Gulf Coast Task Force meeting in Galveston

From left to right: Lisa P. Jackson, Ken Salazar and Nancy Sutley

The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force is scheduled to meet today in Galveston, Texas.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson joined by U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley will convene the Task Force to discuss the progress of restoration efforts, ongoing public engagement strategy and international coordination.

The meeting will be held at the Galveston Convention Center from 8:00AM to 2:30PM CDT and is open to the public.

The meeting is the latest in a series of meetings that the Task Force is holding throughout the five Gulf States.  The group is committed to ensuring ongoing input from Gulf residents and local leaders throughout the strategy development process and will continue to receive feedback during this meeting.

President Obama issued an executive order in October 2010, to create the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, continuing the administration’s ongoing commitment to the Gulf region.

The task force works to integrate federal restoration efforts with those of local stakeholders and state and tribal governments, and to facilitate accountability and support throughout the restoration process.

For more information on the Task Force, visit www.epa.gov/gulfcoasttaskforce.

Spohrer’s recognized by City and Historic Society

Apalachicola residents Bill and Lynn Wilson Spohrer were recognized and honored by the Apalachicola Area Historic Society and the City of Apalachicola at their annual meeting held Sunday, June 26, 2011, at the Raney House Museum.

The Spohrer’s who are widely known to be the first to take an interest in historic preservation in Apalachicola, started a movement that later led to hundreds of residential and commercial structures being saved and restored throughout the city.

The couple is most noted for their work restoring the Coombs House Inn, Sponge Exchange, Montgomery Building and the Cotton Warehouse.  The Cotton Warehouse recently felled into public ownership after being purchased by the City of Apalachicola a few years back.

Both Spohrer’s are longtime supporters of the Historic Society, with Bill a retired airline executive serving as it past President and Lynn a world-renowned commercial interior designer contributed to the historic decoration inside the Raney House Museum, which is also home to the Historic Society.

Mayor Van Johnson was also on hand to present the Spohrer’s with a Proclamation for their contribution in preserving historic Apalachicola.

Photos and Video footage by Gail D. Johnson

Mayor’s Business Breakfast

Please join me for breakfast at 9:00AM on Wednesday, June 29, 2011, at Tamara’s Café in historic downtown Apalachicola.

I will be hosting the gathering to give Historic Apalachicola, Inc. an opportunity to present the work plans that have been developed for submittal with the Main Street Florida Application in July.

Last August city commissioners unanimously moved to collaborate with Historic Apalachicola, Inc., to make application for national accreditation as a Main Street Program through the National Trust for Historic Preservation.`

Main Street Programs are movements that help transform the way communities think about the revitalization and management of their downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.

Typically Main Streets are the economic engines or the core of a community and the City of Apalachicola along with its community partners recognizes that a prosperous, sustainable community is only as healthy as its core.

Space is limited to 50 people, so call ahead to 1-855-APALACH to reserve your seat!

This is a community building activity sponsored by Volunteer Florida’s BEST Neighborhoods, Franklin’s Promise Coalition, Volunteer Franklin, and the City of Apalachicola all working together for the good of historic Apalachicola.

Tamara’s Café is located on the Corner of Market Street and Avenue D.  For more information, visit www.historicapalachicola.com and click on “Downtown”.

Emergency burn ban in effect in Franklin County

Please be advised that Franklin County, including the City of Apalachicola, is currently under an emergency burn ban. The ban was imposed this morning by County officials due to extreme drought conditions countywide.

During this local state of emergency, it is unlawful for any person to ignite or otherwise cause an open fire. This ban shall include, but not limited to the use of fireworks, sparklers and burning in a barrel.

This ban shall not include cooking on grills outside, but grills must be attended at all times and all wood and charcoal grills should be completely extinguished before leaving.

Mayor’s Election Proclamation

CITY OF APALACHICOLA

I, the undersigned, VAN W. JOHNSON, SR., Mayor of the City of Apalachicola, by authority of law and pursuant to City Ordinance No. 91-4, do hereby proclaim that on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 an election will be held to fill the offices as follows:  Mayor for a term of four years, City Commissioner for Seat 1 for a term of four years, and City Commissioner for Seat 2 for a term of four years, and a Run-Off Election, if necessary, will be held on Tuesday, September 20, 2011.

Candidates wishing to qualify may do so at the City Office from 12 Noon Monday, July 18, 2011 until 12 Noon Friday, July 22, 2011.  City Office is located at #1 Bay Avenue, and regular office hours are from 8:00AM to 4:00PM, Monday-Friday.  Each Candidate must pay to the City Clerk at the time of qualifying a qualifying fee of 4.5% of the first year’s salary, must be a resident of the City of Apalachicola, and must also be a qualified voter of the State of Florida, County of Franklin, and the City of Apalachicola.

