Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

                Bronson Town Manager Susan Beaudet was given permission this week to contact Fred Fox Enterprises to research a coronavirus-related Community Development Block Grant that possibly could fund broadband internet city-wide.

            Beaudet said the coronavirus CDBG block grants are worth $200,000 to $5 million and can be used for a variety of projects. She wants to investigate whether it can be used to a build better fiber-optic and wiring system in town to provide top-flight broadband service to Bronson’s residents.

            AT&T offers fiber optic broadband service in Bronson using the old telephone lines that were once hooked to landline phones, and while the system is operable, the lines are old and far from perfect.

            Beaudet’s theory on using the broadband approach hinges on the coronavirus outbreak that shut down schools in Levy County and elsewhere in the state and forced students to use computers at home for distance learning.

            One of the requirements of the grant would be for the town to provide Spanish language translation for notice of public hearings and for the hearings themselves. The town gave Beaudet permission to pursue researching alternatives for Spanish translation.

            The town often uses Fred Fox Enterprises for securing and administering grants. A motion was approved on a 3-0 vote to use the company to research the grant. The pre-application is due by mid-March.

            Missing Council Members

            Bronson has been operating with three active council members for months. Councilman Aaron Edmondson remains sidelined by serious health problems and Councilman Berlon Weeks was removed last year by the council for allegedly resigning in a meeting. The town hasn’t replaced Weeks and hasn’t discussed whether Edmondson expects to return.

            Weeks filed a lawsuit contesting his removal from office as being unconstitutional and well outside the authority of the town council. The lawsuit seeks reinstatement, payment of attorney’s fees, and back pay.

             It was Weeks who pushed the issue of hiring a town manager, though he wasn’t allowed to participate as a board member when Beaudet was selected as the town’s top administrator.

Missing Ditch

            Another of Weeks’ key issues surfaced at the Feb. 16 town council meeting when Beaudet told the council that the town was apparently operating with an outdated federal flood map dating back to 2012.

            Councilman Jason Hunt and Mayor Beatrice Roberts informed the new town manager that the council had previously approved a motion accepting the latest revisions to the federal flood map provided a drainage and mosquito control ditch that runs through the west side of town is once again shown on the federal flood map.

            The ditch somehow managed to disappear on the most recent version of the flood map. The area where the ditch is located shows only wetlands on the map. The ditch, which passes through wet and swampy areas in town, remains an essential flood control conveyance to funnel excess water out of town and keep Bronson dry during heavy rains.

            Politics had played a big part in getting any federal or state cooperation in declaring the ditch to be an essential flood conveyance structure. The Federal Emergency Management Agency at one time declared the ditch to be a tributary of the Waccasassa River. The Waccasassa River doesn’t flow uphill and the ditch was never a tributary.

            Spotlight has retained video of the ditch conveying vast amounts of flood water out of town.

            Bronson Library

            Bronson Town Attorney Steven Warm was asked for his opinion on whether the town was responsible to pay for maintenance expenses connected with its library.

            The library building is owned by the Town of Bronson but the county commission provides a librarian and the books. Warm said the town is responsible for maintenance but retains authority to decide what should be done to maintain the facility.

            The county librarian has apparently asked the town to make changes to the aging library that the council considers too pricey. The town council will have the final say on what it is willing to do in the way of maintenance.

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Town of Bronson Regular Meeting February 16, 2021; Posted February 21, 2021