1. NEW PARK IN NEWBERRY!
2. Green Markets Celebrations/Community Activities
3. Grants (One good one has a 3/1 deadline!)
4. COMMENTS-- NE Park, etc.
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CALENDAR
Mar 6 NEWBERRY PARK DEDICATION!
Mar 10 Poe Springs Fishing Tournament
Mar 10 Sawgrass Fiddle Contest, Paines Prairie 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
(Kids and Teens)
Mar 12 Newberry Rec. Advisory Board Public Meeting 6:00 p.m. Municipal
Bldg
Mar 17 Hawthorne Area Baseball season starts--need volunteers
481-2834
Mar 25 Summer Activities Fair, 1-4 p.m. Florida Museum of Natural
History
Mar 31-Apr 7 Sustainable Agriculture Week celebrating local
farms, farmers, and food:
Mar 31 Haile Plantation Farmer's Market (5300 SW 91 Terrace) 8-1pm
Apr 2 Healthy Families Nutrition Forum Sidney Lanier Cafeteria,
312 NW 16th St 6:15-8:15 pm
Apr 4 Union St. Farmer's Market (Hippodrome) 4-7pm
Apr 7 Farmer's Market, Bloom and Berries Spring Festival (corner
of 441 and 34th St.) 8:30-1pm
Apr 21 Cheerleading sign-ups @ Alachua City Rec. Center
May 5th Great Strides Walk registration 8:00 am, the walk at 9:00
Westside Park
WEBSITES
http://www.newberrychamber.com Newberry Recreation
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NEW NEWBERRY PARK! Dedication, Public Input
The City of Newberry has closed on a 40-acre land purchase. The 40 acres are part of a 100-acre wellhead protection area required by Suwanee River Water Management District. The city plans to utilize the 40 acres for a recreation complex. The recreation site will eventually include playgrounds, a picnic area, youth and adult baseball and softball fields, football and soccer fields, basketball and volleyball courts, and an indoor gymnasium with office and meeting room space that could double as a community center. The remaining 60 wellhead protection acres will be utilized for nature trails, bird watching, or other passive recreation. The city has allocated funds to begin developing some of the project immediately.
The dedication will be March 6th at 3 PM at the property:
From Gainesville - Take Newberry Rd to Newberry. Go north on Hwy
27/41 towards High Springs. The driveway to the property is roughly
1/2 mile down on the right side. Look for a small mobile home
park on the left side. The recreation site is across from that.
We'll have balloons or something marking the entrance.
The Newberry Recreation Advisory Board is holding a public
meeting on Monday, March 12th at 6:00 PM at the Municipal Building
to review the preliminary plans and to allow input from the community.
Citizens and neighbors are invited.
For more information call Mark Hansen 472-5663 or Ben Pardo 472-9396.
--Ben Pardo
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GREEN MARKETS Community Activities
Local farmers will demonstrate activities such as soap making, goat milking, and jelly production in the Parade of Farms' Tour of Farmers' Markets. Cooking and nutrition demonstrations of local, seasonal produce will also be offered at the markets during the tour. Along with the Tour, there will be a nutrition forum for the community and particularly parents during this celebration. The schedule of events for that week are as follows:
March 31, 2001 Haile Plantation Farmer's Market (5300 SW 91
Terrace) 8-1pm
April 2, 2001 Healthy Families Nutrition Forum (Sidney Lanier
Center & the Anchor School Cafeteria, 312 NW 16th St) 6:15-8:15pm
April 4, 2001 Union St. Farmer's Market (downtown Gainesville,
next to Hippodrome) 4-7pm
April 7, 2001 Alachua County Farmer's Market, Annual Bloom and
Berries Spring Festival (corner of 441 and 34th St.) 8:30-1pm
--Jill Durham (352) 377-6345 or foodfog@aol.com, for details
or questions.
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Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Grants
$28.9 million is available for funding rehabilitation projects under the UPARR program (no preapplications for innovation grants will be accepted). Rehabilitation grants awarded will focus on neighborhood park and recreation sites and facilities that have "deteriorated to the point where health and safety are endangered or the community's range of quality recreation service is impaired." Grant funds may be used to remodel, rebuild or develop existing recreation areas and facilities.
Urban jurisdictions that are eligible for funds would have a National Park Service Recovery Action Program (RAP) on file. A chief elected official of a jurisdiction with an expired RAP (since 1995), can submit either a new or updated RAP for NPS review or a letter of recertification. If a jurisdiction has never filed a RAP for participation in the UPARR program, or if the plan expired prior to 1995, the chief elected official may submit a new or update RAP or copies of the current budget and other necessary materials that reflect that jurisdiction's recreation priorities, policies and actions.
The National Park Service will accept preapplications on or before June18, 2001. UPARR grants are awarded on a 70/30 (Federal/local) matching basis. Applications and additional requirements can be found in the "UPARR Preapplication Handbook" available from the NPS field offices or online at www.ncrc.nps.gov/uparr .
