Bronson Youth 8A Williston Fire Rates 3A Levy County Bronson Football 1B The Rye Grass Tourney 1B WMS Football 1B CK Seafood Festival 8B Your Locally-Owned County Paper of Record since 1923 VOL. 91, NO. 15 JournalTHURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2014 50 CENTS Chiefl and City Commission Pays for County Study of EMS Funding By Terry Witt city’s request to pay for half of the study’s cost and wasn’t fi gured out where it would get the estimated $134,000 in Senior Staff Writer supportive of the city’s request to bill the city on a monthly startup costs for the unit. Th ey wanted to get the study out of or quarterly basis for the cost of the study. But City the way fi rst. Chiefl and City Commissioners voted unanimously Commissioner Betty Walker said she has talked to county Commissioner Rollin Hudson reminded commissioners Monday to fund the entire $11,000 cost of the county study offi cials and she believes the county will support monthly or with a question he asked of Walker that they would be that will determine whether the funding source for the quarterly billing. funding a study by the county’s Tallahassee law fi rm, Nabors county’s ambulance service could be jeopardized by adding She reminded commissioners that if they refused to pay Giblin and Nickerson with no guarantee that a positive an Advanced Life Support non-transport truck in Chiefl and. for the study it would end any chance of the city being able report would emerge saying an ALS non-transport could be Th e Levy County Commission last week rejected the to operate an ALS non-transport unit. Th e city still hasn’t licensed in Chiefl and. continue to page 8A Williston Firefi ghters Move to New Digs as Building Is Repaired By Terry Witt Senior Staff Writer Williston fi refi ghters moved out of their living quarters Wednesday into a temporary “tent city” next door as work began to shore up the walls and foundation of the police and fi re building damaged by sinkhole activity. Ramjack Corporation began preliminary work to install support pilings throughout the building under the direction of a project manager hired by the city’s property insurer, the Florida League of Cities. City offi cials discovered several months ago that sinkhole activity was causing the walls of the building to sink and bend as the ground slowly gave way. Th e city hired Ramjack to install pilings to shore up the building. It took some time to get the project underway. City Manager Scott Lippmann said the work is now in an accelerated stage. “I think we’re going to get an excellent product out of it,” said Lippmann. “Th ey’ve accelerated the process now that we’ve brought all the resources to bear.” City fi re and police offi cials like the current central location of the police continue to page 3A Value Adjustment Protesters from ACT for America and the Counter-Terrorism Advisory Group made a stand on Sept. 18 in front of Pugh Hall at the University of Florida objecting highly to the Islamic Studies conference entitled, “Global Islam and the Quest for Public Space” headlined by John Esposito a Georgetown professor and known Board Rejects Winn apologist for radical Islam and founding director of the Saudi- sponsored Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in the Walsh School of Foreign Service. The conference was part of the new Dixie’s Request Global Islamic Studies Center program at UF. Photo courtesy of frontpagemag.com For more on this see page 4A By Terry Witt Senior Staff Writer Dry, Dusty Weather Permits Th e Levy County Value Adjustment Board rejected a request by Chiefl and’s Winn Dixie Store Monday to lower the property values by Picking of Peanuts more than $400,000, and the board also complained about Winn Dixie By Terry Witt were grown in Levy County, which is comparable to being a no-show at the hearing. Senior Staff Writer previous years. Under Florida law, Winn Dixie has the right to hire a tax representative Peanuts and watermelons are the biggest row crops to present their appeal to the VAB. Assessment Technologies sent a Th e dry and dusty weather of the last 10 days or so grown in the county. packet explaining the company’s position, but didn’t send a representative may have irritated a few sinus suff erers, but it helped September was one of the wettest months in anyone’s to the hearing. peanut farmers harvest a record crop. memory. Th e National Weather Service didn’t off er County Commissioner John Meeks, a spectator for the board meeting Dry weather is necessary to harvest peanuts and insights into the extremely wet weather, although the said VAB members have