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 Upcoming Week at a Glance
Click through for more information on each event or search below for featured event articles. |
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Temporary changes to Gainesville City Hall Office Hours |
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Due to issues with the air conditioning system at Gainesville City Hall, leading to unsafe heat levels inside the building, City Manager Cynthia W. Curry is asking all City Hall employees to work remotely until further notice. Steps are being taken to restore climate control and reopen the building. Resumption of regular hours is tentatively set for early next week.
For neighbors who need to pay business tax, handle parking permits or citations, or pay customer invoices at City Hall during this time, please refer to your documents for online payment information. If you have questions, please call Revenue and Receivables at 352-334-5024. Leave a voice message, and a staff member working remotely will contact you with more information.
The Gainesville City Commission’s General Policy Committee (GPC) meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 13 has been cancelled.
The City Clerk’s Office will remain open.
Please stay alert for notice of full City Hall reopening in the coming days. |
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City Closed Wednesday, June 19 to Observe Juneteenth |
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In observance of the Juneteenth holiday, city offices will be closed Wednesday, June 19.
Residential curbside collection for garbage, recycling and yard waste will be picked up on the holiday.
RTS will run its holiday bus service between 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. on routes 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 13, 15, 16, 20, 26, 35, 43, 75 and 711. Please visit www.Go-RTS.com for up-to-date route information. Please plan accordingly. |
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Gun Violence Awareness Month
Gun violence prevention advocates nationwide have adopted the color orange. #WearOrange is the first Friday in June, recognized by the Gainesville City Commission. Orange was also the theme at Teen Midnight Basketball on Friday, spreading the message to youth. City leaders, Gainesville Fire Rescue and IMPACT GNV joined the Willie Mae Stokes Community Center, Moms Demand Action and other community partners. |
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Journey to Juneteenth Continues
The City of Gainesville’s month-long Journey to Juneteenth celebration, from Florida Emancipation Day (May 20) through the widely recognized Juneteenth holiday (June 19), honors the long and turbulent journey to freedom while staying true to our history of Florida Emancipation on May 20. Upcoming events include:
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Celebrate Pride at Ironwood as we illuminate the driving range with an array of colors.
Music by DJ Wild Creatrix. Drink specials, food trucks, games, dancing and free-to-try driving range and putting course.
When: Saturday, June 15 from 7-10 p.m. Where: Ironwood Golf |
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Business Resilience Workshop with Carla Lomack |
Join OEI for an insightful workshop on Business Resilience, led by seasoned business professional Carla Lomack.
This workshop, led by seasoned business professional Carla Lomack, will delve into strategies and practices essential for enhancing an organization's ability to withstand and recover from challenges, disruptions and crises. This event is free, but we request you register through Eventbrite.
When: June 20, 3-5 p.m. Where: GRU Administration Building (301 SE Fourth Ave.) |
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Gainesville completes SW 62nd Blvd Connector project ahead of schedule |
The City of Gainesville has completed the SW 62nd Boulevard Connector project, opening the 1.1-mile roadway one month ahead of schedule. The new span links the Newberry Road and Oaks Mall area with the Archer Road and Butler Plaza area, improving accessibility, safety and shaving time off neighborhood commutes. |
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Choice Neighborhood Initiative |
In September 2023, the City of Gainesville and the Gainesville Housing Authority (GHA) were awarded a $500,000 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This grant will be used to create a plan to redevelop and revitalize neighborhoods in east Gainesville. If you live within the area, fill out the survey for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift card. |
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Free Fridays Concert Series Continues The Free Fridays Concert Series returns to downtown Gainesville as the region’s longest-running and largest free outdoor concert series! The concerts feature local and regional musical talent each Friday from 7-9 p.m. through September at Bo Diddley Plaza. The concerts under the stars showcase diverse musical acts sure to delight music lovers with classic rock, reggae, R&B, soul, ska, funk, blues and more. Upcoming performances include: - June 14: Loosey’s Downtown Showcase: The Enablers, Kyle Keller, Trustfall
- June 21: Little Wing Studio Showcase: Cassette, The Interwaves, PT
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Free summer meals for children 0-18
