Archive for February 2013
City of Madison Meeting Agenda for Feb. 12, 2013
1. Call to Order
2. Adoption of Agenda
3. Items Removed from Consent Agenda
4. CONSENT AGENDA:
(a) Minutes of January 8, 2013
(b) Fire Report
(c) Police Report for December and January
(d) Financial Report
(e) Use of Forfeiture Funds to Purchase Mobile Data Terminals for Police Vehicles
(f) Third Circuit Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Agreement
(g) Application for Florida Municipal Insurance Trust Matching Safety Grant
(h) Resolution of Support for Restoration of Passenger Rail Service New Orleans to Jacksonville
(i) Declaration of Surplus Property (1998 Chevrolet Model 3500 Truck) and Donation of Same Property to the Madison Correctional Institution
(j) Property Agreement with Corporate Graphics
(k) Revision to City of Madison Property Transfer to Madison First Baptist Church
5. Citizen’s Participation (6:00 p.m.)
6. Acceptance of a Resolution from the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council Recognizing the 175th Anniversary of the City of Madison (Martha Orthoefer, North Central Florida Regional Planning Council)
7. Discuss and Possibly Approve a Course of Action Regarding the City’s Housing Renovation / Community Development Block Grant (Martha Orthoefer, North Central Florida Regional Planning Council)
8. Discuss and Possibly Approve a Course of Action Regarding City Property and a Proposed New Business (Chuck Hitchcock, Community Development Director)
9. Discussion of Use of Golf Carts on State-Owned Roadways (Police Chief Gary Calhoun)
10. Discussion of Sign Regulations within the City of Madison’s Land Development Regulations (City Manager)
11. Discuss and Possibly Approve a Resolution Regarding Water/Wastewater Impact Fees (City Manager)
12. Discuss and Possibly Approve a Course of Action Regarding Purchase of Properties Comprised of 31.690 Acres of Vacant Land at Southeast Byrd Avenue (Parcel ID 27-1N-09-4308-001-000) and 18.1 Acres of Vacant Land at Southeast Byrd Avenue (Parcel ID 27-1N-09-4308-000-000) (City Manager)
13. City Manager’s Report
14. Other Items of Interest to the Commission
15. Adjourn
All times on the agenda are approximate.
Any person who decides to appeal any decision made by the commission with respect to any matter considered at such meeting will need a record of the proceedings, and that for such purpose, he or she may need to insure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is based.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON STRUCTURE FIRE IN MADISON COUNTY
Photos and text submitted by Pat Lightcap
In the midafternoon of Sunday, February 10, 2013 Madison County 911 Center received a report of a structure fire at 412 Sampala Lake Road. Madison Fire/Rescue was first on-scene and reported the sturcture was fully involved. Additional help was requested from New Home Fire/Rescue and Greenville Fire/Rescue. Because the fire had spread to an open field the Division of Forestry was requested. Tri-County Electric and Progress Energy responded to secure the electrical lines. Madison County Sheriff’s Deputies were on scene as well as Madison County EMS. The American Red Cross was notified to assess the needs of any residents. The State Fire Marshall’s office was also notified. No injuries were reported as of the writing of this article at 4:50 PM.
Scam Alert
From a reader of Greene Publishing, Inc.’s Madison County Carrier and Madison Enterprise-Recorder:
I am writing to let you know that there is a scam going on with
the elderly in Madison County. My mother received two [2] phone calls
today , one from a man and the other from a woman, They stated that the
government was sending out new medicare cards to all senior citizens and
then they started asking for their banking information. I would
appreciate it if you could let everyone know about this scam. The
number that showed up on her caller id was 409-574-1214 , I tried to
do a reverse search and got nothing. Some of our seniors would give
them their information and this would be very bad for them.
I greatly appreciate you attention to this matter and Thank you in
advance.
Joanne Ragans Named Teacher Of The Year
Julius Hackett presents Joanne Ragans with the 2013 Madison County Teacher of the Year Award at the Golden Apple Teacher of the Year Award Banquet. Congratulations, Jo Ragans!
Miss Madison County Pageant and Tots to Tween Pageant Now Accepting Applications
Submitted by Toni Blanton, Pageant Director
Applications for the annual Miss Madison County Pageant are now available at Becky’s Dance Steps Studio, located at 438 E Base Street in Madison. New age divisions are being created this year! Ages are as followed; 0-11 months boys and girls, 12-23 months boys and girls, 2-3 years boys and girls, 4-5 years, 6-7 years, 8-9 years,
10-12 years, 13-15 will have the chance to compete for the title of Teen Miss Madison County 2013.