All persons not previously registered to vote may register to vote anytime from now up to 4:30PM on Monday, August 8, 2011 for the General Election, and Monday, August 22, 2011 for the Run-Off Election at the Office of the Franklin County Supervisor of Elections located at 47 Avenue F, Apalachicola, Florida, hours 8:30AM to 4:30PM, Monday-Friday.

The polling place will be at the National Guard Armory located at 66 4^th Street in the City of Apalachicola and will be open at 7:00AM and close at 7:00PM.  Absentee ballots may be obtained by contacting the Office of the Franklin County Supervisor of Elections at place and time noted previously.  Only qualified electors will be permitted to vote.  Early voting will be conducted from August 29, 2011 to September 2, 2011 (5 days only) at the Supervisor of Elections Office, 47 Avenue F, Apalachicola, Florida from 8:30AM to 4:30PM.

All residents of the City of Apalachicola not currently registered to vote are urged to register and take part in this election.

Van W. Johnson, Sr., Mayor

City of Apalachicola, Florida

Nelson shows support for housing programs

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) recently signed onto a letter to the Appropriations Committee requesting funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 202 and 811 programs.

These two housing programs provide grant funding for the development of supportive housing and rental assistance for very low-income seniors and disabled individuals.

The letter requests that funding for these two programs in FY11 be maintained at FY10 enacted levels, which is consistent with the President’s 2012 budget at $757 million for Section 202 and $196 million for Section 811.

The Senator also signed onto a letter requesting “the highest possible funding” for the Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs). The CDBG program helps fund a wide range of activities, including homeownership assistance, housing rehabilitation, public improvements, public services, and economic development projects.

The CDBG formula allocation is at its lowest funding level since 1992, and Nelson, a longtime supporter of the grants introduced this year Senate Bill S. 887, which would increase the portion of CDBG funding that may be used to provide public services from 15% to 25% to give cities increased flexibility.

Boat Basin Proposal: Public Workshop Scrapped

Notice of Cancellation 

The Apalachicola City Commission has canceled the Public Workshop scheduled for today, June 14, 2011, at 6:00PM in the Community Center Meeting Room, 1 Bay Avenue, Apalachicola, Florida.  

The couple that requested the workshop withdrew their request to appear before the Commission to present a proposal to lease City owned property at Battery Park Point to construct an RV park. 

They withdrew the request after being told by Apalachicola Mayor Van Johnson that he felt Battery Park Point was an unacceptable location for an RV park. 

Questions should be directed to City Administrator Betty Taylor-Webb at (850) 653-8222 or email: bettywebb@cityofapalachicola.com.

Government claims paid by BP in Franklin County

As of Thursday, June 9, 2011, BP has doled out close to $2.1 million dollars in claim payments to governmental entities in Franklin County in response to last summer’s Gulf oil spill.

The Franklin County Emergency Management operations received payments totaling $1,905,649.90, for cost associated with responding to the disaster, followed by the City of Apalachicola and the Riverkeepers.

The city received $119,177.85, in reimbursements for response and increased public service cost, while the Apalachicola Riverkeepers an environmental group was compensated $32,117.40, for their role in responding to the crisis.

The total reimbursements received by Franklin County governments thus far stands at $2,056,945.15.

Future reports can be found in the BP Government Claims Payments section of the Florida Gulf Response website.

Three Years and Counting

Mayor Van Johnson

Today marks the third year anniversary of “The Mayor’s Blog”!
 

On June 12, 2008, I launched this blog as a means of staying connected, keeping the residents of Apalachicola informed, and bringing transparency to the daily activities of local government. 

Three years later and the blog has expanded beyond the cyber borders of Apalachicola, reaching into the depths of virtual reality, bringing in visitors from every state in the union, plus 71 different countries from around the globe. Florida, has the honors of leading the way by sending visitors from 210 different cities to the site.  

The most notable visits have come from governmental agencies such as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the State of Florida, the Florida Supreme Court, the Florida Legislature, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. House of Representatives, the United State Senate, and the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Last year I met a man and his wife from Tennessee – the couple shared stories about how they enjoyed learning about Apalachicola through this blog.

Over 700 posts have been blogged to date concerning the activities of my administration, and events surrounding the City of Apalachicola. In case you missed reading them, listed below are the top twenty that sent the most traffic to the site.

