Levy counryjournat AROUND LEVY COUNTY

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2006

 

 

Bronson Church
of God

Bronson Church
of God located 1.7 miles

The

southwest of | Bronson
presents The Singing Reflect
sons on July 2 at 11 a.m.

The singing will be
followed by dinner on the
grounds.

Providence
Ministries

Providence: Ministries of
Otter Springs RV _ Resort
presents Front Porch Music
on Saturday, July 1 at 7 p.m.

There will be a covered
dish dinner in the non-
denominational atmosphere.

Featured performers
include . Buck Lewis and
The Broken Stones as well as
Providence Gospel Group.

To reach Otter Springs

from Hwy. 26, turn north on
CR 232 and then left on SW
70" Street. The entrance is
one mile on the right.

For more information, call
Trish Keene at 352-463-0800
or 1-800-883-9107

Cowboy Church

Williston Cowboy Church
will be holding services
every first and third Thursday
of the month at 7 p.m. at the
Williston Horseman’s Park.

The next meeting is July
6. Visitors will enjoy great
gospel music, learning about
God’s word and being in
fellowship with family and
friends.

For. more © information
call N52) 486- 4332 ‘or
(352) 535-5367 or e-mail to
Keithclan3 @bellsouth.net.

Oelrich wants

BY CAROLYN RISNER
MaNnaGING EpITOR i

Steve Oelrich is
neither politician nor law
enforcement officer. He is,
in his own words, a public
servant.

As the sheriff of Alachua
County for more than 14
years, Oelrich is now seeking
to broaden the spectrum of
his service by serving the
people of the 14th District in
the State Senate.

A Republican, Oelrich was
born near Pensacola right

‘after World War II and has

spent the better part of his
life in Florida, although he
also lived in'Alabama and
Tennessee.

He attended St. Petersburg
Junior College and worked
as a uniformed police officer
for two years. With an
associate’s degree in police
administration, he went on
to Florida State University
where he earned a degree in
criminology.

As a member of the
Florida Department of Law
Enforcement, Oelrich worked
in the Miami area in the war
against organized crime and
was a part of the US Strike
Force. He spent more than

three years in the Caribbean,

specifically the US Virgin
Islands and Puerto Rico
before returned to Tampa
and then Tallahassee where
he worked: as a homicide
investigator.

He came to Gainesville
in the late 70s and thought
he’d had enough of law
enforcement. He opened an
insurance agency and stayed
with it for 10 years before
the song of the siren—law—
lured him back.

Running: for sheriff in
1992, Oe6elrich __ admitted
he was surprised at the
victory and over the past

  

Pr

STEVE OELRICH
14 years has made steady
improvements within the

sheriff’s department.

Now it’s time to move on,,

he said.

“T want to use a common
sense approach,” Oelrich said
last week in Bronson. “The
bigger government gets, the
further it is removed from the
people.”

Ifelected, he plans to utilize
some of the same measures
that have succeeded for him
as Alachua County Sheriff.

Calls, emails and letters are
returned, Oelrich said, and
no one is allowed to screen
phone calls.

“Our work is interacting
with people,” he said. “Face
to face. Voice to voice.”

Oelrich openly states he
is a conservative who is
pro-life and pro-business.
He wanted people to know
the basic truths about him
and not leave anything to
supposition. “I want no false
pretenses,” he said.

District 14 encompassesall
of — Alachua, Gilchrist,
Bradford and Union counties
and parts of Columbia,
Marion, Putnam and. Levy
counties. Levy voters eligible
to vote for Oe¢clrich are
those ‘who live in ‘Bronson,
Williston and a very. small
corner of Chiefland, Oelrich
said.

to be yo

ur senator

Oelrich’s grassroots
campaign is based on
innovative ways to simplify
seemingly insurmountable
odds. The biggest challenge
facing the district, he said, is
property rights and protecting
the lifestyle that people
enjoy.

“Water is another
challenge,” Oelrich said. “We
need to keep South Florida’s
mitts off our water.”

The candidate also plans to
focus on classroom funding,
controlled ‘growth, the fight
against crime, lower taxes
and reduced spending.

Married. to Rose Mary
Treadway, a prosecutor, for
the last 12 years, Oelrich is
the father of three sons, one
of whom is deceased. One
son is a US Army veteran
who works in construction
in Alachua County and. the
other is a sergeant in the
United States Marine Corps.

