VOLUME 3 ISSUE 47
Visit historic downtown Ocala to shop small and enjoy the beauty of the season.
NOVEMBER 25 - DECEMBER 1, 2022
$2
Page B1
IT STINKS
Community With A Heart is underway The annual campaign offers a helping hand to those who need a little extra money to get by—and all of the funds are used locally. By Susan Smiley-Height susan@magnoliamediaco.com
W
e all face trials and tribulations in life, some more than others. Imagine the heartache of not being able to provide your children with adequate care or losing your barelymaking-it job because your car broke down or facing homelessness with no money to keep up on the rent. These are all scenarios that have come before the Community With A Heart (CWAH) board of directors during the annual giving campaign. And these were all local people—our neighbors—who received help through CWAH. The campaign, which relies on donations, begins in early November and runs through the middle of January. The nonprofit group is governed by a board of 13 members who are affiliated with area help agencies. Those who are seeking assistance must apply through one of the agencies on the board, present recent documentation of the need and demonstrate self-sustainability. “This program is not a handout, but a hand up. CWAH assists individuals and families from all walks of life. We don’t want people who used to help others or never needed help before to feel embarrassed or ashamed because they now need assistance to get back on track. Life happens, and this program exists to help people in our community that need a little help,” said board chair Monica Bryant, the Family Violence Prevention Coordinator with the Marion County Children’s Alliance. The goal of the program, she explained, is to help families who have experienced an unexpected major life event get back on their feet. “We don’t put band aids on the problem. If they can’t pay their bills each month, they won’t qualify for the program. We have to be good stewards and use the money donated wisely,” Bryant affirmed. Now in its 36th year, CWAH has collected more than $1.8 million, of which $31,531.80 was raised during the 2021-2022 campaign. All of the donations go directly to help individuals and families living in Marion County. The CWAH board members meet once a week during the campaign to review applications that have been vetted by board members. The board member must make a home visit and the applicant must show some See Community, page A3
View from sewage plant located in Marion Landing into the neighborhood of JB Ranch. D.R. Horton built homes close to the plant and sold them to trusting out of town home buyers. [Dave Miller, Special to the Gazette] 2022.
Some residents at JB Ranch live next to Marion Landing’s sewage treatment plant and want D.R. Horton to help them do something about it By Belea T. Keeney belea@magnoliamediaco.com
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hen Suzy and Richard Stam try to use their lanai, the smells and chemicals from the Marion Landing wastewater treatment plant adjacent to their backyard drive them back indoors. Besides the noxious odors, “We don’t know what chemicals they’re using,” Suzy Stam said. “I feel it in my eyes and nose, even my throat.” Neighbors Karen Humphrey and
her fiance, Hunter Matassa, also are disgusted by the smells, which threaten to wreck their dream of starting a new life together. “We’re hoping to have our wedding ceremony in the backyard,’’ Humphrey said. The two couples are among more than a half-dozen owners who in the summer of 2021 moved into new homes built on SW 88th Loop at the northernmost section of the JB Ranch development in southwest Marion County. This part of the community is just east of SW 60th Avenue, with SW 92nd Lane the most southern
portion that is built out. The northernmost part of the development abuts Marion Landing, which was first platted in 1986. The treatment plant belongs to Marion Landing, but does not have houses nearby. Instead, the area is used for a drainage retention area and as RV and boat storage for its residents. Many of the new JB Ranch owners are from out of state, and several of them bought their house and land packages See Trusting, page A4
Adena Golf & Country Club hopes to reopen
Adena Springs Golf and Country Club is shown off of Northwest 75th Street, north of Ocala, on Tuesday November 22, 2022. [Alan Youngblood/Special to the Ocala Gazette]
Staff report
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rank Stronach, the founder and chairman of Stronach International Inc., announced that his company now owns Adena Golf & Country Club in Ocala. Stronach developed the club in 2015. The golf course was named by “Golf Digest” magazine as one of the Best New Courses in America shortly after it opened in 2015. The club abruptly closed in the
summer of 2018, however, due to a family dispute that led to years of litigation. Now that the venue is back under Stronach’s control, he said he is intent on delivering the club’s original mission. The company is seeking to expand its offerings and the news release indicated it’s “looking at establishing a partnership with a leading health and wellness company to provide state-of-the-art health care services at the resort.” “Ocala is a great place to live and work.
I have deep roots in this area. I bought my first horse farm here nearly 40 years ago and Ocala has been like a home away from home. We’ve always enjoyed a great relationship with local residents and town officials. We’re also very encouraged by the fact that the State of Florida and Marion County are open for business and supportive of new business development,” said Stronach.
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Principal of the Year.................... A6 1189 New Dwellings.................... A2 Sports.............................................. B7 State News...................................... A9 Calendar......................................... B5
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