District Plans for Growth Hearing on Wetlands Project
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War Eagle baseball improves to 2-1 on season Page 2 Panacea Postmaster Leah Hall retires after 24 years Page 2 $1 Published Weekly, Read Daily Our 124th Year, 9th Issue One Section Serving Wakulla County For 123 Years Thursday, March 4, 2021 SPRAYFIELD CONTROVERSY Hearing on wetlands project Standing-room only crowd for informational presentation on ‘aquifer recharge’ project with treated el uent By WILLIAM SNOWDEN tanks, and moving the sewage treat- Editor ment plant to Advanced Wastewater Treatment standards. A crowd of more than 100 people The problem is, as Edwards and packed the community center on the experts explained, as the sewage Tuesday night to listen to a pro- plant expands to double its capacity gram designed to give citizens more to 1.2 million gallons in the next few information on a possible wetlands years, it will need somewhere to re- recharge project off Spring Creek lease all that treated effluent. Highway near Highway 98. Some 600,000 gallons are released A lot of the attendees, many of in a sprayfield at the plant, another whom are residents of The Park 200,000 gallons are to be sent to subdivision adjacent to the project, Wildwood Golf Course for irrigation, showed up with protest signs, and leaving another 400,000 gallons that many were upset with potential im- needs to go somewhere. pacts and possible contamination of What is currently being looked their wells – and many with environ- at – and it was stressed repeatedly mental concerns about continued that this is in the very early stages of negative toll on Wakulla Springs. planning – is a wetlands system that It was purely an informational WILLIAM SNOWDEN would take the treated effluent and Some audience members brought protest signs to the hearing. As the meeting organized by County Admin- further “polish” the water. meeting went on, the room filled with people, many of them con- Some experts said that such sys- istrator David Edwards to counter cerned about environmental impacts. some of what he saw as misinforma- tems, used elsewhere in Florida, had tion being circulated on Facebook. the Northwest Florida Water Man- “We care about the springs as no detectable nitrogen in the water Edwards introduced engineers and agement District, among others, in much as anybody in here,” Edwards released. water experts from engineering firms an effort to show that the county is said, noting that Wakulla County has There was much debate between including Dewberry and Baskerville- listening to experts and following the spent millions of dollars expanding the officials and some in the crowd Donovan, and hydrogeologists from science. the sewer system and removing septic Turn to Page 13 SOFTWARE UPGRADE WAKULLA AIRPORT Tax Collector to Plane crash close ofi ce on March 10 DHSMV will be installing new software on systems Staff Report Wakulla Tax Collector Lisa Craze an- nounced this week that her office will be closed next week, on Wednesday, March 10, for a software installation by the state Department of High- PHOTOS BY JANET COMBS VIA TWITTER way Safety and Motor Staff Report Vehicles. Because the instal- A single-engine plane crashed on Sun- lation will be on ev- day, Feb. 28, at the Wakulla Airport at ery clerk’s computer, Tarpine in Panacea. Craze said her office According to the Florida Highway Patrol, would not be able to the aircraft lost power and landed short of assist customers. a grass runway. The Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office re- The office will be ported that the 76-year-old pilot, the sole closed all day on March occupant of the plane, was removed and 10, and Craze said she transported to the hospital with non-life hoped to reopen on threatening injuries. The name of the pilot time on March 11. Lisa Craze was not released by law enforcement. PUBLIC RECORDS LAWSUIT WAKULLA SCHOOLS Protective order District plans for growth sought for ‘John New homes planned for Crawfordville may force schools to rezone in the next year By WILLIAM SNOWDEN town Crawfordville ity – even in the high Editor area is coming. school.” Doe’ in case Numerous subdi- Currently, Wakulla Attorney for property appraiser Superintendent of visions are planned High School has more Schools Bobby Pearce for the area around than 1,400 students. responds that he needs to know who is told school board Wakulla Arran and Its capacity is consid- anonymous requestor of records members at their Cajer Posey roads, and ered 1,700. Schools meeting on Feb. 16, Martin Luther King Jr. have to be over capac- By WILLIAM SNOWDEN that he is looking at and Alexander roads. ity for a couple of