Contestants who are between the ages of 16 to 24 years old will have the opportunity to compete for the coveted title of Miss Madison County 2013, along with a chance to when a $1500 scholarship to attend North Florida Community College. As a way to get more young ladies involved within our community, a new category this year will be added. The title of Ms. /Mrs. Madison County is for any lady that is married, single, divorced or with children.
With the incredible success of last year’s Mr. and Miss Heart of Madison Program, we are pleased to announce once again that anyone who wishes to participate can do so without having to enter the actual pageant. This program raised a grand total that surpassed one thousand dollars for our Miss Madison scholarship fund which in return aided last year’s Miss Madison, Ashley Killingsworth. Since this program holds such a prestigious title everyone that participates and completes the requirements will walk away with a beautiful crown and sash.
The pageant is set for Saturday, April 13th at 10:00a.m. & 6:00p.m. The event will take place at Van H. Priest Auditorium located at North Florida Community College, who is also a co-sponsor to this event. Also, make sure to come out to the 6:00p.m. show to catch WCTV’S favorite weatherman, Mr. Rob Nucatola, who is always a crowd favorite!
Applications may be picked up at Becky’s Dance Steps Studio. Enter today and receive a discount on your entry fee! The deadline for the discounted rate is March 8th. Be sure to submit applications early as spaces are limited!
For more information feel free to contact:
Toni Blanton Norris at (850) 253-5394 or email: madisonpageants@aol.com. Checkout madisonpageants on Facebook!
Sweitzer Enters Plea; Sentenced To 15 Years For Sexual Abuse Of A Minor
Richard Sweitzer, sentenced to 15 years and 10 years probation
Sweitzer entered his plea during a pre-trial hearing.
Accusations made by Sweitzer’s accusers never altered or wavered. The state attorney agreed to accept the plea bargain in order to avoid a trial and get the sentence they wanted.
Sweitzer was sentenced to 15 years in prison, plus 10 years probation.
Way Back When
February 12, 1943
Prof. Carl E. Rude, principal of Madison High School, and the High School Athletic Association, generously donated to the Library Association $5.00, with the request that it be used for the purchase of new books or any other way that the Library Association sees fit.
Mrs. J.H. Sale of Cherry Lake brought to the newspaper last week a half dime minted in 1842.
Dr. E.D. Tharp spent the past 10 days as a business visitor to Defuniak Springs.
Col. C.B. Marshall was a visitor to the city last week, visiting his brother-in-law and sister, Dr. and Mrs. J.E. Ellis.
February 6. 1953
Prof. A.J. Hargrove is confined to his bed with illness this week.
The dental trailer from the State Board of Health stopped at the elementary school in Greenville. According to Dr. A.W. Peterson, dentist, 152 children had their teeth examined. This included in the first three grades.
Jimbo Bell is at home on a 35-day furlough. He has been stationed in Pensacola.
The District Seminar of the Methodist WSCS will be held in Monticello on Feb. 12.
February 8, 1963
The Florida Power Corporation in Madison County will have an outage of electricity Sunday, Feb. 10, between 2 and 4 p.m. for repairs to the sub-station.
Service will be interrupted to those Tri-County Electric Co-op members east of Madison, including the area around Pinetta, Lee and south of Lee, from 2-4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 10.
Miss Toni Jean Wells of FSU was a visitor at her home here Sunday.
Alex H. Smith and sons, Jimmy and Zet, spent the weekend at their Fernandina Beach home.
February 9, 1973
Henry Fead is in the jailhouse on a murder charge and Emma Tucker, 19, is dead of a bullet to her brain as the result of a family squabble in Greenville Sunday.
Bob and Beanie Searcy spent an all-expenses paid weekend in Freeport in the Bahamas, guests of United Farm Agency. Mr. and Mrs. Searcy are members of the President’s Round Table, one of the top classifications of company salesmen.
Gay Swift, son of Mr. and Mrs. Red Swift, is being treated in the Key West Naval Hospital for a serious eye injury, caused when an electric drill struck him in the eye. He has lost virtually the entire sight of the eye, Mr. Swift reported. Young Swift will be given a medical discharge from the Coast Guard.
Two men, ages 20 and 22, were jailed and charged with murder in the shooting of Highway Patrol Trooper C.W. Parks, husband of the former Carolyn Davis of Madison. Parks was shot as he attempted to arrest the men in connection with the robbery of a Woodbine, Ga., loan office. He was left dead in the ditch alongside I-95. A passing motorist who witnessed the killing gave the alarm over the trooper’s radio and the two men were picked up shortly thereafter.
Sheriff Votes To Uphold Rights Of Gun Owner
By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
Madison County Sheriff Ben Stewart was among the overwhelming majority of sheriffs in the Florida Sheriffs Association who voted to uphold the rights in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Adopted on Dec. 15, 1791, the amendment protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms.
Stewart, a lifelong supporter of gun owners’ rights, said he was proud of the Florida Sheriffs Association for taking a stand to protect the rights of gun owners.
