 Pete Cuccaro, Citrus 2030 Public Safety Committee Pete Cuccaro/Guest Column to the Chronicle
It has been a challenging year for public servants across the board. The word COVID will forever be brain-imbedded. The pandemic has had a clear impact on the structure of the input of the Citrus 2030 Public Safety Committee. We recognize it was not possible to always be present at committee meetings; it was a rotating roster of attendance. It is based on this consensus thinking and in concert with facilitator Dr. Eloy Nunez, we believe we have met the initial goal of the committee. Realizing, of course, not every thought or objective can be fully realized with such a broad mission, all committee volunteers are all commended for lending expertise to issues that will be a challenge throughout the next decade. Dr. Nunez has shared it and rolled it up to the umbrella of Citrus 2030.
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Special to the Chronicle - Letter to the Editor
On Saturday, Oct. 5, over 160 interested citizens met at the College of Central Florida Lecanto campus to participate in the Citrus 2030 Vision Check event. The group listened to the history of the Citrus 2020 project and the purpose of the Citrus 2030 Vision Check. Registrants worked in focus groups to refine newly developed aspiration statements and began preparing strategies towards accomplishing various goals. These groups will continue to meet to develop short, mid and long-term goals to lead Citrus County into the year 2030. As chair of the Citrus 2030 Steering Committee, I would like to personally thank members of the committee who worked tirelessly and dedicated many hours to this event. I would especially like to thank the following sponsors who made the Vision Check a great success: College of Central Florida, Duke Energy, Save Our Waters Week, Citrus County Chronicle, Citrus County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Citrus, Office Max, M&B Products, Mike Scott Plumbing, Withlacoochee Technical College and Wawa. I invite you to visit www.citrus2030.org to find out more about our efforts and complete the community survey. If you are interested in participating in future planning for Citrus County’s pathway to 2030, please contact us at citrus2030info@gmail.com. Janice A. Warren Citrus 2030 Steering Committee chairperson Special to the Chronicle
Citrus 2030 is hosting an online questionnaire to find out what Citrus County stakeholders think of the strategies it came up with for the future of the county. To access the questionnaire, visit www.citrus2030.org/input-survey.html. Questions originated during the Oct. 5 Vision Check. For information about Citrus 2030, visit www.citrus2030.org.  Duwayne Sipper Duwayne Sipper/Guest Column to the Chronicle
On Oct. 5, many of our county leaders came together to set a vision for Citrus County for the next 10 years. Many engaged citizens and prominent leaders worked in groups to discuss the future of our community at the Citrus 2030 Vision Check. I know from working on The Path Rescue Mission how important a written plan is. One reason is, as the years go by, there are many other ideas which come along that simply do not fit in “the plan.” It is good to check the plan, and stick to it to get it accomplished. Secondly, if you are going to work with other people (and most projects are this way), they need to know what the plan is. Each person coming and going out of the organization needs to know what the goal is. A typical trend that I have observed is that people want affordable housing. Several of our 10 Citrus 2030 think tank groups came up with affordable housing as a local issue to address. We are proposing housing our workforce can afford. By Nancy Kennedy, Citrus County Chronicle
. . . Citrus 2030 Vision Check outlines public desires for county With the motto, “Destiny by Design,” about 164 county government officials, residents, business owners, community leaders and visitors gathered Saturday, Oct. 5, at the College of Central Florida’s Lecanto campus for Citrus 2030’s Vision Check to clarify what they’d like to see happen over the next decade. Citrus 2030, Leadership Citrus’ successor to Citrus 20/20, and its 10 focus groups took down a lot of notes from the public and its desires for education, the arts, economic development, health, the environment, public safety, tourism, growth and the youth. . . . Special to the Chronicle - Editorial Section
THE ISSUE: Community members came together to create strategies in 10 important areas. OUR OPINION: Now for the challenging part — making things happen. Do you want to just drift along feeling powerless, or would you rather influence what your community will look like and become over the next 10 years? Most of us prefer to have a say in our futures, and that certainly was the case for the more than 160 individuals who participated in the recent Citrus 2030 Vision Check community visioning event. This gathering, successor to those of Citrus 20/20, took place under the theme of “Destiny by Design.” Special to the Chronicle - Editorial Section
On Oct. 5, we were invited to participate in the Citrus County 2030 Vision Check hosted by the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce and the College of Central Florida, Lecanto campus. We would like to thank Col. Curt Ebitz for inviting us and all the wonderful speakers and facilitators. As high school students, it was impressive to see how much work our Citrus County leaders do and amazing to know that our county is planning for the future. We are proud to have been part of this forward-looking conversation. Marcella Almgren Ana Gallardo McKenna Johnson Morgan Knipp Shelby Pitre Lecanto High School IB students  "Lu" the hippo at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park is always a good subject for a photo and a favorite for the late Bill Garvin to shoot. Bill Garvin / Special to the Chronicle By Nancy Kennedy, Citrus County Chronicle
Bill Garvin was perhaps most at home when he was underwater. A certified diver, a camera in his hand, he captured thousands of images of the mysterious and deep: fish and marine life, shipwrecks and barrier reefs — and manatees. Many of his photos made the pages of National Geographic and other worldwide, prestigious publications. He was also passionate about the waters themselves, especially the waters in Citrus County, for their protection and preservation. “I recall that he did regular water clarity sampling at Bluebird Springs, and taught us how to teach the Homosassa Elementary School kids to do it using a Secchi disk on educational outings on the river,” said Rebecca Martin, a family friend. “I also remember him talking about how, near the Blue Waters, he could tell increased salt water intrusion was occurring because he found barnacles in areas where they had never been before. “He was a fierce advocate for the waters and he generously shared his knowledge." By Buster Thompson, Citrus County Chronicle
Citrus County had its vision checked and focused towards a destiny designed by those who know it best. Roughly 164 county government officials, residents, business owners, community leaders and visitors gathered Saturday at the College of Central Florida’s Lecanto campus for Citrus 2030’s Vision Check to clarify what they’d like to see happen over the next decade. Citrus 2030, Leadership Citrus’ successor to Citrus 20/20, and its 10 focus groups took down a lot of notes from the public and its desires for education, the arts, economic development, health, the environment, public safety, tourism, growth and the youth. More than 135 surveys were also submitted at Citrus 2030’s website, www.citrus2030.org. Citrus 2030, whose motto is “Destiny by Design,” will put another survey online out on Oct. 14, when it will ask county stakeholders what ideas from the Vision Check they’d like to prioritize. Special to the Chronicle - Editorial Section
THE ISSUE: United States faces a shortage of tradespeople. OUR OPINION: Community business and education partnerships are vital to meet the requirements of market and worker demands. The population of the world and of the United States is growing exponentially. As the world ebbs closer to 8 billion, and the United States nears 350 million, the creation of more jobs will be vital to sustain comfortable human life. Over the years, trades education and apprenticeships have declined in student popularity, but not in market demand, leading to a shortage of tradespeople in the U.S. In facing that shortcoming, it is of the utmost importance that we as a community strive to entice students, businesses and education institutions to deeply support and participate in career and technical education (CTE). In a recent guest column, Withlacoochee Technical College (WTC) Director Gloria Bishop, chair of the Citrus 2030 Steering Committee Trade/Career and Technical Education Aspiration Subcommittee, demonstrates the emphasis on training in the trades needed to close the gap between jobs available and workers needed. |