About 40 members of the Rochelle, Windsor and Grove Park communities voiced their concerns and frustrations at the Alachua County Forward Focus community listening session on Thursday evening at Hall Chapel United Methodist Church.
Though topics at the listening session ranged from transportation to community engagement, concerns about the quality and safety of Alachua County Road 234 took up most of the conversation.
Jamey Wilkinson, who has lived in Windsor for 75 years, attended the session. He said that the poor quality of County Road 234 was his biggest concern. He said he couldn’t drive down County Road 234 without getting mad.
“The county has neglected to pave this road right here,” Wilkinson said. “You know the last time it was resurfaced? I been here all my life. [2028] will be 50 years. How long do you wait? How long?”
County Road 234 extends from Micanopy to Florida State Road 26. It passes through Rochelle and Windsor.
Other residents added that the quality of County Road 234, along with its lack of street signs and police presence, made it an unsafe road for the community to travel on.
Gladys S. Wright, a resident of Rochelle, said the intersection of County Road 234 and Florida State Road 20 was dangerous.
“People who travel on 234, many of them do not stop at the stop sign. They keep going and they speed,” she said. We need a light there, and a right turn lane.”
“We deserve that safety measure, a right lane at 234 and 20 going east.”
The county has plans to repave County Road 234 but is waiting on purchase orders, according to Missy Daniels, an assistant county manager. She said that resurfacing for County Road 234, from State Road 26 to County Road 1474, should start by the beginning of 2026. It will cost just under $6 million, according to a county press release.
The group laughed about their shared experiences throughout the session, but still expressed frustration with their perception of the county’s lack of action for eastern Alachua County communities.
“It’s disappointing that no one seems to want to do anything on this side of the county,” said Mary Foster, a lifetime Alachua County resident. “It’s been years that nobody has heard our voices.”
The Alachua County Forward Focus Initiative is a three-phase initiative focused on the economic and lifestyle needs of Eastern Alachua County communities. The initiative covers an area of over 300 square miles, which is approximately a third of Alachua County.
It is currently in its first phase, which involves conducting community profiles by hosting listening sessions in various communities. Its second phase, which is set to occur in 2026, involves an economic and social service assessment before it conducts its final report in late 2027.
Before the listening session on Thursday, listening sessions for the initiative had occurred in Waldo, Micanopy, Monteocha, Island Grove, Cross Creek and Melrose.
Sean McLendon, the economic development manager of Alachua County, led the listening session on Thursday.
“Every community in Eastern Alachua County is different, whether it’s Windsor, Rochelle or Hawthorne or Island Grove,” he said. “Part of the coming here is to ask you all what do you need in this area? What is missing? What needs to be detected? What needs to be preserved? It’s a pretty broad study area.”