A resolution was voted on at the recent Sheriff’s Association convention held Jan. 27-Feb.1.
Six Cowboy Athletes Sign Scholarships
MCHS Head Coach Mike Coe (standing, center) offers praise and congratulations to six of the senior Cowboys headed for college in the fall on athletic scholarships. Seated, left to right are: Sheddrick Williams, Javarus Jones, D.J. McKnight, Gerard Brown, Brandon Crawford and Ira Denson. To see which colleges the athletes signed to play football and baseball at, check out Friday’s Madison Enterprise-Recorder or our e-edition.
National Signing Day Today
National college football signing day today, 2:15 p.m. at Madison County High School Gym.
Corrections to Grave Markers Removed From Fellowship Cemetery
Regarding the Fellowship Cemetery story that appeared in the Carrier on Jan. 30, Mrs. JoAnn Wilson does not have any future burial plots reserved.
Also, the rule changes as to how the plots could be marked out were in reference to a letter her cousin Coretha Russell received. While there have been rule changes, Mrs. Wilson did not receive any letters from the board of trustees for the cemetery; she was relating an incident that happened to her cousin Coretha who received the letter. This reporter misunderstood and thought she meant that both she and her cousin received a letter, but only Mrs. Russell received a letter.
Mrs. Wilson’s photographs were taken near a major holiday, but it might have been closer to Christmas than Thanksgiving. It was after her cousin had received the letter about mid-December from the board of trustees asking her to remove some of the markers from her family member’s gravesites, and Mrs. Wilson then went to the cemetery to try to document some of what was happening.
Apologies to Mrs. Wilson for the mistakes.
Town of Greenville Busy With New Faces in Town Hall
Two new Town Council members will soon be representing Greenville: Calvin Malone will fill the Group 4 seat being vacated by Martin Lee, while Barbara Dansey will take over the Group 3 seat for Michael Halley. Both incumbents decided not to seek re-election, and Malone and Dansey ran unopposed. Read the rest of the story
Cowboy Baseball Season Just Around The Corner
With a Winter chill still filling the air and a run at another State Championship in football complete, the 2013 Madison County Cowboy Baseball season is just around the corner. The Varsity Cowboys and Head Coach, Terry Barrs, begin season play this Thursday against the Lafayette Hornets from Mayo in the Madison Cowboy Challenge. Team expectations are high with the season fast approaching, and a big crowd is anticipated when the first pitch of the Cowboy season is thrown at 7:00pm. Come see your TEAM as they set out on their 2013 baseball journey, and always remember… GO COWBOYS!
For more on Cowboys baseball including roster, schedule, and stats please visit the following site at MAXPREPS.com
http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/madison-county-cowboys-(madison,fl)/baseball/home.htm
Lee Man Killed In Rollover
A Lee man was killed in a rollover at County Road 255, near the intersection of State Road 6 early Sunday morning, Feb. 3.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, Alfred N. Allen, 42, was traveling south on CR 255. For unknown reasons, he traveled onto the west shoulder of the road and overcorrected, steering his 1999 GMC Sierra to the left.
The pickup rotated clockwise and traveled southeast across both lanes of CR 255.
The right front of the truck collided with a ditch on the east shoulder of the road. The truck then overturned and traveled south in the ditch on the east shoulder of CR 255.
The vehicle came to a final rest on its wheels, facing south in the ditch on the east shoulder of CR 255.
Allen was ejected from the pickup. his body came to a final rest on the west shoulder of CR 255.
The Lee Volunteer Fire Department, Madison County EMS and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene.
FHP Trooper James Parker was the investigating officer.
Obituary: James Dexter (Buddy) Scruggs
J. D. (Buddy) Scruggs, 93, of Madison, died Thursday, January 31, 2013, at home. Buddy was born March 11, 1919, in Perry. The Scruggs family moved to Madison about 1925 where Buddy attended school. He graduated in 1937 from Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, Tenn. Buddy served in the U.S. Army in World War II where he worked in Europe in the area of military government. After his military service, he attended University of Florida and earned a B.S. in Forestry. He worked as a forester and Registered Land Surveyor (PLS#963) in the north Florida area for 40 years and was considered an expert by his peers in retracing the original surveyors’ footsteps and “proving” their section corners. Buddy served as a commissioner for the City of Madison for 21 years. He was also a founding member of Grace Presbyterian Church where he served as deacon, elder, and elder emeritus.
He was predeceased by his parents James Dexter Scruggs and Corrine Porter Scruggs; his brother Richard Martin Scruggs; sisters Corrine S. Winderweedle, Martha Curtis Lafitte, and Mary S. Brinson; and his first wife of 36 years, Frances Owens Scruggs.
