Local News

John and Allison Nash, owners of Osceola Pines, were recently named the 2017 Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year at the Florida Forestry Association annual meeting in Sandestin. 

John, Allison and their two daughters, Ann Lynne and Virginia Lee were all present to receive the award Aug. 31. They provided a tour of their property Friday, Oct. 20. The tour was rescheduled due to Hurricane Irma.

The Nashes purchased the partially clear-cut timber farm in 2002 because he wanted a place to hunt turkeys. The property has a hardwood drain running through the middle and turkeys like to roost over water. The only reason he could buy the land was because it was clear cut, which brought the value way down.

“It’s a bigger piece of property than I would ever expect to buy, but once they clear cut it, the value goes down pretty substantially because you have to go back in and spend about $250 an acre in replanting cost and then you have to wait 15 years,” he said.

The family camped in tents for the first year and just to get the girls interested in coming to the property, he resorted to bribing them with a horse.

Saturday was a spectacular evening for the Levy County Schools Foundation complete with a gorgeous sunset, temperatures in the 70s, a cool breeze and almost zero humidity, the weather could not have been more perfect.

That was the setting for the school foundation’s 8th Annual Beast Feast in Williston. Etheridge Produce donated the use of their facility and V.E. Whitehurst and Sons Inc., supplied the lighting for the parking lots. With so many people in Levy County coming together to support the foundation, this year’s feast saw the largest gifts of donations. With over 300 people in attendance, the event netted $19,673, up $4,025 from $15,648 in 2016.

The foundation stages fundraisers throughout the year with the Stars Gala in February, Evening of Excellence in the Spring, Stuff the Bus each August and the Beast Feast in the fall. Classroom grants, grants for great ideas and the Student Scholarship Program are funded through the Foundation and its supporters.

Usher Land and Timber, along with the Florida Forestry Service, sent three foresters to speak to fourth graders about Forestry Week. The students learned the importance of trees and their many uses. The foresters were Joe McKenzie Sr., Florida Forestry Service; Sean Gilbert, UF intern; and Eric Handley, forester, both with Usher Land and Timber.

The Levy Board of County Commissioners is seeking to extend its moratorium on marijuana dispensaries until April.

But first it must hold a couple of public hearings in November before the new ordinance can pass.

Commissioner Lilly Rooks casted a dissenting vote at the commission meeting Oct. 17 to guarantee one of those hearings – Nov. 7 – will take place at 5:01 p.m., while the other will come on Nov. 21, coinciding with the regular commission meeting, which starts at 9 a.m.

A majority-plus-one margin was required to hold both hearings during regular hours (before 5 p.m.). With Commission Mike Joyner absent from the meeting, a 4-0 vote was required.

“I think it’s fair to the public, so they know what we’re trying to do, that we have it after 5,” Rooks said.

In addition to the public hearings, the Planning Commission must approve the extended moratorium at its meeting on Nov. 6.

The Commission tabled a related agenda item requesting direction on the issue for County Attorney Ann Bast Brown, rescheduling it for the meeting on Nov. 21.