SATURDAY/SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20-21, 2021 | YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SINCE 1874 | $2 WEEKEND EDITION Lake City Reporter LAKECITYREPORTER.COM >> PREP FOOTBALL AUTO RACING SUNDAY + PLUS Fort White Fort White’s Logano takes top Holton signs to wants peace honors at play in college after crash at Warner at Daytona 6C science fair Sean of the South SEE 6A SEE 1B SEE 1B Catholic COLUMBIA COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY Charities in CELL TOWER need of truck Refrigerated food regional director for the truck has had Lake City office. “Our cur- rent refrigerated truck has ‘excessive’ repairs. had tremendous, excessive repairs.” By TONY BRITT Joe Persons, a local [email protected] philanthropist, has given Catholic Charities a $15,000 Catholic Charities has starter check and issued a made its local reputation by challenge for the agency to overcoming odds and pro- raise the remaining funding viding services to those in to purchase another truck. need when they don’t have Edwards said Persons many options. told her: “‘Everyone needs Now faced with its own to know there is a need, and dilemma caused by an aging I’m willing to step up. Are truck, Catholic Charities is they?’” looking for community sup- She said she is looking for Photos by TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter port as it attempts to raise lots of community involve- Pre-cast jail cell pods are being installed at the Columbia County Detention Facility as part of a $16 million funds to purchase a new ment in the fundraiser. renovation project at the jail, which will expand the jail’s capacity by more than 200 beds. truck. “We can’t do this on our “We need a refrigerat- own,” she said. “There is a ed truck,” said Suzanne Pods arrive as jail Edwards, Catholic Charities TRUCK continued on 7A renovation continues By TONY BRITT structed in 1986, has a capacity of [email protected] 254 inmates, has been battling over- crowding issues this past year due to The Columbia County Detention covid-19. Facility had a constant stream of visi- County Manager David Kraus said tors this week. the new and renovation work at the jail Escort vehicles with ‘wide load’ was needed because the old jail was signs leading tractor trailers carrying aging, in bad shape and had critical cement-looking cubes kept checking flaws. in at the county jail. Those cubes? He said for years county officials They’re pre-cast jail cells that are get- were seriously considering con- The pre-cast jail cell pods FILE ting installed at the facility as part of a structing a new jail and even had a began arriving to the Columbia Catholic Charities is in need of a new refrigerated food multi-million upgrade and renovation study commissioned on the proposal. County Detention Facility this truck for the Florida Gateway Food Bank as its current project at the jail. week before being installed truck has had ‘tremendous, excessive repairs.’ The jail, which was originally con- JAIL continued on 7A with the use of a large crane. Baker County reeling in major industries Project Zeus, S2A jobs in Baker County — building modular com- east of Macclenny. the two projects, however. was a function of the dif- bringing 400-plus moved another step closer ponents for single- and S2A, which began nego- The food processing com- fering size of the planned jobs to community. last week in their develop- multi-family homes as well tiations with the Baker pany’s development agree- investments by the two ment plans at Enterprise as commercial structures. County Development ment with BCDC contains firms but also in their By MIKE ANDERSON Park East near the Walmart Project Zeus, with which Commission (BCDC) last this language that was absent respective needs. Project The Baker County Press Distribution Center. the county entered into a fall to buy a 44-acre par- from the S2A agreement Zeus, explained Chamber of It will be the first expan- development agreement cel in the same vicinity in approved last week: “The Commerce director Darryl MACCLENNY — An sion into the United States in mid-November, plans to Enterprise Park East, plans Development Commission Register this week, plans to international food process- for the Greek company, build a $125 million, 225,000 an expansion investment of will provide approximately invest more than four times ing company headquar- which so far has only been square foot cold storage some $30 million, including fifty-four (54) acres of land, the sum of S2A, which tered in Athens, Greece, identified as “Project Zeus,” facility, staffed with up to construction of a 240,000 located in Enterprise East sought the 44 acres south and a California-based mod- and the second manufac- 160 employees within five square foot manufacturing, Industrial Park (described of the Walmart Distribution ular housing manufacturer turing plant for S2A, which years, on a 54-acre site west office and model home facil- in exhibit A) to the Company Center partially due to its — collectively promising launched its business in of Industrial Park Road on ity. without cost.” hundreds of new hig- wage 2018 in Murietta, Calif., the north side of U.S. 90 There are differences in The varying language BAKER continued on 7A Local Banking with Brent Williams Chris Dampier Cessie Cothran Heather Gray Area President-Lender Senior Vice President-Lender Senior Vice President Senior Vice President-Private Banker a friendly and NMLS# 457377 NMLS# 595112 NMLS# 627544 386-487-1371 386-487-1344 386-487-1342 386-487-1375 personal touch. