Lake Region Monitor USPS 114-170 — Keystone Heights, Florida Thursday, March 20, 2014 41st Year — 46th Issue — 75 CENTS High school Agencies cut copes with 2nd Keystone out of suicide in 3 water harvesting weeks project BY DAN HILDEBRAN phones, turn the devices on on campus grew increasingly Monitor Editor and enter a crisis hotline phone somber, particularly on Friday BY DAN HILDEBRAN 12 million gallons a day to instead of piping it south to Keystone Heights High number into their contact lists. when several incidents occurred Monitor Editor Keystone lakes. Keystone Heights. School leaders and Clay School Superintendent Charlie Van at the school. The three leading agencies During a Feb. 8 CCUA “We want this to be one of district officials met with Zant also addressed the students, One student, who is dual of a project that would harvest meeting, GAI urged the the options as an alternative students Wednesday, March 12, encouraging them to talk to enrolled at Santa Fe College, storm water from the First agencies to move forward with water supply,” said Morris of consoling them over the suicide school personnel whenever they said she was off-campus Friday Coast Expressway and pump it a second study that would draft the project. “Given the choice of of a classmate and offering help felt depressed or under stress. morning but returned to the high to Keystone-area lakes are now a conceptual design, prepare treating sea water, water from the to prevent further tragedies. “We are here to help,” he said. school that afternoon, and was planning an alternative that preliminary cost estimates and St. Johns River or Black Creek, Principal Susan Sailor Earlier in the day, during a shocked by the level of tension at would instead keep the harvested draft a cost/benefit analysis for or treating this water, Dave convened a school-wide community Lenten Lunch at the school. water in northern Clay County DOT. (Chief Engineer Dave Bolam) assembly Wednesday afternoon Trinity Baptist Church, Van Zant Clay County School District for use there. However, during a March has said, hands down, he would to tell the student body that one told the crowd about the tragedy spokesperson Gavin Rollins said The Clay County Utility 12 CCUA meeting, the much rather design a plant to of their classmates took her own and invited local youth pastors to some students misinterpreted an Authority, the St. Johns utility’s Executive Director treat this water and actually use life the previous night. the school assembly. increased uniformed presence of Water Management District Tom Morris told his board of it as a drinking water source.” Sailor began the meeting by In February, another Keystone Clay County Sheriff’s deputies and Florida’s Department of supervisors that in senior staff Morris said DOT officials also telling the students, “This is not High School student took his at the school on Friday as a sign Transportation provided major meetings between the utility had reservations about pumping an assembly I ever wanted to own life. According to one of trouble. He added that on funding for the first study of the and water management district, the harvested water south to have,” according to one person school district source, the two Friday, school officials called project. participants moved toward an Keystone Heights. who attended the meeting. suicide victims were close. 911 to treat a student that was The study’s author, Orlando alternative that would harvest “They were very, very hesitant The principal also instructed Several students said that consulting firm GAI concluded the water from the expressway students to take out their cell throughout the week, the mood See SCHOOL, 2A that the proposal could bring and divert it to CCUA reservoirs See CCUA, 2A Audubon names Brown Conservationist of the Year BY DAN HILDEBRAN resources in and around Putnam to retain an interest in their Monitor Editor County through land acquisition properties while also lowering Santa Fe Audubon named and donations of land. estate and property taxes by Claude Brown as its 2014 Brown was instrumental in restricting the lands’ future uses. Conservationist of the Year the founding of the Putnam Land The conservancy also partners during the organization’s fifth Conservancy and has worked to with other groups to manage annual meeting on March 11. further its goal to acquire and lands. It is working with the Brown is the president of the conserve land in Putnam County. Nature Conservancy to restore Putnam Land Conservancy. Since 2010, the conservancy the Van Meirop Nature Park He is also a chemist with the has acquired over 320 acres and has partnered with the city University of Florida Institute for in eight counties through of Hawthorne and Friends of Food and Agricultural Science’s its targeted subdivisions Little Orange Creek to complete Lake Watch. That program initiative. Under the plan, a community resource and monitors the health