better things to do than to give up part of their the extreme wet weather in September made peanut agency said an El Niño was developing. day for a hearing where the store’s representative doesn’t show. picking and hay mowing challenging. Hay must be dry An El Niño is a warming of the Pacifi c Ocean “We’re going to work on the legislative delegation about this,” said to be high quality. waters off the equatorial coast of South America. It Meeks. Levy County Agricultural Extension Agent produces wetter weather in this area of Florida in the Property Appraiser Osborne Barker set the value of the Winn Dixie Anthony Drew said every farmer lost some peanuts to fall, winter and spring months. Store and property at $2,125,230, but Winn Dixie wanted it lowered to the wet weather, but the crop overall was excellent. Despite the choking dust on roads from the dry $1,642,000 or a maximum of $1,694,000, according to Assistant Property “I said last year’s crop couldn’t be beat, but I was weather, the Florida Division of Forestry said the Appraiser Randy Rutter. wrong,” Drew said. “I would say 70 percent of the crop drought index was still very low and the chances of Barker proved that his offi ce had correctly established the fair market was very good or better than last year – an all-time wildfi res even lower. Th e grass remains green and value of Winn Dixie in Chiefl and and the board supported his values by record.” forests remain moist, even if the roads are dusty. giving unanimous approval. continue to page 2A Drew estimated 20,000 to 24,000 acres of peanuts Rain was in the forecast for Tuesday night. Chiefl and Mayor Apologizes for Spiteful Behavior By Terry Witt the meeting said later that it wasn’t over for him. Chief A.D. Goodman and Deputy Chief Gene Senior Staff Writer “I’ve been spiteful to the fi re department. I Stockman. want to apologize to Chief Harris and Colby Th e letter was circulated in the community Chiefl and Mayor Teal Pomeroy Monday Perryman,” Pomeroy said, surprising many in before it was brought to the Chiefl and City apologized to Fire Chief James Harris and the commission meeting room. Commission for discussion. Pomeroy denied fi refi ghter Colby Perryman Monday and Pomeroy allegedly confronted Perryman about making the racial slur and was angry at Harris admitted being spiteful to the fi re department. signing a letter accusing the mayor of a racial for not bringing the letter to him. Harris accepted the apology and shook hands slur during a meeting with fi refi ghters. Four Firefi ghters have stood by their claim that with the mayor. Perryman, who was absent from fi refi ghters signed the letter including Assistant continue to page 3A Cost Soars on Grant-Funded Septic Project in Inglis Area By Terry Witt project. will add less water to the septic tank drain fi eld. Senior Staff Writer Th e Levy County Commission is responsible Th ose numbers are part of the $159,821. for completing the project. Th e commission Engineers working for Jordan and Associates, Th e price tag for a replacement septic tank received a Community Developme nt Block a consulting fi rm hired the county commission and drain fi eld at a federal-funded home grant from the federal government to rehabilitate to administer the CDBG grant, have been under rehabilitation project near Inglis has risen to homes for low income households, but this intense pressure to repair the troublesome drain $159,821 with the latest change order. project is the only one that has caused a pile of fi eld. Th e septic tank needs to function properly On the tax roll, the home’s assessed value is problems. or the homeowners, Roberto and Deborah $110,292. Th e cost of 135 feet of drain pipe along the Tarafa, could lose the use of their home. Th ey Engineer Joakiim (Jay) Nordquist of GSE road in front of the house to a nearby canal will need working toilets. Engineering and Consultants told Levy County be $13,105 and the cost of moving rain gutters Th e Tarafa home is located in Peaceful Acres, Commissioners last week that an underdrain and from one area of the house to another location an older subdivision located on a peninsula gutter improvement would add to the cost of the will be $1,760. Nordquist said moving the gutter jutting out into Lake Rousseau. Engineers are continue to page 3A www.levyjournalonline.com 2A The Levy County Journal Your Locally-Owned County Paper of Record since 1923 October 16, 2014 Levy County S h e r i ff ’ s O ffi c e Levy County’s Most Wanted Arrest Report Jail Media Report from 10/06/2014 to 10/12/2014 CANNON, JODY, 34, OF BELL, FL: HOLD FOR OTHER AGENCY.