VOLUME 5 ISSUE 38
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SEPTEMBER 20 - SEPTEMBER 26, 2024
Application for use of Ocala railroad and manufacturing center approved
The Amazing Veranica
Pg B1
Giving back = $2.952 million Give4Marion breaks record in 33 hours of fundraising to support local nonprofit organizations.
By Caroline Brauchler caroline@ocalagaette.com
T
he Advanced Drainage Systems company will be taking over the former Certified Grocers site to manufacture plastic piping and distribute it through the adjoining railroad that runs through Ocala, after the Marion County Commission on Tuesday approved its special use permit. The unanimous decision was made after over three hours of discussion at the county Planning & Zoning board meeting, where representatives from the city of Ocala and the Marion County School Board spoke in opposition of the permit’s approval out of concern for disruption from increased rail traffic and support of the competing proposal of someday converting the corridor to a multiuse trail. Businessowners, nearby residents and other stakeholders spoke either in favor of the economic opportunity the center would create, or in opposition of the company’s use of the Florida Northern Railroad. ADS was approved to use the the Certified Grocer site at 6026 SE 83rd St. as a manufacturing center, which will utilize the railroad that runs through downtown Ocala, through residential southeast Ocala neighborhoods, behind Forest High School, residential neighborhoods in Silver Springs Shores and ends at Lake Weir High School. ADS is represented by attorney Rob Batsel Jr., who also represents the city of Ocala in two matters—the real property transaction associated with the SW 44th Avenue project, and the real property transaction associated with the acquisition of the Mount Moriah property for the Parking Garage 2 project, said City Attorney William Sexton. See Increased, page A3
The Hilton Garden Inn hotel in downtown Ocala, owned by Danny Gaekwad, borders the tracks of the Florida Northern Railroad that will be used by Advanced Drainage systems. Gaekwad opposed the approval of the ADS special use permit out of concern that the rail traffic would be disruptive. [Jennifer Hunt Murty/Ocala Gazette]
Ashley Wheeler Gerds, Director of Strategic Engagement for the Community Foundation of Marion County unveils the final Give4Marion to a crowd gathered at the Reilly Arts Center on Sept. 18, 2024. Right: Frank M. Hennessey, Board Chairman with Lauren Deiorio, Executive Director for the Community Foundation of Marion County, addresses the crowd gathered at the Reilly for the final hour of Give4Marion. [Sean Kaplan]
Staff report
T
he excitement was palpable as a large crowd watched the Give4Marion tote board during a celebration event the evening of Sept. 18 at the Reilly Arts Center. And the gasps were audible as the totals
flashed on the board. It just its fifth year, Give4Marion has now surpassed raising almost $6 million for Marion County nonprofit organizations. Give4Marion started as a 24-hour, online fundraiser to help nonprofits recoup lost revenue from the COVID-19
pandemic. Since then, it has grown into a 33-hour event that helps bring awareness to the nonprofits, connects them to new donors and volunteers, and strengthens their relationship with the community. It also has become a social media phenomenon. See Give4Marion, page A2
The balancing act between protecting First & Second Amendment rights—and school safety Reporting and commentary by Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalgazette.com
T
he specter of school violence visited our community on Friday, Sept. 13 when a Dunnellon High School student was arrested on charges including threatening to conduct a mass shooting. Coming just over a week after a teen brought a military-style rifle to a high school in Georgia and killed four people, the incident has left many Marion County residents angry, frightened and calling for authorities to severely punish the teen. But despite the similarities, there are several key differences that should not be ignored as we process the incident. For starters, the local teen—who is not being identified per the “Gazette’s” policy of not publishing, in most cases, the names of minors who have been arrested—did not physically harm or even threaten anyone. He did not go onto school property. He did not even have a real weapon; in a video of himself he posted to Snapchat he held an Airsoft rifle, like a BB gun, which shoots plastic pellets. His online had the caption: “HE’S BAAAAACK!”
Alarming? Absolutely, particularly when every parent, teacher, student and law enforcement member in the United States is on edge because of the seemingly relentless number of school shootings. A parent of a student at the school notified the School Resource Officer that
she and her child were frightened by the video. That was the correct step. “See something, say something” are not just singsong words; they can save lives. What happened next demonstrates what can happen when we let our justified fears See Guns, page A2
File photo
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