years Editor how the hundreds of Theres also new subdi- to qualify for help from new homes planned visions in Wakulla Sta- the state to expand Before former Wakulla Property Appraiser for Crawfordville will tion and near Wakulla facilities or build new Brad Harvey was arrested for fraud and impact schools in the Middle School. schools, Pearce said. removed from office last year, there was a near future – and es- Barwick also noted School Superintendent Pearce noted that pending lawsuit over the alleged failure of his pecially Crawfordville that there are efforts at Bobby Pearce the district will likely office to turn over public records requested Elementary School. developing 100 acres have to consider some by an anonymous person under the name Mike Barwick, prin- behind Wakulla High issued.) rezoning of school “John Doe.” cipal on special assign- School that is cur- “They’re growing lines to shift students Harvey was arrested in April 2020 on ment working under rently hindered by an like weeds,” Barwick to Medart Elementary charges of overpaying himself hundreds of Randy Bristol in the easement problem. said of the subdivi- as Crawfordville El- thousands of dollars. The public records that district’s facilities of- (Wakulla Coun- sions. “In five years, ementary gains more were requested were for financial records re- fice, who is also on ty Planning Director this place is going to population. lated to the alleged corruption. the county’s Techni- Somer Pell confirmed look a lot different.” “We have to do re- After Harvey’s arrest, the lawsuit paused, cal Review Committee there were 482 build- With that growth, zoning,” Pearce said. and the attorneys for John Doe filed a motion that looks at planned ing permits for single- typically come stu- “We can’t have one a few weeks ago claiming that the attorney for growth in the county, family homes pulled dents for schools. school over capacity the property appraiser’s office had been asking warned of explosive last year, and 415 cer- Pearce told school and another under employees if they were the anonymous records growth in the down- tificates of occupancy board members that Turn to Page 15 “We do have capac- Turn to Page 15 Page 2 – THE WAKULLA NEWS, Thursday, March 4, 2021 www.thewakullanews.com BASEBALL War Eagles improve to 2-1 By KEITH ANDERSON Eagles offensively. Coach On Friday, Feb 26, the War Eagles hosted The Wakulla High Madison County. The War Eagle Varsity War Eagles had a come Baseball team im- from behind victory to proved to 2-1 on the win 5-2. season this past week. WHS snatched the On Tuesday, Feb. lead late in the bottom 23 WHS traveled to of the fifth. Levi An- Maclay where they derson single a run in lost the lead late in a to tie the ballgame at 2-1 defeat. The pitch- 2-2 and then Brayden ing was solid on both Lawhon singled in the teams. go ahead run. WHS struck out six Brandon Cook Maclay hitters on the earned the victory on day. Maclay scored the mound allowing first in the second in- 1 hit with 0 runs over ning on an error. 2 1/3 innings strik- In the top of the ing out three. Fisher third, WHS tied it up Lawhon started on the at 1-1 when Brayden mound for the War Lawhon doubled of the Eagles pitching 4 2/3 top of the left field wall strong innings allow- scoring a run. ing only 2 hits and 2 Tucker Grimsley runs while striking took the loss for the SPECIAL TO THE NEWS Senior Matt Posey takes a swing. out 5. War Eagles despite Brayden Lawhon led pitching well. He al- striking out 3. inning throwing 5 hill for Wakulla allow- striking out 3. Levi An- the offense going 2-3. lowed no hits and 1 Cole Dixon also pitches. Starter Gage ing 3 hits and 1 run derson was 3-4 at the WHS did not commit run over the 1 and pitched a scoreless Boone started on the over 3 and 1/3 innings plate to lead the War a single error. 2/3 innings he pitched Woolley Park opens Improvements to Woolley Park in Panacea were unveiled on Friday with a ribbon cutting. Among the upgrades: a walking trail, kayak launch, and landscaping. County Commission Chair Ralph h omas said he was hopeful repairs to the pier would happen soon. h e park improvements were paid for with state grants and local one-cent sales tax. Panacea Post Master Leah Hall retires after 24 years By SAMANTHA Later, they moved to ory she shared was During retirement REGISTER Wakulla County, her being able to watch she hopes to spend News Correspondent husband’s hometown. the parades go by on more time with her Originally, Leah was Saturday mornings. husband and travel For many people, hired to clean the post She said these spe- to visit her children, where they work offices a couple times cial times made work grandchildren, and becomes a second a week.