He is survived by his wife of 28 years Peggy Blake Scruggs and daughters Mary Ann Sanders (Tim) and Frances Adleburg; grandchildren Alexis Adleburg (Ryan Pulfer), Ben Adleburg, and Sara Sanders; great grandson Michael Owen Pulfer; six nieces and nephews including Nate Curtis (BJ) of Madison. He is also survived by Peggy’s children Michael Blake (Linda), Rachael Adams (Mike), and Suzanne Hooten (Gibson); and grandchildren Charissa Blake, Joshua Blake, Zachary Adams, Jared Adams (Allison), Caleb Adams, Caitlin Adams, Jacob Adams, Michael Hooten, and Joseph Hooten.
The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, February 4, 2013, at Grace Presbyterian Church in Madison, Florida, followed by burial in Oak Ridge Cemetery. The family will receive friends in the sanctuary prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Grace Presbyterian Church, P. O. Box 76, Madison, Florida 32341. Beggs Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. 850-973-2258.
Jeff & Sheri Easter and the Bowlings to Appear in Madison
The music of Jeff & Sheri Easter and Mike and Kelly Bowling will touch hearts in Madison on Feb. 8.
Jeff & Sheri Easter will bring their ministry to Yogi Bear’s Jelly Stone Park at 1051 SW Old St. Augustine Road, on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 at 7 p.m. in a special concert. The Bowlings will also appear. Admission for the event is $10 and a love offering will be received.
Two-time GRAMMY ® nominees Jeff & Sheri have a unique musical legacy that reaches out from Southern musical sounds of Appalachia Mountains of North Carolina and the Piedmont of Georgia within them. Jeff is the son of James, one of North Carolina’s Easter Brothers and Sheri the daughter of Polly from the three-time music hall of fame inductee The Lewis Family.
“Jeff and I both appreciate the heritage of gospel music we have in our respective families, and we choose to honor that legacy,” Sheri said.
One of Sheri’s latest projects – the book “Hear My Heart,” is a reflection of her life as a mother, daughter, wife, and friend as she shares journal entries, stories, quotes and blogs to inspire readers.
After a battle with breast cancer in 2008, Sheri is now even more passionate about the hope her music offers.
“I am more assured today after three and a-half years as a survivor, that God has a purpose for my life to encourage the lives of others through our music,” Sheri said. “I’ve celebrated with other friends who have heard the words ‘cancer free’ and I’ve mourned the loss of those who battled, then rested in the arms of Jesus.
“When you get the call, your world stops, and you know your life is changed. I am thankful that I had a wonderful support system of my family and all our wonderful friends throughout the country and the world,” Sheri said. “ I know all our fans can help make the difference in the lives of others who are facing breast cancer.”
The group has won two Grammy nominations, six GMA Dove Awards, 15 Singing News Fan Awards, three Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music Association Awards, two International Country Gospel Music Association honors, 16 Voice Awards, seven AGM Ovation Awards, four Southern Gospel Music Fan Fair Awards, five SGN Scoops Diamond Awards, four Hearts Aflame Awards and three Cash Box Awards.
“We are greatly honored by the way the people who care about our music continue to recognize what we are doing through these awards,” Sheri said. “The greatest gifts however we receive are the wonderful stories that many share with us along our path as how our music has changed their lives to look to Christ in times of trouble and joy.”
Among their best known hits are “Thread of Hope,” “Roses Will Bloom Again,” “Speak to the Mountain” “Praise His Name,” and “Born to Climb.” They are regulars of the Gaither Homecoming video series and tours, sharing their music on over 15 million videos sold.
Jeff & Sheri’s performances include the contributions of their three children Madison, Morgan and Maura Easter daughter-in-law Shannon and drummer Landan Smith as they share a love of Jesus through their music and uplifting experiences of life on stage. The Easter children each add dimensions to the show – vocally, musically and even with uplifting comedy.
Their latest CD “ Eyes Wide Open” from SpringHill Records, is available from iTunes and retail stores.
Among the titles on the project are “I Know How It Feels To Survive, ” “Love Is,” “Anything But Happy,” “I Wonder If He Ever Cries,” “It Must Have Been You,” “Sitting On Top Of The World,” “I’ll Take It,” “A Little Bit of Sunshine,” “A Good Old Gospel Song,” “Standing Here Wondering,” “There Is A Purpose,” and “I Won’t Have To Worry.”
Reeves Wins, McCulley Runner-Up In Fourth Grade Spelling Bee
Photo submitted
Abigayle Reeves, right, of Madison Academy, was the big winner in the Madison County Fourth Grade Spelling Bee held at the School Board Office on Friday, Jan. 25. Alesha McCulley, of Pinetta Elementary School, was first runner-up. They are both shown with Madison County School Superintendent Doug Brown.
