The Book Squad is on Patrol

Franklin's Promise Coalition staff presents books to City of Apalachicola
Police Department: Pictured from left to right, Hali Thompson, Lt. Pam
Lewis, Sgt. Wesley Creamer, Jeanette Spann and Joe Taylor

What you’re going to do when they come for you? The children on the streets of Apalachicola be on the look-out, ‘The Book Squad’ is on patrol! Each of the Apalachicola Police Department cruisers have been equipped with a wide selection of children’s books that officers will be giving away to kids throughout the community.

“We want the children of our neighborhoods to see Police officers as the kind and caring people they are, not as adversaries in times of trouble and distress”, said Joe Taylor, Franklin’s Promise Coalition Executive Director.

The idea of the book giveaway project originated with Apalachicola Police Lt. Pam Lewis and Taylor, and was quickly embraced by both Franklin's Promise staff and Lewis's fellow officers.

"What a better way to encourage kids to read and build positive relationships between the children and local law enforcement officers", said Lt. Lewis.

An assortment of children books to be given away

The books are provided to Franklin’s Promise Coalition by the ‘Toys for Tots’ Program for distribution to children in the region.

“This is a pilot initiative. We will check with the officers in a few months to see how they think the project is going, if we need to make changes, and if they think we should continue. If the officers say it’s a worthwhile project, we will reach out to other law enforcement agencies in the area”, said Hali Thompson, Programs Assistant for Franklin’s Promise.

‘The Book Squad’ is another fine example of a long list of many projects where the leadership of Apalachicola have collaborated with Franklin’s Promise to benefit the local people. Local governments that recognize the value of such relationships often find themselves multiplying the services they provide to the residents of their communities and this is just one of the creative partnerships that Franklin’s Promise Coalition provides to build relationships across the region. The results are proving that these initiatives support happier, healthier individuals and encourage stronger families and build a more resilient community.

If you would like to learn more about Franklin’s Promise or to become involved, contact Hali Thompson at (850) 653-3930.

2014 Festival of Ice concludes with Cool Jazz on the Docks

The Bo May's Faux Jazz Quartet

The 2014 Festival of Ice concluded last night with some cool jazz played by the Bo May's Faux Jazz Quartet on the docks of beautiful Riverfront Park in historic downtown Apalachicola.

A modest gathering of jazz lovers assembled from across Franklin County along with visitors into the park to enjoy the vista of a serene waterfront while listening to the quartet perform soothing jazz made popular by such great artists as Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock and Dizzy Gillespie. The event was made possible by Franklin's Promise Coalition though its Weems Arts & Medicine Program in collaboration with the City of Apalachicola.

A decorative cake commemorating the book signing

The Festival also included other noteworthy events and activities that occurred throughout the month, starting with a book signing and ice cream social on August 2nd sponsored by the Apalachicola Area Historical Society with assistance from the City of Apalachicola History, Culture and Art Committee. The book signing was held at the Raney House Museum, the former home of Raney and featured the newly released book "Raney Days", written by author Sara McFerrin. The book details the history of the Raney family and their role in the development of early Apalachicola. The book signing was followed by a dinner for the descendants of Raney at Trinity Episcopal Church.

The Festival picked up momentum during the evening of August 15th with a lecture and exhibition by noted author and ice expert Ellie Morris. Morris lectured the gathering inside the Apalachicola Center for History, Culture and Art on the impact the introduction of ice had on the development of early North Florida.

Mayor Johnson posing with visitors on the steps of the Grady
Market holding an autographed Festival of Ice poster

And on the morning of August 16th Apalachicola Mayor Van Johnson read aloud a Mayor’s Proclamation on the steps of the Grady Market commemorating Dr. John Gorrie induction into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. With his invention of a mechanical ice-making device to cure yellow fever, Gorrie is now most noted as the father of modern day refrigeration and air conditioning and one of the inaugural inductees into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame.

