Informing more than 17,000 readers daily in print and online High school 1B 3 vaccineiness you ma mayy vollelleyballyball roundup 5A need no noww WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 $1.00 Vol. 92 No. 179 City shops around on cleaners’ building teardown BY ANGIE COOK acook@jcfloridan.com MARIANNA — At the north- east corner of Green and Market streets, the decaying building that for many years housed Nifty Cleaners & Laundry will soon come down. City officials are now decid- ing who they’ll hire to do work that will bring the site one step closer to becoming additional downtown parking. The mu- nicipality bought the site, along with a 1-acre parcel south of U.S. 90, between Caledonia and PHOTOS BY MARK SKINNER/FLORIDAN McPherson streets, in 2013, with The city of Marianna is asking for bids on the contract to demolish the old Nifty Cleaners building. RIGHT: Lane Fowler with Royal American Construction the intent of converting both to was taking measurements and samples from the old Nifty Cleaners building in downtown Marianna Tuesday. parking areas. dilapidated structures list. Roberts also commented on a there were some contractors in ings. He said Hayes would also Through an open contract with But some had other ideas about contingency in Hayes’ proposal town on other jobs that might be be invited to submit a new bid on Hayes Land Clearing, City Man- the job. that would drop the estimate interested in the work. the job. ager Jim Dean received a propos- “I would really like to see it be by $4,000, if the company could Dean requested that he be al- Should Hayes Land Clearing be al of $36,500 to take down the old offered up again for bid,” Mayor dispose of some of the bricks at lowed to deviate from standard awarded the cleanup work after cleaners’ building, clear the site Travis Ephriam said. a city-owned site. Dean said that procurement policy by directly other bids are solicited, officials and leave just the concrete slab. Commissioner Roberts said option could not be exercised contacting contractors who had plan to expedite the tear down During the city commission’s that he’d “always been pleased” until it was determined that the previously provided propos- of the old Nifty Cleaners’ site by most recent meeting, Dean asked with work done by Hayes in the action would not result in a li- als, and get the results of those prioritizing it above remaining the board to approve adding the past, and worried that other com- ability for the city. inquiries back before the com- dilapidated structures work. job to Hayes’ existing contract, panies would have an advantage, Regarding the cleanup on mission as soon as possible, Funding for the demolition and which includes demolition of since Hayes’ estimate was now Market Street, Public Works perhaps during one of the city’s cleanup will come from city re- several properties on the city’s publicly known. Director Joe Richey added that upcoming public budget hear- serve funds. Library team goes “Outside the Lines” BOOK SALE on Sept. 15 Event to be held at Isaac. There will be a country partner dance Staff Report Citizens Lodge Park performance by Mar- tin Attenberry and Beth he 2015 Jackson County Staff report Skipper. Friends of the Library book An inflatable slide, free Tsale is set for a three-day There’s a book sale at raffle drawings and other run later this month. Organizers Jackson County’s Mari- activities will round out hope to make about $4,000 from anna library branch later the day. the sale of books and any DVDs or this month, but before Students from the CDs that are donated to the cause that the library team Marianna High School between now and Sept. 24-26 is going “Outside the Culinary program will event. Lines,” stepping outside have food for sale, and It will be held in the conference the confines of the li- Marianna cheerleaders room of the library on Green Street brary building to throw a will paint faces as a fund- in Marianna from 9 a.m. until 4 party for the community. raiser for the squad. p.m. each day. The “JCPL Outside the The event will also in- Donations of books for the sale Lines” event will be held clude a “mini book sale,” can be made at the library through at Citizens Lodge Park give those who attend an Sept. 22, and are tax-deductible on Tuesday, Sept. 15. It early chance to buy some contributions. A volunteer can starts at 5 p.m. and con- books that were culled also be assigned to pick up boxed cludes at 7 p.m. from the inventory des- books from donors who need that Admission and most tined for the much