The Alachua County Commission voted at a Tuesday meeting to look into financially supporting Gainesville Thrives, a literacy nonprofit. It also voted to purchase land near Watermelon Pond and Lake Alto Preserve.
Gainesville Thrives
Gainesville Thrives is a nonprofit organization committed to improving literacy rates among pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students in Alachua County.
“We encourage parents of preschool children to read to their children early and often,” said Rick Carnell, the nonprofit’s board president, “to instill in their children a love of reading, to help their children develop literacy-related skills and, in so doing, to increase their children's readiness for kindergarten and for continuing success in school.”
The program currently serves 1,900 students across eight zip codes encompassing the Gainesville, Archer, Hawthorne and Micanopy areas.
The nonprofit pays $31 per student each year, so participating children can receive free monthly books via the mail through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
The nonprofit also supports reading through literacy nights, in which families can gather to read and complete activities. During these events, organizers provide parents with literacy kits with resources and strategies to help improve their children’s reading.
The nonprofit is looking to expand the program to serve an additional 6,707 students across 14 new zip codes targeting Santa Fe, Brooker, Earleton, High Springs, La Crosse, Newberry and additional areas in Gainesville.
The organization needs $140,000 to help cover the costs of new students, literacy nights, literacy kits, a staff assistant and transportation.
The commission voted unanimously to have staff look into funding options and opportunities to support the organization ahead of the commission’s budget discussion in the next few weeks.
“I would be willing to try to find this money to make this happen,” Commissioner Mary Alford said, “because I think that the whole future of our county rests on us working on literacy issues and putting our money where our mouth is on this.”
Land purchases
The county commission also voted on Tuesday to purchase two pieces of land located near Newberry and Waldo.
The first piece of land is located adjacent to Watermelon Pond in Newberry. The land, which spans over 600 acres, will be added to the county’s Watermelon Pond Preserve, offering an array of recreational activities yet to be decided.
“This is a big one,” Commissioner Anna Prizzia said. “It's an exciting one, getting this habitat that's so imperiled, protected, especially as we're seeing development encroach in the western side of our county. It's exciting to see this land get protected.”
The purchase is estimated to cost roughly $5.8 million, allowing for a contingency plan in case additional funds are needed. The sale will close in November.
Funding for the restoration process will come from Wild Spaces & Public Places, a sales tax fund dedicated for parks, conservation, roads and housing initiatives in the county. Management costs will be paid for through the general fund, which is the county’s primary operating fund.
The county also voted to purchase a roughly 19-acre plot of land in Waldo near U.S. Highway 301 and Lake Alto Preserve. Following its purchase, the county will look into turning the site into a trailhead for the preserve.
The acquisition of the land will cost roughly $250,000 with a contingency plan in case additional funds are needed.
The sale is set to close Aug. 3, although county staff estimate it will take longer because the city of Waldo has infrastructure like powerlines and fire hydrants on the land.
The next commission meeting is scheduled for Aug. 11 at 11:30 a.m.
Contact Grace Larson at glarson@alligator.org. Follow her on X @graceellarson.
Grace Larson is a second-year journalism student and this summer's metro editor. She previously worked as city/county commission reporter and K-12 education reporter for The Alligator. When she's not editing stories, Grace enjoys running, weightlifting and going on random side quests. If she's not at her desk, you can find her at any place offering free food and crafts.
