County Oks Relief Plan
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Project1:Layout 1 6/10/2014 1:13 PM Page 1 Champions: Lecanto girls win district tennis title /B1 WEDNESDAY TODAY CITRUSCOUNTY & next morning HIGH 86 Mostly sunny and LOW warm. 61 PAGE A4 www.chronicleonline.com APRIL 14, 2021 Florida’s Best Community Newspaper Serving Florida’s Best Community $1 VOL. 126 ISSUE 188 NEWS BRIEFS Citrus County County OKs relief plan COVID-19 cases According to the Flor- Program will use CARES money to fund project to assist local businesses ida Department of Health, 14 positive cases were MICHAEL D. Economic (CORE) Center are missing out or don’t test run of six months. If resources needed to start reported in Citrus County BATES and it was born out of the know how to (move for- successful, there will be a and grow. since the latest update. Staff writer CARES Act advisory ward and progress),” three-year commitment By using community group that’s been meeting County Commission Chair- pledge and $60,000 an- partnerships, the one- No new deaths were County commissioners since January with the man Scott Carnahan said. nual budget. stop center would provide reported, for a total of Tuesday voted 4-1 to use a task of promoting eco- The $5.3 million will be County Economic Di- recommendations on 432. minimum $5.3 million of nomic development. put in a special revenue rector Dave Pieklik said local economic develop- To date in the county, CARES money to set up a Put simply, it is a way to fund earmarked for eco- the whole idea of the cen- ment projects and pro- 10,564 people have one-stop entity designed help people who own a nomic development and ter will be to bring to- vide workplace tested positive (including to help local businesses business run it controlled by the county. gether business, economic assessments to the 93 non-residents). thrive and grow. successfully. The board’s vote included and community organiza- commissioners. No new hospitaliza- It’s called the Citrus “There are a lot of busi- $100,000 in start-up tions to help other busi- tions were reported, for a One-Stop Recovery and nesses in the county who money. CORE will have a nesses connect with See COUNTY/Page A2 total of 685 hospitalized. Totals reflect prelimi- nary reports received by the state, and are subject to revision. Vaccine Board weighs options for shelter registration system open DOH-Citrus’ preregis- tration system to sched- ule COVID-19 vaccine appointments for all indi- viduals 18 and older and frontline health care work- ers is now available. Individuals can now be A male bulldog mixed breed added to a waiting list for licks his chops after receiving a vaccine appointments treat at the Citrus County Animal and be notified when ap- Shelter following a physical pointments are available exam of the animal. in Citrus County by visit- ing myvaccine.fl.gov or by Officials agree calling 866-201-0442; TTY is 833-476-1036. Each county has a on need, designated number for in- dividuals without internet but cost is a access. Citrus County’s number is 833-540-2058. Food giveaway sticking point schedule for MICHAEL D. BATES this week, next Staff writer Beginning at 9 a.m. County commissioners Wednesday, April 14, the agreed at a Tuesday workshop public can receive boxes that a new animal shelter is of assorted food items at needed to replace the out- the New Church Without dated, crowded facility at the Walls at 300 S. Kensing- Inverness Airport. But they don’t intend to pay ton Ave., Lecanto, next to $11.5 million for one. That’s the Holiday Inn Express. how much the Bacon Group Next week’s distribution architectural firm is at 9 a.m. Wednesday, recommended. April 21 at Nature Coast Instead, they agreed in con- Church, 5113 S. Suncoast sensus to have staff look at Blvd., Homosassa. these options: Monetary donations I Seek architectural draw- are needed to continue ings more suited to Citrus feeding Citrus County County and explore private- residents. Please con- donation funding. sider donating through I Find out how much it the New Church Without would cost to retrofit the exist- Walls (www.newchurch ing shelter. I Look at Sumter County’s withoutwalls.com), Citrus animal shelter, which cost United Way (www. much less and still meets the citrusunitedway.org), needs of animals and the Community Food Bank of public. Citrus County (www. I Examine all possible communityfoodbankof funding sources to help pay for citruscounty.org) or We a shelter. Care (www.wecarefood Rick Bacon, architect with pantry.org). the Bacon Group, gave a slide MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle presentation showing the pre- Tourist board Citrus County Animal Shelter chief veterinarian Dr. Meaghan Mielo, right, performs