Recreation Programs, Southeast Regional Office,
National Park Service,
Atlanta Federal Center, 1924 Building,
100 Alabama Street, S.W.,
Atlanta,GA 30303,
Tele: (404) 562-3175
--eleanor@frpa.org
SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND DELINQUENCY Grants
The Robert Wood Johnson is making available $21 million in
grant money for organizations working to
prevent substance abuse and delinquency. For complete information
on the project, ìReclaiming Futures:
Building Community Solutions to Substance Abuse And Delinquency",
see http://www.reclaimingfutures.org
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST YOUTH VIOLENCE Grants
In an effort to create a safer America for young people, The National
Campaign to Prevent Youth
Violence has issued a request for proposals to work with selected
communities to stimulate private sector investment in prevention
efforts, increase youth involvement and leadership and improve
media exposure and coverage of local activities. Community collaboratives
developed to reduce violence by and against youth are invited
to apply. Call 202-687-1660 or check out their website at http://www.NoViolence.net
.
--Tanya Ott tanya_ott@yahoo.com Village Ebrief
GRANTS TO HELP LOW INCOME YOUTH
The McKnight Foundation will offer funding to support summer programs for disadvantaged or low income youth.
Program areas include meaningful recreational, artistic, vocational,
academic, and cultural activities that
will assist low-income teens to become involved in productive
summer community activities. Opportunities include service learning
and acquiring the habits, skills, and self-worth needed for a
successful transition into adulthood.
THE DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS FOR 2001 SUMMER YOUTH GRANT MAKING
IS THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2001.
http://www.mcknight.org/program/apply-sy.htm
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COMMENTS
I actually tripped upon it (the newsletter) accidentally
while I was looking up local recreation web sites, and I cannot
remember exactly how I ended up on GRU's RecNet. Sports and recreation
has never been my most consuming interest, but after meeting and
working on a volunteer basis with many of the members of the (old)
Governor's Council back in 1997, I found that even small contributions
of time were sought and extremely appreciated.
I was lucky enough to work as a first aid volunteer at the Sunshine
State Games, two subsequent Senior Games, and an assortment of
track and bicycle meets here in town and have been so impressed
with the dedication I have seen, and the emphasis on amateur,
educational and just plain pleasurable pursuits. (I was distressed
to see the SSG taken over by FSF---their emphasis does not seem
to be the same, though I'm certain that I will work at the Senior
Games again when my schedule permits!)
Plus, I am a Gainesville native, and the direction I see the
advisory boards and (sometimes) the commissions taking is definitely
a direction I wish to see continued. Even when citizens don't
get physically involved, the more they can learn from the web
and the media, the better the chances of actually passing a recreation
tax one day.
--susan brown <ksb@atlantic.net>
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Critical to the success of infill development is the protection
and nurture of "green space" in urban areas. Studies
indicate that one reason people flee to the suburbs is to escape
the sterility of an urban environment that lacks trees and open
space. Preservation of our existing parks is critical to our
reversing urban flight.
--Gail Ellyson, Conservation Chair Suwannee-St. Johns Sierra Club
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The retention pond could be to developed more extensively as a
constructed treatment wetlands, similar to the current Duckpond
projectA more broad reaching and farsighted approach to stormwater
management could leave us with a string of wetlands parks, instead
of fragmented, industrial wasteland style holding ponds that please
no one. The Sweetwater Branch could then serve as a model for
stormwater management
--David P. Harlos, ScD, Environmental Scientist
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I'm told that many skateboarders view the proposed skateboard
facilities with contempt. The design is considered lame, totally
unchallenging and of no interest to them.
Because of the slanting floors in movie houses, they are notoriously
difficult and expensive to retrofit - and therefore stay vacant
for a long time. Perhaps the city of Gainesville could get a
short-term lease for one of these theatres to see how popular
a skateboard facility would be. Skateboarding could be an all-weather
sport, the children would be in a safe environment - and their
extreme noise (from boom boxes) be controlled and contained.
--Karen Orr-Stokes
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(and an official response to Karen)
Thank you for your inquiry regarding our skate park projects.
Due to the growing concern over the project at Northeast Park,
we have decided to table a decision on proceeding with the proposed
skate park for this location right now.
Your idea to turn the unused movie theaters into skate parks
is an intriguing one and I will be sure to request feedback on
it from our skateboarding community.
--Cliff Crawford, Recreation & Parks Director, Gainesville
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Thank You,
Alison
GRANDPARENTS: the people who think your children are wonderful
even though they're sure you're not raising them right.
TOP BUNK: where you should never put a child wearing Superman
jammies.
The intent of the RecConnection e-letter is to unite recreation efforts and information in Alachua County. Your comments, articles, and information are vital to our success. I'll gladly remove you if you request.
Websites: http://alachua-recreation.gru.net (Everything I
know about stuff in Alachua County) http://www.afn.org/~alilaw/
(Past Rec Connection E-Letters)
http://user.gru.net/alilaw (Justice? Or Recreation?)
E-letter correspondence: alilaw@gru.net
GRASSROOTS
Cone Park (Gainesville): Tom Hawkins thawkins@atlantic.net
Greentree Park (Gainesville): ACTION, Dave Hill dnbhill@digital.net
Hawthorne: HARA, Werner P. Schuman <hara@afn.org
Jonesville: Debbie Kennedy, 332-5713, and ACGARPA, Tom Trscabinets@aol.com
462-4902
Squirrel Ridge Park Gretchen Howard Gch@sa.co.alachua.fl.us 337-6174
Waldo: Henry Drake <SagoDr@aol.com (352)468-2298
Windsor: Juanita Biles jkbracin@bellsouth.net 373-2812, 538-3235
Middle School Programming: Carl Harness Harnesscs@ci.gainesville.fl.us
Elementary Afterschool Scholarships: Elizabeth Bondy <bondy@edu15.coe.ufl.edu
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