big- assistance. Contact Dianne Oswald activities are free, and ger sale later this month. at 526-3815 or at Dianne@oswald. the event is meant to And some of the volumes us to arrange pickup or for more “reintroduce libraries to will be given away in raf- information about the sale. their communities,” li- fl es at the party as well. It’s an opportunity to stock your brary officials said. The team will have some home library for just a few dol- Musical entertainment information on hand lars. Oversized books will go for $2 will be provided by the about the library system each, children’s hardback books Chipola Dulcimer Play- at large and about some will go for .50 cents, other hard- ers and the country fam- of the reading groups backs go for $1, and paperbacks ily band of Wayne El- and other social clubs will be sold for a quarter each. lis and sons Ethan and who meet at the library. The sale will include a wide range of books, including nonfic- tion, fi ction, how-to, biographies, and much more. WHITE-TAILED Profits will go to the county library system for special projects. There’s a bonus for people who YEARLING will be members of the Friends of the Library in 2015-16: They’ll get MARK SKINNER/FLORIDAN fi ve free books at the sale. You can Jackson County Public Library Director Deborah Hynes looks through one of the join the organization at the front piles of books that have been gathered from the library’s shelves for the annual desk of the library anytime. book sale in Marianna. ‘Just Take 20’ literacy campaign launches School officials encourage “Just Take 20,” a literacy campaign the future.” launched recently by the Florida For a customizable literacy plan families to add 20 minutes Department of Edu- tailored to their child’s grade level MARK SKINNER/FLORIDAN cation, gives families and needs, parents are encouraged of reading to their day tips and activities to to visit the website www.justtake20. white-tailed yearling buck warily easily add 20 minutes org. Build a family profile, score makes his way through the under- Staff report of reading to their day. points and earn badges, while having brush at Florida Caverns State Park “Parents play a criti- fun with various reading and writing A Children who read at least 20 min- cal role in their child’s activities, including tips for strug- in Marianna. His antlers are still growing utes a day outside of the classroom Pilcher literacydevelopment,” gling readers. Many of the resources under their layer of velvet, but if he sticks to do better in school and in life. That’s Education Commis- are provided in Spanish and Haitian- the message school officials are sioner Pam Stewart said. “Providing Creole. The “Just Take 20” campaign the usual pattern, in September and Octo- spreading with the news of a brand- families with strategies to make the is free to all Florida families and K-12 ber he will rub the velvet off. He will then be new way to help get more reading most of teachable moments and in- public schools. stuck with his three-point antlers until he into a child’s daily life and form a fuse reading into busy schedules can According to the website, habit that will benefit them for a increase student literacy and help sheds them in spring and the whole process lifetime. Florida students succeed now and in See LITERACY, Page 6A starts over again. This Newspaper » CLASSIFIEDS...6B » ENTERTAINMENT...7B » LOCAL...3A»OBITUARIES...9A » SPORTS...1B Is Printed On Recycled Newsprint 2A ◆ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 WAKE-UP CALL JACKSON COUNTY FLORIDAN ◆ www.jcfloridan.com WEATHER OUTLOOK High: 89 Low: 71 High: 89 Partly Cloudy & Warm. Low: 72 High: 90 Today Spotty PM Storm. Low: 73 Justin Kiefer / WMBB High: 91 High: 89 Low: 71 Low: 73 High: 89° High: 88 Low: 75 High: 89 Low: 73° Low: 74 High: 86 Low: 76 High: 89° High: 85° PRECIPITATION Low: 71° Low: 69° 24 hours.................0.00” Year to date ...........37.59” Month to date ........0.61” Normal YTD ..........43.96” Normal MTD...........1.36” Normal for year......59.26” THURSDAY FRIDAY TIDES Partly Cloudy & Warm. Mostly Cloudy. Scattered ULTRAVIOLET INDEX Spotty PM Storm. Showers & Storms. Panama City Low ........5:27 PM High ........ 7:21 AM Apalachicola Low ........9:23 PM High ........ 1:21 PM 0-2 Low, 3-5 Moderate, 6-7 High, 8-10 Very High, 11+ Extreme Port St. Joe Low ........9:46 PM High ........ 11:14 AM High: 87° High: 87° Destin Low ........6:43 PM High ........ 8:27 AM 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11+ Pensacola Low ........7:17 PM High .......