BY CAROL MOSLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
BROOKER — If you are interested in enrolling your child in the new Brooker Community School, applications are being accepted now until March 31 for the August 2023 grand opening. The charter elementary is open to the public and it is not necessary to reside in that district, nor even within Bradford County, in order to attend.
The state of Florida mandates an enrollment of at least 116 students. Classroom size will be up to 18-22 students per class, depending on the grade level. Parents are responsible for providing transportation. Applications are available at the Brooker Post Office or online at www.brookercommunityschool.com.
The school is currently in the process of hiring a principal and will then begin hiring teachers and other positions. The idea is to allow the new principal to provide input in the teacher hiring process. Check out the website for information.
Meanwhile, there are lots of fundraising efforts underway. There’s a guided turkey hunt raffle taking place online. Entry deadline is Feb. 28, and the winner will be selected on March 1. The hunt will take place in late March. Other fundraising campaigns include adopting a classroom or donating items on the Amazon wish list.
Brooker receives audit results
Accountants from Reddish and White CPA came to the Brooker Town Council with results of the annual audit. It was a Valentine’s Day gift to hear that the general fund showed a strong audit with income exceeding budget projections while expenses were even less than anticipated. The ARPA fund expenditures all appear to meet with the requirements, with no internal control problems. Auditor Brad Million pointed out that town accountant Charlene Thomas watches the finances “like a hawk.”
The ARPA funds have been used primarily for repairs and improvements to the town hall/ community center buildings and playground. Other projects include a new website to be launched soon, radar speed signs and virtual meeting capabilities. The fund still has money available to be spent by 2024.
DEP consent order resolution
The town was put under a DEP Consent Order for an infraction of water testing requirements that Mayor Gene Melvin described as a miscommunication. The DEP requires sampling each July but the sample, which came back clear, had not been collected until the first week of August 2022. Then the annual scheduled maintenance and cleaning of the water tower took place in September.
The “precautionary boil water notice” requires notification to affected residents by the prior business day, but was not made until the day of the maintenance. DEP considered the short notice to constitute a second warning within three months, so they issued a consent order.
Attorney John Maines advised that it could be more costly to challenge the consent order than to just pay the $1,800 fine and take the required online course. Melvin feels that Brooker does a very good job of managing the water resources as a small community. He said the DEP suggested the town’s “water management team” take responsibility for the testing.
“We have no management team; it is just us,” Melvin said. While he appreciates the intentions of the DEP, he thinks sometimes the agency unfairly holds small towns to the standards of large municipalities. He said better communication would go a long way.
Upgrade to emergency notification system
One of the ARPA funded improvements is an upgraded and expanded emergency notification system. This new system was put in place after the water testing issue occurred last year, and was recently successful during a fire hydrant replacement in the Shady Oaks subdivision. The council believes it will resolve any future notifications of water related issues, as well as any other important notifications to residents. Brooker’s new system works together with the BCSO emergency notification system.
