to maintain communication through other available systems," Sexton wrote.

According to Sexton, Theus and Bielarski have been working closely since the outage happened and plan to have a meeting about the issue sometime in the future.

​Water contamination was one of the main concerns of residents. The landfill is unlined, which puts the groundwater and neighboring wells at risk of contamination.

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​CVG had stopped actively working with the alliance after Gainesville declined grant funding from the group while the city worked on its own gun violence prevention plan. During the meeting, the board went back and forth on whether or not to continue to try to work with CVG or to cut ties and work solely with the Alliance

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​During the evening session of their January 28 regular meeting, the Alachua County Commission heard an update on the Florence landfill, heard from citizens, and voted to ask staff to do more monitoring of the site and seek an early closure of the landfill.

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​Alachua County leaders are offering a plan for a landfill that’s been at the center of a decades-long fight.

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​Concerned citizens gathered outside the Alachua County Administration Building on Tuesday to advocate for closing the Florence Landfill in southeast Gainesville, wanting the County Commission to “dump the dump.”

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​Alachua County Environmental Protection Department invites local artists to set up their easels and get in touch with the natural world for a plein air painting session on Feb. 15, 2025, from 12 to 5 p.m., at Barr Hammock Levy Loop (14920 SE 11th Dr., Micanopy). The painting session is free. Those wanting to participate can RSVP by calling 352-451-7818 or mneelands@alachuacounty.us.

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