a physical exam ferred design of the new on a bulldog Tuesday, April 13, at the Citrus County Animal Shelter. Vet tech Stephanie Daniell assists meets in the process. See SHELTER/Page A2 Wednesday Citrus County Tourist Development Council members Wednesday, April 14, will hear a pre- sentation from Nature US to ‘pause’ use Council selects YMCA Coast Friends of Blues seeking funding assis- tance. The request is for $750 for the Blues & BBQ of J&J vaccine to lease out building Festival on Nov. 6, 2021. EKE ILLER cination campaign. The fundraising event is Z M , The Centers for Dis- held annually to raise LAURAN NEERGAARD ease Control and Pre- City also says ‘no’ to King’s Bay alcohol ban scholarship money for vention and the Food AND MATTHEW BUSTER Grone Memorial Park. into a site of structured Citrus County students. and Drug Administra- PERRONE Vice Mayor Pat Fitzpat- youth and recreational Also at Thursday’s tion announced that THOMPSON Associated Press rick was absent from the programs. meeting, Madden Media they were investigating Staff writer will update the board on meeting for medical “You’re going to drive WASHINGTON — The unusual clots in six Crystal River is on the upcoming events and reasons. by there at any given U.S. on Tuesday recom- women between the homestretch of creating a City Manager Ken Frink current analytics. time,” Frink told council, mended a “pause” in ages of 18 and 48. One hub for youth activities at said he’ll draft a lease “and you’re going to see The Citrus County using the single-dose person died. its largest athletic park. agreement between the something there.” Tourist Development Johnson & Johnson The acting FDA com- At their meeting the city and the YMCA to YMCA District Vice Council will meet at COVID-19 vaccine to in- missioner expected the evening of Monday, bring before council at its President Joanna Castle 9 a.m. Wednesday, vestigate reports of rare pause to last only a mat- April 12, City Council next meeting April 26. said the extra space will April 14, in Room 166 of but potentially danger- ter of days. But the deci- members voted 4-0 to rank Once city officials OK help grow the YMCA’s ef- the Lecanto Government ous blood clots, setting sion triggered swift the YMCA of Suncoast as the rental contract, the forts and mission as it Center, 3600 W. Sover- off a chain reaction action in Europe and their top community orga- YMCA will turn the build- prepares to celebrate its eign Path. worldwide and dealing a elsewhere as the nization to rent out the ing and its neighboring — From staff reports setback to the global vac- See VACCINE/Page A9 city building at Jim Le- courts and sports fields See CITY/Page A9 Classifieds . .C7 Crossword . .C14 INDEX Education . A13, A14 Obituaries . A8 Comics . .C6 Editorial. A11 Lottery Numbers . .B3 TV Listings. .C5 Horoscope . A4 Entertainment . A4 Lottery Payouts . .B3 A2 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 LOCAL CITRUS COUNTY (FL) CHRONICLE business being in busi- ness,” Kitchen said. SHELTER COUNTY Commissioner Ruthie Continued from Page A1 Continued from Page A1 Schlabach said helping businesses thrive helps shelter. For $11.5 million, Those investing in this taxpayers. Citrus would go from the initiative are the cities of “The residents are current 14,000-square-foot Crystal River and Inver- bearing the weight of the facility to 33,000 square ness, the county, SCORE, tax base and we have to feet. the Economic Develop- entice investment into It would also require the ment Authority for Citrus our county,” she said. county to add up to seven County, CareerSource Josh Wooten, chamber more employees to staff the and Withlacoochee Tech- president/CEO, said a six- shelter, adding another nical College. month trial of this con- $261,690 to the project. The Citrus County cept makes sense and if it Commissioners asked Chamber of Commerce doesn’t work, “we’ll get Bacon to come up with a will be the coordinator out of it.” pared-down version that of the project and han- “Give this a shot and emphasizes functionality dle recruitment, sched- see what we can do with over frills and trim the uling events, classes and it,” Wooten told commis- price tag to about $8 mil- other services. CORE sioners. “We’ve never lion or less. will operate out an In- had this approach Commissioners also verness site. before.” asked staff to determine Commissioner Ron Ken Frink, Crystal MATTHEW BECK/Chronicle how much it would cost to The intake area at the Citrus County Animal Shelter is where animals are first assessed Kitchen Jr. voted against River city manager, and fix up the current shelter after arriving at the shelter. the proposal, calling it a Eric Williams, city man- versus building a new one.