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Vol. 146, No. 238 Obituaries . 2A CALL US: TODAY’S WEATHER (386) 752-1293 Opinion . 4A Sports . 1B SUBSCRIBE TO 60 38 THE REPORTER: Classifieds . 3B-4B Voice: 755-5445 Sunny, 2A Fax: 752-9400 Business . 1C 2A SATURDAY/SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20-21, 2021 LOCAL LAKE CITY REPORTER Suwannee County QUICK HITS Commission sets road project Scripture of the Day “beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any priorities at Tuesday meeting time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.” 184th Rd., CR 250, ty,” County Administrator list, Land offered to utilize Wells Aquatics the bid as — 1 John 4:11-12 (KJV) CR 137 proposed Randy Harris said of CR reserve funds in the coun- the splash pad pool con- for DOT funding. 137 from U.S. Highway 90 ty’s road department bud- tractor for $137,000 for the in Wellborn to County Road get to handle 184th Road construction of a splash Thought for Today 136 near White Springs, a or to set aside funding for it pad at the First Federal Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; By JAMIE WACHTER statement in the next Sportsplex. but great minds rise above them. [email protected] he’d repeat few years’ The — Washington Irving, 1783-1859, American writer later in the budget to Rotary LIVE OAK — Christmas discussion complete Club of is still 10 months away, as well. that paving. Live Oak but the Suwannee Stapleton that meth- is helping Winning Lottery Numbers County Board of County offered to od would to fund Pick 3: (Thursday p.m.) 9-6-0 Commissioners has its Land drop the Stapleton have the White the splash Pick 4: (Thursday p.m.) 4-3-8-2 wish list ready. completion of CR 49, which road paved cheaper and pad addition with Rotary Fantasy 5: (Thursday) 3-16-19-29-36 Now the board hopes falls in District 4 that he quicker, Land added. President Brandon Fernald the Florida Department serves along with CR 137, Tony Cameron, a former telling the board that a See an error? of Transportation is more for the time being. Suwannee County sheriff, $100,000 campaign will The Lake City Reporter corrects errors of fact in news Santa Claus than Scrooge That offer came also urged the board to not be officially kicked off items. If you have a concern, question, or suggestion, when it comes to providing after both District 3 pull CR 250 from its list. Monday for the project, please call the editor. Corrections and clarifications will funding for road projects. Commissioner Travis Land “How bad does it have to which is currently expect- run in this space. Thanks for reading. For nearly an hour at (CR 250) and District 5 get before the county gets ed to cost $355,500. Tuesday’s meeting, the Commissioner Franklin sued when someone gets Fernald said the Rotary Submissions board discussed which White (184th Road) issued hurt out there,” he said has already received pledg- The Lake City Reporter accepts photographs and caption roads to submit for consid- pleas for their roads to be of the road, which Harris es for more than half of that information to run at the discretion of the editor. If you would eration for SCRAP (Small among the three submitted had admitted contained “a campaign goal. like to see your organization in the newspaper, send the picture and information to [email protected]. County Road Assistance to the state to be included lot of bad areas,” which “We’re excited about Program) and SCOP (Small in DOT’s five-year plan. the county could do tempo- this,” Fernald said, adding County Outreach Program) White said despite being rary patches until the state he envisioned the cam- Lake City Reporter funding from the state, a dirt road, the 2-mile reconstruction could occur. paign taking about 90 days HOW TO REACH US ADVERTISING finally compromising on stretch of 184th Road from Cameron also suggested which would conclude in Main number .......(386) 752-1293 Director Chris Ratliff 184th Road in southeastern CR 137 to the Columbia that with four roads being May or around the time Fax number ............752-9400 (386) 754-0417 Circulation.............755-5445 ([email protected]) Suwannee County as the County line stays busy as discussed in three districts, the splash pad is hopefully Online ....www.lakecityreporter.com CLASSIFIED top priority, County Road it is utilized to bypass Lake each should have a road on being completed.