From left to right: Ellie Morris, Willie McNair, Park Ranger and Billy Redd

Following the reading by the mayor a demonstration in the art of ice carving was held at the John Gorrie Museum State Park. The demonstration was conducted by Billy Redd, Instructor at Gulf Coast State College Culinary Program. The event was a collaborative effort between the City of Apalachicola History, Culture and Art Committee, Historic Apalachicola Main Street, Gulf Coast State College and staff at the Gorrie Museum.

In all a total of nine entities collaborated to pull off the 2014 Festival of Ice to make it a huge success: The City of Apalachicola History, Culture and Art Committee, Historic Apalachicola Main Street, Visit Florida, Franklin's Promise Coalition, Franklin County Tourist Development Council, Culture Builds Florida, Florida Park Service, Apalachicola Area Historical Society and Trinity Episcopal Church.

It takes all concerned working together to bring about the desired change within the community and although local government has the lead role the broader community must come together and work in true partnership with local government. In doing so, working together we can accomplish anything.

City of Apalachicola September 2, 2014 Regular Meeting Agenda

CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE COPY

REGULAR MEETING

CITY COMMISSION

CITY OF APALACHICOLA, FLORIDA

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2014 – 6:00 PM

COMMUNITY CENTER @ BATTERY PARK

#1 BAY AVENUE, APALACHICOLA, FLORIDA

AGENDA

I.     PRAYER AND PLEDGE

ll.    REGULAR MEETING
       1. Approval of August Minutes
       2. Approval of July Bill List
       3. Planning & Zoning
           a. Confirm July Minutes
       4. City Administrator
       5. Attorney Floyd
       6. Other Visitors and Comments
       7. 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 Clerk’s Office 48 hours in advance of the meeting.

PUBLIC NOTICE: Health Department Closure Today

The Florida Department of Health in Franklin County has announced the Medical Clinic in Apalachicola at 139 12th Street will be closed today, August 29, 2014, for all Medical and Clinical Services.

For more information, please contact David Walker, Operations Management and Consultant Manager for the Florida Department of Health in Franklin County via email at David.Walker@flhealth.gov or telephone at (850)653-2111 Ext. 119.

Highlights of Summer Fun & Activities out at Project Impact

The students out at Project Impact, the City of Apalachicola afterschool and summer enrichment program have put together a video scrapbook highlighting their 2014 Summer Camp experiences. 

The program is funded through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative and is a key component of the No Child Left Behind Act.  

The program provide students with an opportunity for academic enrichment, including tutorial services plus a broad array of additional services, programs and activities, such as the student creation of the videos below. Watch and enjoy!!!!

"How I Spent My Summer" 

"Project Impact Gets Happy"

Synopsis and photos from the Golden Rule Award Ceremony

Ambassador Clyde Rivers, Mayor Van Johnson and First Lady Gail; the
mayor's holding the Golden Rule International Award presented him by Rivers.

This past weekend was very much rewarding for Gail and I to be part of a group of men and women of different races, cultures and backgrounds assembled at the Golden Rule International Award Ceremony held at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Yes different, but with a commonality of purpose… their contributions toward making the world a better place for all.

This diverse group of men and women all share and continuously promote through their work, words, deeds and actions within their sphere of influence the simply yet powerful message of the Golden Rule, “Treating Others the Way You Want to Be Treated”.

Mayor Johnson was also presented the Global Leadership Award by
(L-R) Dr. Kevin Storr, Ambassador Clyde Rivers and Dr. Brian Williams. 

   

Can you image just for a moment the transformation of the world, our communities, our relationships and interaction with others, if we all paused for a second and considered our words, deeds and actions within this simply context?  Practiced by all this one fundamental principle could play a major role in peace-building efforts in every facet of our lives and in the rebirth of humanity.

The Golden Rule International Award is affiliated with the Interfaith Peace-Building Initiative of Ethiopia (IPI), the United Nations and the United Religions Initiative.  Each year an award is presented to individuals and/or communities who have made outstanding contributions in promoting the message of the Golden Rule through their actions.