The Free Summer Meals program provides free, nutritious meals to kids and teens 18 years old and under during the summer break. No registration is required. Students do not have to be enrolled at a location to participate, and the program is open to any child regardless of family income. For details on free meal sites and serving dates and times, please call 352-955-7539 or visit www.yourchoicefresh.com and search for the summer meal program. |
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Register for Summer Programs |
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Adventures in Play Summer Day Camp This camp will keep young kids busy during the day with a host of fun and enriching activities, with each of the weeklong sessions having its own theme. - Child must have completed kindergarten and be entering first through fifth grades
- $61 weekly registration fee for city residents
- Runs Monday-Friday from June 3 to Aug. 2, from 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Held at Massey Rec Center and Eastside Community Center
Teen Life Summer Day Camp This camp is the older child oriented version of the Adventures in Play camp, having the same weekly themes with activities more appropriate for middle-schoolers. - Child must have completed fifth grade and be entering sixth through eighth grades
- $61 weekly registration fee for city residents
- Runs Monday-Friday from June 3-Aug. 2, from 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Held at T.B. McPherson Recreation Center
Heatwave Basketball The courts are calling for a summer of fun and competition! Come join our coed basketball program! Build character and leadership by “Pursuing Victory with Honor” for life skills to use on and off the court. Heatwave is about fairness and respect for all players, regardless of skill. - For kids entering 6-12 grade
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- Held at MLK Multipurpose Center and Lincoln Middle School
Start Smart Sports helps parents of preschoolers 3-5 years old objectively measure their child's abilities. As the programs progress and children show improvement, the skills and exercises are altered so that each child remains challenged while using age appropriate equipment. They will learn concepts and skills including: sport specific skills, preparation for organized sports, building self-esteem and confidence, and social skills. Start Smart Soccer registration opens June 1!
Summer Swim Lessons Registration for summer swim lessons is now open! Session 2: June 17-27 Session 3: July 8-18 Session 4: July 22-Aug 2 |
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Gainesville Zero Waste News
What Happens to Your Recyclables? There's a lot of misleading and confusing information about the future of recycling. For instance, you may have heard news stories stating that “only around 9% of all the plastic waste generated globally is recycled.” While this statistic is accurate, it doesn't mean that the materials you place in your curbside recycling bins are not getting recycled. Instead, it highlights the vast number of plastic products that exist and that only a small percentage of them are either accepted by or collected through community recycling programs.
Locally, all materials from your orange & blue recycling bins are taken to Alachua County’s Material Recovery Facility, located off Waldo Road. Here, non-recyclable items, known as contaminants, are sorted out. Recyclables are then separated by hand and machines into primary groups like glass, plastic, metal, and paper. These separated materials are baled and loaded onto trucks for shipment to secondary processors and manufacturers, where they are used to create new products. It is important to note that Alachua County does not ship any recovered materials overseas or to incinerators. |
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While the end markets are subject to change, below is a list of the common end uses for your recyclables after they are reprocessed: - Cardboard: Used as backing for new cardboard boxes.
- Mixed Paper: Newspaper, pasteboard boxes, and other residential papers are reprocessed for protective packaging uses.
- Aluminum Bottles & Cans: Are smelted into sheets for the packaging industry to make new beverage containers.
- Steel Cans: Made into new food cans and rebar for construction projects.
- Plastic (PET): Get converted into plastic flakes used to make new products, such as carpeting and clothing.
- Plastics (HDPE): Your natural (milk jugs) and colored plastic containers (shampoo bottles) are made into plastic flakes and pellets to manufacture pipes and plastic lumber.
- Glass: Used to make glass containers, fiberglass, highway bead, glass abrasives, and specialty glass for decorations.
Learn more about recycling and the waste management hierarchy at gainesvillefl.gov/ZeroWaste and by following ZeroWasteGNV on Facebook and Instagram. |
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Freedom Walk & Freedom Fest - Saturday, June 15 Join the City of Gainesville for the final week of our annual Journey to Juneteenth celebration commemorating the emancipation and African American history.
Freedom Walk: 7 - 10:30 a.m. Where: Depot Park (874 SE Fourth St.)
Freedom Fest: 3 - 9 p.m. Where: Bo Diddley Plaza (111 E. University Ave.) |
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City Commission Meetings
- Thursday, June 13: General Policy Committee Meeting Canceled.
For a listing of other board/committee meetings and agendas, please visit our website. Live meeting coverage is available on Cox Cable Channel 12, Roku TV, Fire TV and the City of Gainesville website. |
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