aioe nr COUNTY PAPER e- EST. VOL. 83, NO. 6 INSIDE: ca You Can Do It Page 3 Nose for News Page 4 Fill a Shoebox Page 16 OBITUARIES rE Willie Mae Corbin James Durst John Geiger Jr. Joyce Giddens Murray Read Ronald Robinson CONTENTS... Ei Around Levy 2-3,6-8, 16 Opinion 4 Law & Courts 5 Obituaries Z Marketplace _ 9 Classified 10 Legals 11-13 Land Transactions 14 =O ee o et ee 28 EG a =o = ODG ea NO oe ’ ope = LY GO @ Ox S.8 Oo THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2006 1 SECTION: 18 PAGES 50 cents per copy Man drowns at Fanning Springs BY CASSIE J OURNIGAN STAFF WRITER : Sheriffs from both Dixie and Levy County were called to a report. of a missing swimmer on Saturday, Aug. 12: The first call was received by Dixie County at 7:01 p.m. County looks for back-up BY CAROLYN RISNER | ManaaInc EpiTor Hoping to expedite some of the work in a county that is growing at a phenomenal rate, the Levy County Board of County Commissioners voted last week to advertise for back-up services. County Coordinator Fred Moody explained to the com- missioners that there are so many projects on-going and others in the immediate fore- . cast, that it may become nec- -essary to draw from a pool of engineering service providers to ensure-the work gets done. Moody said that the Mills _ firm will continue to be the county’s engineer of record, but having other qualified consultants on board can only help with the load of work the county is involved with. By the same token, the com- mmissioners further agreed to advertise for a county-wide emergency services commu- nications consulting firm. It’s been no secret that the emergency communications arena is lacking and some- thing needs to be done to bring a substandard service up to par or beyond. Once the advertisements. are placed, companies will “make application and after a thorough screening process, all qualified firms will be placed on an availability list. In other business, the com- missioners approved: * raises for the EMS coor- dinator and supply coordina- TOPs gic ° the concept of a 10-hour work day for the Parks and See BOCC Page ‘17 A call was rnd ‘to Ee County at 7:04. Both counties responded and sent divers into the water. Levy County divers went into the water at 7:57 p.m. and found the victim at 7:59 p.m. The 21-year-old victim, Michael Jerome Grant of Chiefland, had — been swimming about 100 yards from the bridge at Fanning Springs’ for several hours according to Captain Chuck Bastak of the Levy County Sheriffs Office. The location is marked by signs indicating the area as Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake unsuitable for swimming due to the presence of boats and alligators. The river bed goes quickly from a depth of .3 feet to approximately 6 feet before a sharp ledge drops off to a 20- foot depth. Grant was found in water 20 feet deep. Results of the autopsy are pending, but Bastak said all markers indicate drowning, and that there is no evidence of any other injury. Grant was swimming with three or four friends and was said to have basic swimming skills. Journal ohete by Miriam Blitch KEEGAN MCLELLAND and Raven Shephard make cookies in Ms. Newton’s kindergarten class at Chiefland Elementary as part of their Missing Hand” activities. The exercise teaches parents it’s OK to send their babies off to school. Chiefland subdivision gets OK’ BY CASSIE JOURNIGAN StaFF WRITER : Chiefland City Commissioners héard much discussion over resident Harry Hutson’s request for preliminary plat approval during Monday’s Commission meeting. Hutson is seeking approval to develop a portion of his property into a subdivision of approximately 13 site-built homes. The property is ina recently annexed area on NW 70 Avenue. The Planning Board had recommended approval of the plat as long as Hutson eliminated his planned. cul- de-sac and added a 15-foot easement. Hutson disagreed with the recommendation to eliminate the cul-de-sac. “This. is going to be a quiet subdivision in the country. We need the cul-de-sac for seclusion,” he said. Others were concerned that the subdivision would eventually density development. Hutson said that lots will not be subdivided below the half- acre per dwelling, that all homes would be site-built, and that the resulting Magnolia Park development would be © lead to high-- “a nice, quiet, comfortable place for people to raise a family.” A neighbor on adjoining property voiced his concerns. “I am not against development,” he © said, “but I am worried about the septic. There will be 12 or 13 septic tanks and wells by my property. Is the soil adequate to handle that load?” Mayor Teresa Barron said, “New septic tanks and wells that work properly will not be a problem.” She added that once city sewer and water is available, residents would eventually be required to hook up to them. Hutson’s request was approved.. Commissioners approved a proposal from Withlacoochee Regional Planning Council to update the Evaluation and ‘Appraisal Report. The state requires cities to update their comprehensive plans every seven years. According to Bill Hammond, Building and Zoning Director, the cost ‘to the City is estimated at $24,000 spread over the next two years. “It probably will not be this much,” he said, “because there are a lot of things we can do at the city to reduce those costs.” _ Developers gained approval on two. measures bought forward for the proposed Oakland Park condominium project. The measures allow the closure of a section of NW 12 Drive and eliminates ‘current rights-of- way not being used. A Golong Developer representative answered commissioners who raised concerns about Section Eight style housing with the statement that the condo units would be priced in the $150,000 to $200,000 range.: See City Page 17 REACH US Bi Managing Editor ~ Carolyn Risner Phone (352) 490-4462 Fax (352) 490-4490 Chiefland (352) 486-5042 Bronson Email editor@levyjournal.com Address PO. Box 159 Bronson, FL 32621-0159 P.O. Box 2990 Chiefland, FL32644-2990 SUBSCRIBE Levy, Dixie and Gilchrist counties $17 < in-state » $22 Out of state $21 Locally owned and operated! aes The Levy County Journal RECYCLE helieves,in good stewardship of the land. That's why we print on 100 percent recycled newsprint. Protecting our future TODAY!