In his spare time he enjoys

‘being with his grandchildren,

hunting and fishing—
especially at his lake home
on Cross Creek.

A member of Rotary
Club. International, Oelrich
is also a vocal proponent of
organization.

When his son, Nick, died
11 years ago after a trip to
Cancun, Mexico, the Oelrich
family donated Nick’s
organs. To date, 102 people
have benefited from Nick’s
death, Oecelrich said and
that’s why he supports organ
donation through the Gift of

Life. Donor Program.
Oelrich is traveling
throughout the — district

hosting town meetings and
speaking to civic clubs about
his goals if elected.

He will'be at the Bronson’
Town Hall, ‘Thursday, June
29 from 5:30-7 p.m. in an
informal meet and greet.

Blood drive slated for June
Become a hero in just under an hour. Stop by the bloodmo-
bile when LifeSouth joins the Bronson community in hosting
a blood drive on Friday, June 30. The drive will be held at
three convenient locations; the road department from 7 a.m.
until 9 a.m., the sheriff’s office from 9:30 a.m. until noon,
and the courthouse from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.

 

 

Participants needed for Gospel Choir

The Gospel. Music Fest Committee of Williston invites
singers, musicians and liturgical dancers to participate with
the Gospel Fest Mass Choir.

The choir, comprised of members from various churches
in Williston and surrounding communities, will be singing a
variety of gospel music selections, preparing for the Annual
Gospel Fest concert to be held on Sunday, July 30 at 6 p.m. at
the Unity Temple Deliverance.

The concert will officially kickoff the activities for the week
leading up to the Gospel Music Festival (Saturday, Aug. 5).
A children/teen choir (age 8-18) is also forming. Rehearsal
will be held on Monday, June 26 at the New Hope Baptist
Church at 6 p.m. (children/teen) and 7:30 p.m. (mass choir)
and further rehearsals will be scheduled.

For more information please contact Mimi J siison at
(352) 528-2170 or (352) 361-6528 or Jerome Williams at

(352) 224-8872.

Spaghetti dinner benefits softball team

There will be a Spaghetti Dinner fund-raiser on Friday,
June 30 at 6 p.m. at the Bronson Elementary Cafeteria to
benefit the “Tri-County Lightning” Girls Fast Pitch Softball
Team. The donation of $5 will help the team to attend the
State Tournament in Oviedo that will take place July 12"-
16". There will also be a cake auction at 7 p.m.

Everyone is invited to support the Bronson Youth League
and additional donations are greatly apprecidted: Contact —
Mauri at 352-283-1127 for information.

 

Commodities to be disbursed,
USDA Commodity Distribution for Levy County will be at
the following locations at the designated time:
July 7 — Bronson, Ag. Building, Hwy. 27, 12:30-2 p.m.;
Otter Creek, Town Hall, 2:30-3 p.m.
July 8— Chiefland, Methodist Church, 707 Main S., 10-11

a.m.

July 13 - town of Inglis, Community Center, from 1-2 pm
July 27 — Williston, Lions Club, 1:30-3:00 p.m. —
USDA is available to all eligible recipients. There will be

certification available to those who have not registered. If

yeu have any: qieue please call 352- 330: 083°.

 

‘Thank you for reading the:
Levy County Journal!

 

Williston voters may see tax abatement question

wr

BY JEFF M. HARDISON .
STAFF WRITER :

Williston voters may see
a tax abatement question as
a referendum issue in March
or sooner.

Richard McCann Jr. of
Creative Water Concepts
was on the agenda again to
be presenter at the Williston
City Council meeting, but he
missed the June 20 meeting
— just as he missed the
previous meeting where he
was slated to speak to the
council.

Although McCann’s
proposal to bottle Williston
water and sell it was not
considered that Tuesday
night, a question about
giving McCann.a tax break
for starting a business in the
city was raised.

A 1993 city ordinance had
given Williston City Council
an opportunity to provide
companies with as much
as. a one-year property tax
abatement for each 10 new
jobs the businesses brought

 

 

  
     
   
    
    
     
   
     
 

aS

LEYY COUNTY JOURRAL,

The legal organ of Levy County, Florida

The Levy County Journal is published every Thursday by
Levy County Publishing, Inc.
P.O. Box 159, Bronson, FL 32621.
Periodicals postage paid at Bronson, FL (USPS 310-780).
Postmaster: Send address.changes to:
LEVY COUNTY JOURNAL
P.O. Box 159.
Bronson, FL 32621

SUBSCRIPTION RATES
In Levy, Gilchrist and Dixie Counties . .
Instate}.....0......
Out of state.........

