After complaining about a dozen unkempt medians scattered near Millhopper Square along Northwest 16th and 23rd Avenue, one business owner is trying to take matters into his own hands. Rob Pruitt, the owner of Father Phil’s restaurant in Millhopper Square, said the weeds are bad for business.
He sent an email to David Cerlanek in the Alachua County Public Works Department offering to take on the median maintenance himself. But in return, he asked for supplies including a push mower and a weed eater.
“I can tell you without a doubt I can do everything cheaper than a government bureaucracy,” Pruitt wrote in the email.
Cerlanek responded to Pruitt, saying median work can be dangerous. He said the medians are currently maintained by inmates and funded by the county. Heavy rainfall and declining resources cause delays in the maintenance, he said.
“Your excuse for lack of funding and weather as reasons you cannot maintain the roadways in this city is just more bureaucratic BS,” Pruitt responded later.
Pruitt isn’t the only one concerned with the median’s appearance.
“The road is one of the worst in town,” wrote resident Becky Hoover in an email to city commissioners.
Regardless of how it gets done, Gillies Marllart, of On the Spot Dry Cleaning located in Millhopper Square, agreed more rigorous maintenance would be better for business.
“Your business does better when the area is more inviting,” he said.
A version of this story ran on page 9 on 9/18/2013 under the headline "Messy medians spark complaint"