of Florida’s owners of parcels, typically environmental nature center lakes and enlists volunteers to in undeveloped or sparsely on the 1,300-acre Little Orange collect data. populated subdivisions, receive Creek Nature Park east of The Putnam Land a tax deduction by donating land Hawthorne. Conservancy is a nonprofit, to the nonprofit. Joyce King, president of Santa local land trust whose mission The conservancy has also been Fe Audubon, contributed to this Santa Fe Audubon’s Conservationist of the year, Claude Brown, along with board is to protect the natural, active in setting up conservation story. members of the Putnam Land Conservancy. (L-r) Carson Bird, Lisa Modola, Claude historic, scenic, and recreational easements, allowing land owners Brown and Willie the Losen. Starke couple Clay Comm. School board Planning Clay Charter 6th candidate killed in hires expert candidate comm. chair Comm. enters District Putnam Hall on regulating puts $100,000 complains of concludes 4 county accident sex shops into campaign ‘zoning creep’ business comm. race BY DAN HILDEBRAN BY DAN HILDEBRAN BY DAN HILDEBRAN BY DAN HILDEBRAN Monitor Editor Monitor Editor account Monitor Editor with no Monitor Editor A Starke couple was killed Clay County Commissioners BY DAN HILDEBRAN The chair of the Clay amendments The most crowded field on when their motorcycle collided voted to hire a First Amendment Monitor Editor County Planning Commission the 2014 Clay County ballot BY DAN HILDEBRAN with a car in Putnam Hall on specialist to look at its current A candidate running for the supported a change to an already grew even larger when a sixth Monitor Editor March 12. ban on sexually oriented Clay County School board put existing plan for a commercial candidate filed papers with the The Clay County Charter According to a Florida businesses, and to recommend $100,000 of his own money into development at the corner of supervisor of elections office to Review Committee voted Highway Patrol report, Elbert whether or not to replace the his campaign account. U.S. 17 and Creighton Road, enter the race. to conclude its deliberations “Dave” Peace, 64, was driving 27-year-old law. Kenny Leigh of Fleming but not before complaining of Georgi R. Black owns a without sending any charter a 2004 Harley Davidson Michael Kahn is a Island is seeking the District methods developers used to get barber shop near the intersection amendments to voters. westbound on SR 100 at 6:05 Melbourne-based lawyer who 1 seat currently held by Janice the rezoning approved. of CR 220 and Henley Road in The commission meets every p.m. has represented several cities Kerekes. The planning board joined Middleburg. four years to consider changes Lon Seibert, 57, of Grandin in drafting and defending He is the senior partner of Chair Ralph Puckhaber in District 4 covers western clay to the county’s governing was driving a 1984 Mercedes ordinances that regulate adult- Kenny Leigh and Associates, a approving a change in zoning for county, including Clay Hill, document. Amendments to the Benz eastbound. oriented businesses. family law practice representing a parcel just south of the U.S. 17 Kingsley Lake and Keystone charter may also be proposed As the two vehicles approached Commissioners first looked men only. The firm has offices bridge crossing Doctor’s Inlet. Heights. through citizen ballot initiatives. one another, Seibert attempted at its current outright ban on in Jacksonville, Fleming Island, Creighton Road Development Black joins: Voters must approve all changes a left turn onto Putnam Loop sexually oriented businesses Gainesville, Daytona Beach, Inc. plans three buildings, Clay Hill school teacher to the charter. Road, driving into the path of the last November after a potential Boca Raton and Ft. Walton parking and a roundabout on Abbie Andrews; The current charter review motorcycle, which struck the left operator of an adult-themed Beach. the 3.35-acre site. Developers Eight-time candidate Ronnie commission has met nine side of the Mercedes. enterprise telephoned county Other candidates in the had already obtained approval Coleman, who since 1996 has run times since October and Both the driver of the Harley, staff and asked about its District 1 race include Kerekes, for the planned commercial for county commissioner, sheriff considered 15 amendments as well as a passenger, 55-year- ordinance. who has raised $14,120 and development but returned to the and supervisor of elections; including appointing the sheriff old Christine Ann Peace, were County attorney Mark Amber Shepherd, who has raised planning board on March 11 for Middleburg businessman and school superintendent, thrown from the bike. The Scruby told commissioners that $10,704. approval to add two bank drive- Steven R. Johnson, who has changing term limits for county driver was pronounced dead at based on case law, the county’s Kerekes’ backers include throughs to its proposal.