Reproduction of the contents of this publication in
whole or in part without written permission is
prohibited. The paper cannot be responsible for any
unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. The publisher’s
liability for an error will not exceed the cost of the
space occupied by the error.

Deadline for all news and advertising copy is 5 p.m. Monday.
Classified deadline is 2 p.m. Monday

to the city. Williston City
Attorney Norm Fugate told
the city leaders, however, that
particular ordinance expired
in 2003. It was not renewed
because no new Williston
business has sought the tax

abatement since 2003 — until -

now.

To reinstitute the practice
of tax relief for new business
ventures requires a favorable
vote ofthe people of Williston.
There was no formal city
council vote at the June 20
meeting, but by a few nods
of their heads the majority

_ of the Williston City Council
— if not all of them — gave.

Fugate a rather informal go-
ahead to start action required
to put the question on the
March ballot, or perhaps even
to conduct a special election
if the potential water-bottler

needs it more quickly.

City Manager James F.
“Jim” Coleman said McCann
was notat the meeting because
his company is working out

 

  
    
      
     
     
  

. $17
$22

some financial matters before
approaching city council with
a presentation regarding the
bottling and sale of Williston
water. :

There was an unanswered
question about whether
the county remains tied to
the municipality on the tax
abatement deal, but Fugate
said he will look into the
matter for discussion at the
July 18 meeting.

There is no July 4 meeting
of the Williston City Council.
The July 18 meeting is the
only one for that month.
It promises to be a Pua
meeting.

Natural Gas Deal

UBS Investment Bank

is involved with investing
and with natural gas sales.
Katrina Vaughn of Florida
Gas Utility (FGU) is on

   
   
      

 
  

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GATOR WORKS
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Computer.
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4 W. Park Ave

Chiefland

BRONSON SELF STORAGE
(352) 486-2121

HOURS: Monday -
. Saturday 10 am -3 pm
1 839 E Hathaway Ave Behind Dollar General

the agenda for the July 18
meeting, where the Williston
City Council is expected to
adopt a resolution to follow
its letter of intent to be part
of a $750 million deal with
UBS.

At the June 20 meeting,
Vaughn said Williston and 15
other investors are slated to
enter an agreement to pre-pay
for natural gas. The average
annual sales of natural gas
via this deal to Williston are
expected to be 41,624 BTUs.
This is in line with 60 percent
of the average consumption
for the past five years.

The city will issue tax

exempt municipal revenue

bonds as part of the process
to enter into the agreement
with UBS.

It is.a safe bet, because the

discount below market price
on all of the natural gas it
buys. Therefore, if it does not
use some of it, the city can
sell the remainder and make
a profit. Bonds are expected
to be on sale in August and
the natural gas is expected
to flow into Williston in
September.

Coleman said the bulk
purchase of natural gas
by Williston is known
as “hedging.” FGU has
significantly helped Williston
and other participating cities
in the past, he added. _
~ No Mandatory Hook-up

Another resolution — set
for reading at the July 18
meeting changes a mandate
on the people of Williston in
regard to connection to the
sewer system.

city is guaranteed a certain —

Friday 10 am -5pm

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Parker Land Clearing

Site Prep/Road Construction/Demolition
Small Lots to Large Acreage

“for Chiefland cy Commissioner
_ Group gy

Honest Integrity, and
Dedication —

> Pd. ol Ay Bae ee reed by Teal Pomeroy for Chiefland City Commissioner

SII

City Council may be voting

a]

to give a blanket waiver .

for people who live next to
available sewer lines. As it
stands, anyone living next to
an existing sewer line has one
or two years to connect. The

-waiver would allow people

to not connect until they want
to, or until their septic system
fails.

' People are already paying
$25 in these areas as an
access fee even though they
have not connected. This
access fee will continue to be
collected. The only benefit
for the people will be that
they do not have to pay $300
to have a line and connection
to their homes until they are
ready or until their septic
system fails.

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