1. Tragic Fire Hits Apalachicola

2. Zumba gains popularity in Apalachicola

3. A Spectacular Grand Opening

4. Judge rules in 20-year old Water War

5. Havana officials tour community garden

6. City adds Social Service Component

7. New group formed to lead Economic Redevelopment in Apalachicola

8. Oil spill awareness march and rally held in Apalachicola

9. Apalachicola to expend $2.491 million to support local seafood industry

10. A plea for the protection of Apalachicola Bay

11. The Mayor's letter to the President

12. Government and BP ignore Apalachicola's plea for protection

13. Apalachicola's oil spill protection strategy

14. City to meet with State and BP officials

15. Magnuson issues ruling in Phase II water rights litigation

16. Apalachicola artist captures local essence

17. Skate Park named in honor of Justin “Scab” Griffin

18. Mayors Letter to FDIC Chairman Bair

19. Apalachicola Celebrates African-American History

20. It’s the Main Street Way

I would like to commemorate “The Mayor’s Blog” third year anniversary by thanking each of you for visiting, reading, and for commenting on my posts, and for everything that you do to keep Apalachicola special. I trust you'll hang around and bear with me for another year or perhaps four.

 



With warm regards, 

Van W. Johnson, Sr., Mayor
The Historic City of Apalachicola

Apalachicola Debuts 2nd Saturday Events

Beginning today and continuing on the “Second Saturday” of each month, stores and galleries in downtown Apalachicola will be staying open late - restaurants will be serving up great specials and there will be live music and kids’ activities.

Residents and visitors alike will have an opportunity to meet local artists, shop late, and dine at their favorite restaurants and afterwards take a stroll through historic downtown Apalachicola toward Riverfront Park for live music on the dock after 8:00PM.

The “Second Saturday” events are the brainstorm of Historic Apalachicola, Inc., Main Street Promotion Committee to support local businesses by stimulating sales.

For more information on Historic Apalachicola, Inc., or the Second Saturday events please visit www.historicapalachicola.com.

Youth Center readies for Movie Night

If you haven't been inside the old Apalachicola High School Gymnasium in a while, then you need to do so, because things have dramatically changed. 

Apalachicola city officials in collaboration with Franklin's Promise Coalition and Apalachee Center have reoriented the facility to serve as a dedicated center for the youth of Apalachicola and surrounding area.

The center opened its doors on Wednesday, June 1, and inaugurated the advent on Friday, June 3, with the beginning of Friday Movie Nights, which featured the showing of the Incredibles and the Sorcerer's Apprentice.

Tonight’s movie will start at 8:30PM and feature the 2003 release of Daddy Day Care starring Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin, Steve Zahn and Regina King.  The movie will be shown inside the gym on a large inflatable screen featuring theater sounding audio.

There will also be concessions available, operated by the Kids United Together (K.U.T.) Youth Advisory Board to raise money for programs.

The Youth Center’s hours of operation are Wednesday and Thursday, 6:00PM to 9:00PM, Friday 6:00PM to 11:00PM and Saturday 3:00PM to 11:00PM and starting the week of June 13, the facility will be open on Monday’s and Tuesday’s as well.

For more information, or to help, contact Franklin's Promise Coalition at either (850) 653-3930 or mail@franklinspromisecoalition.org.

Work on reuse system near completion

Royal American the licensed general contractor out of Panama City, awarded the contract to install the city’s $8 million dollar wastewater reuse system is near completion.

Construction crews are in the final stages of installing an upland spray field west of town and connecting throughout town an irrigation system to city and county land, parks and open spaces.

The project included building a 300,000 gallon storage tank (pictured above), a pump station as well as installing a series of pipe and irrigation that will allow the city to control the system via computer.

The city tapped into the Obama Administration’s federal stimulus monies to fund the project.

The system is designed to take wastewater received at the treatment plant, treat it in accordance with state standards and reuse the treated water or effluent on public lands and eventually in residential areas.

For years now and at present the State has permitted the city to release the effluent into Huckleberry Creek.  However, once construction on the system is concluded, the need to discharge into the Creek will be eliminated.

Volunteers recognized at School Board meeting

A long list of volunteers was recognized during the superintendent’s portion of the agenda at the June 2, 2011, Franklin County school board meeting.

Superintendent Nina Marks acknowledged 52 members of the Franklin County community for their contributions and support toward the students of Franklin County.

Each volunteer was given a hand shaped pin and a certificate of appreciation for giving of their time to either enhancing the quality of education for Franklin County students or improving the functionality of the school district.

Apalachicola Mayor Van Johnson was among those recognized.   

Johnson’s name was submitted for consideration by Franklin County High School teacher Elinor Mount-Simmons after the Mayor spoke earlier this year to her academic recovery class.


