High Springs City Commission accepts site plan for new McDonald’s, authorizes HVAC replacement at fire station

BY DAVID LIGHTMAN

HIGH SPRINGS, Fla. – At their March 27 Regular Meeting, the High Springs City Commission heard from a resident concerned about the County interfering in High Springs’ local governance, accepted a bid to replace the HVAC at the fire station, and approved site plans for expanding Whitfield Window & Door and construction of a new McDonald’s. 

Mayor Tristan Grunder was absent, and Vice Mayor Andrew Miller acted as Mayor. Commissioner Wayne Bloodsworth gave the invocation. Since there were no presentations or unfinished business items on the agenda, the meeting began with public comments.

Public comments 

Former High Springs City Commissioner Linda Jones said, “I’m here tonight to talk about an article that I saw in the Alachua Chronicle a couple weeks ago regarding the Board of County Commissioners meeting… There was an ordinance that was being considered for… unincorporated…  residents… My comments to this meeting were: ‘Thank you, Commissioner Chestnut, for your support of the home rule.’ [County] Commissioner Cornell said he heard their concerns, but unfortunately, [the County Commission is] not… the City Commission, but they can certainly put whatever pressure the [County] Commission wants to put on. He suggested putting (it) on the agenda for the upcoming County/City joint meeting. ‘What kind of pressure?’ – that was my question.” 

Jones continued, “[County Commissioner Marihelen] Wheeler… suggested that these are the new leaders of High Springs and encouraged them to speak. We elected the current Commission that unanimously agreed for a three-year contract for our City Manager, Jeremy Marshall. The new leaders are familiar to our Commission and City Manager. Some of the speakers do not even live in High Springs. What she was referring to were the speakers there – they are the ‘new leaders of High Springs’ -which blows my mind. Julie Smith does not live in High Springs. Her self-promoting Facebook page, which lacks any verification of credibility, holds little to no weight. 

“This is a local business matter, this brewery, and it is within our government’s jurisdiction to manage it, as appropriate. Claims about tourism-related revenue lack substantive merit. Perhaps it would have been wiser to exclude our local brewery from the conversation. Promoting a drink-and-drive tour feels misaligned at best. This is a highly controversial issue for the City of High Springs and should be only addressed by the residents. The last motion made by now-Mayor Grunder to put (it) on the ballot died due to the lack of a second. The brewery understood when it was built that it would not be open on Sundays. There are no businesses open on Sundays except for restaurants, so revenue can’t come into effect. And also, as far as business and tourism, if they included High Springs before the brewery, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t continue, whether the brewery is here or not. I don’t think that’s going to be an issue. Religion is not the only reason for opposition to Sunday opening. It was stated during the BOCC meeting that the brewery has been put on the June 5, 2025 joint meeting agenda. I hope that everyone can attend who has issues with this problem. Thank you.”

Responding to a public comment about U.S. Highway 441 being dangerous near Winn-Dixie, including dangerous for kids, Commissioner Katherine Weitz said, “We all feel that that stretch of 441 has become increasingly problematic. I almost got t-boned a couple weeks ago just traveling down the road, and the City Manager and I have spoken about trying to maybe get a workshop together with DOT, because it is problematic. And why we don’t have a school zone out there is an answer I’d like.”

Replacement of HVAC at fire station

The first item of new business was accepting a bid to replace the HVAC system at the fire station. High Springs Fire Department Chief Joseph Peters said, “We went out for bid for this project, and we’d like to award this project to Crystal Air… They were very thorough when they came in and did their pre-construction or pre-bid walkthrough, asked several questions, got on the roof, were very thorough with what they did as far as making sure that everything was proper and in place to a point where we actually had to stop the initial bid, have the mechanical engineer redo the plans, and then resubmit the bid again, because there were some issues that would have caused us to have some kind of change orders or anything like that during the initial project if we would have went through with the first set of plans that were given. So on the basis that they were thorough, very cordial, and really did their homework when it came to placing the bid, we would like to go with Crystal Air for this project.”  

Miller said, “They are offering a lot more (than the other bidder).” Weitz asked if the two bids were for the same-sized units, and Peters confirmed they were.

Responding to a question from Bloodsworth, Peters said the project includes replacing all the ductwork and other accessories, and they are adding additional vents for inflow and outflow. Weitz asked if the money is coming from ARPA funds, and City Manager Jeremy Marshall confirmed that it is. 

Weitz made a motion to accept the bid and award the job to Crystal Air, and Commissioner Chad Howell seconded the motion. It passed 4-0, with Grunder absent.

Approval of Whitfield Window & Door expansion

Planning Technician Kristy Adkins discussed a proposed site plan to expand Whitfield Window & Door. She said it has already been approved by the site plan review committee, and the plan board voted unanimously to approve it. Adkins said staff also recommended approval. 

Miller said the expansion should bring more jobs to High Springs. Bloodsworth made a motion to approve the site plan, and Weitz seconded the motion. It passed 4-0, with Grunder absent.

McDonald’s site plan

Adkins introduced the next item – a proposed site plan for a new McDonald’s restaurant to be located at 20410 N. U.S. Highway 441. Weitz apologized and said she had to leave in order to see her daughter perform in a band concert. 

Craig McDonald, a representative of McDonald’s USA, LLC, spoke at the podium. He said, “We’re here tonight to request approval for a 3,859-square-foot McDonald’s with a side by-side drive-thru and 38 seats. The property is zoned C3 Commercial with a Future Land Use designation of Commercial.” 

McDonald said the location is just south of Tractor Supply, and they are in the process of relocating some gopher tortoises found there. The parking lot will contain 39 spaces, McDonald said, and it will be heavily landscaped. He said they plan to build a connector road to Tractor Supply, and they will be spending about $350,000 to add a left turn lane and other safety features to 441.

McDonald said the restaurant will provide approximately 60 full-time and part-time jobs for the community, and it will be another option for local diners.

During public comment on the site plan, residents expressed concerns including possible sound and light pollution; tractor-trailers having difficulty entering and exiting the property; and the potential to attract more homeless people, since that is already a problem at Tractor Supply and the nearby fitness center. 

Responding to a question from the audience, McDonald said that if the site plan is approved, construction will start around June or July, it will take 95 to 105 days to complete, and the lot will be fenced during construction. He said the road construction will occur concurrently.

Bloodsworth said, “It is a child-friendly American company that everybody knows. McDonald’s, I believe, is going to be good for High Springs. I don’t think it’s going to take away from any other restaurant in town. It’s just going to add variety.” 

Howell made a motion to approve the McDonald’s site plan, and Bloodsworth seconded the motion. It passed 3-0, with Grunder and Weitz absent. 

City may need to refund Wild Spaces funds used to purchase Canoe Outpost

During final comments, City Manager Marshall said $260,000 of Wild Spaces money was used to purchase the Canoe Outpost and now the County is saying they may need that money back because it wasn’t a proper use of Wild Spaces funds. Marshall said they are just beginning to discuss it and may yet be able to work out a solution. He noted that having to repay the $260,000 in a lump sum would hurt some of the City’s other plans.