Photo by Gail D. Johnson

Renovation under way at Holy Family

Construction crews are ripping out broken windows, pressure washing the exterior and laying new utility lines to the Holy Family structure soon to be a gathering place for the city’s senior population.

Duct work for the new air conditioning and heating system is being installed and the new replacement windows are expected to arrive in a week or so.

Crews are busy adapting the old school/church located at 203 - 7^th Street for reuse into a Senior Citizens Center to house the city’s meals on wheels program, a congregate meal site, and senior activities.

There was a brief interruption in the flow of work due to the discovery of lead paint on the exterior entry doors, and asbestos in the caulking material on the windows.  However, work has since resumed with an estimated completion date in early November.

Late 2008, the city received a $1.5 million dollar grant from the Florida Department of Elder Affairs to renovate the old structure built in 1928, into a dedicated Senior Citizen Center. 

Peter Brown Construction out of Tallahassee was chosen as the best bidder to oversee the engineering and construction of the project.

Apalachicola meets tomorrow at 5:00PM

WORKSHOP & REGULAR MEETING

CITY COMMISSION

CITY OF APALACHICOLA, FLORIDA

TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2011 – 5:00 PM

COMMUNITY CENTER @ BATTERY PARK

#1 BAY AVENUE, APALACHICOLA, FLORIDA

AGENDA

 

I.          5:00 – WORKSHOP – SCIPIO CREEK PROJECT

II.         PRAYER & PLEDGE
III.        REGULAR MEETING

            1.  Recognition of Visitors

                 a.  Jerry Hall – Revolving Loan Status

            2.  Approval of May Minutes

            3.  Approval of April Bill List

            4.  Readdress Scipio Creek Rental Rates

            5.  Chamber of Commerce Report

            6.  Traffic Safety Team Report

            7.  Franklin’s Promise Report  

            8.  Historic Apalachicola, Inc. Report

            9.  Library Report

           10.  Planning & Zoning Report

                 a.  Confirmation of March & April Minutes

           11.  Fire Department Report

           12.  City Administrator Report – Betty Webb

           13.  Attorney Floyd Report

           14.  Other Visitors & Comments

           15.  Mayor & Commissioner’s Comments

 

Any person who desires to appeal any decision at this meeting will need a record of the proceeding and for this purpose, may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceeding is made which includes testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is based.  Persons with disabilities needing assistance to participate in any of these proceedings should contact the City Administrator’s Office 48 hours in advance of the meeting.

About the Artist: Susan L Richardson

Susan L. Richardson

Susan L. Richardson of Apalachicola was born and raised in London, England, the youngest child of very creative parents.

Her father was a member of the Royal College of Art and her mother was a draftswoman before starting a family. Susan painted and drew under their direction until academics got in the way.

Always an entrepreneur, Susan has been, in no particular order, a head hunter, restaurateur, inventor, golf ball hunter, fruit and vegetable picker, car washer, dog/cat/horse/bird and squirrel trainer, real estate mogul (not), women’s accessories representative and jewelry designer/manufacturer/wholesaler.

Over the years she has participated in various art workshops and painted watercolors when in England. After oil workshops were held on St. George Island, she was moved to start seriously painting again, with Historic Apalachicola, her river, bay, and Gulf waters providing an endless inspiration.

In 2010, she had 14 paintings accepted into juried shows at the Atlanta Artists Center (AAC), including one honorable mention.  Also, in August that same year she had two paintings accepted into the Binders – Limelight show and one photograph accepted into the AAC Defoor’s show.

Won Best Emerging Artist in Plein Air Quickdraw

On May 14 of this year, Susan won Best Emerging Artist for painting within two-hours the beautiful beach scene pictured above in the Plein Air Quickdraw event held in Mexico Beach.  The Quickdraw is a signature event for the America’s Great Paint Out, Florida’s Forgotten Coast Plein Air Invitational, where all artists both professional and amateur are invited to participate and paint within a two-hour window.  This year’s event was judged by accomplished artist Hodges Soileau, from the Ringling School of Art and Design.

While here at home, Susan has displayed her paintings at the Apalachicola Area Historical Society Ilse Newell Concert series and at the Apalachicola Municipal Library.  Her work has also been on exhibition at the Apalachicola Museum of Art and at the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce office.

Susan’s paintings are available for purchase at selected outlets throughout Franklin County.  In Apalachicola they can be found both at Café con Leche and at Forgotten Coast Outfitters, and on St. George Island they can be found at the Sea Oats Gallery.

For more information on Susan L. Richardson paintings, either telephone (850) 653-3838 or email artinapalachicola@gmail.com.