This past weekend a group of such from across this great nation and abroad assembled in Grand Rapids to be recognized for their extraordinary work within their cities, towns, villages, communities, and countries.

Recipients of the award included the Archbishop of India who has over 3,000 churches under his care, Sam Griffith, 12th District Court of Appeals Judge from the State of Texas, the family of Sonny and Linda Lara from San Jose, California for their work in curbing gang violence on the streets of California and their very lovely and talented daughter Angel Garza who was one of the finalist on American Idol in April of this year where she performed the popular old school tune, 'You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman' by Aretha Franklin.  

Other noteworthy recipients of the award that Gail and I had the pleasure of meeting were Dr. Paul S. Moller, the California inventor of the Skycar, a flying automobile, former inmate, Nashon Walker, who was incarcerated on felony charges that carried a maximum mandatory sentence of 85 years is now out of prison and serving as president of Empowered 2 Excel, a network that’s helping break the cycle of poverty and incarceration in his community and lastly a Florida engineer that has taken discarded tree limbs and leaves along with other material and created a coating called Geo-Blue Crete that can be used to coat wood to keep it from burning.

All of which through their work have committed and dedicated themselves to serving the interest of mankind, however up until now their efforts have largely gone unrecognized and unnoticed, but thanks to Ambassador Clyde Rivers, iChange Nations and many others that's beginning to change.

"You are here today because I think you're the best of the best", said Ambassador Rivers during Friday's meet and greet.  Rivers is the ambassador at-large for the country of Burundi and an official of the Golden Rule International Award and iChange Nations.

A link to online photos of the entire weekend can be access by clicking HERE or by clicking on the first photo above.

$6M Released by Feds for Restoration of Apalachicola Bay

A notice received today from the Obama Administration National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the award of a noncompetitive grant in the amount of $6,310,216 to fund the restoration of the failed oyster fishery in Apalachicola Bay.

The project is aimed at placing cultch material on appropriate existing oyster reefs to provide more attachment habitat for larval oysters with monitoring to assess the effects of the increase in oyster habitat and the changes in water quality.

In addition, the project is slated to provide educational and vocational training to members of the oyster industry in Apalachicola Bay in order to give them more occupational opportunities.

Lastly, the project will assist oyster processors in upgrading their facilities to better meet national sanitary standards.

For more information on the grant or the project, please contact Deborah Keene, with the State of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity at (850)245-7481.

Large Limb from Oak Tree Caused Saturday's Power Outage

On Saturday, August 22 at approximately 1:55PM a large limb from a water oak about 2-3' wide broke away and fell on a power line in the alley between 13th and 14th street on Avenue D. The incident left residents and businesses in the area of 14th Street to the Gibson Inn off U.S. Hwy 98 without power for about an hour.

Apalachicola City Council to hold first budget workshop Tuesday

The Apalachicola Board of City Commissioners will meet Tuesday to begin the process of developing a budget that will govern city expenditures for the next Fiscal Year 2014-2015.

In all city officials have scheduled three budget workshops for August 19th; August 26th, and September 4th, each at 6:00pm on Tuesday's inside the Battery Park Community Center.  The September 4th workshop in on the schedule, but will be held only if needed.

Last July 15 city commissioners held a special meeting where they tentatively set the millage rate at 10 mils the maximum allowed by law. Setting the millage is the first step in developing the city's annual operating budget; once the rate has been set; it cannot be raised only lowered.

At the August 19th workshop city officials will began attentively looking at the overall budget to find ways to trim the rate as customarily done by commissioners while funding the essential operations of city government.

As always members of the public are both invited and encouraged to attend.

Gorrie Honored during 2014 Annual Water Street Festival of Ice

Mayor Van Johnson reads proclamation dedicating festival in Gorrie's honor

The 2014 Annual Water Street Festival of Ice hosted by Historic Apalachicola Main Street honored Dr. John Gorrie for his induction into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame during a ceremony held Saturday morning on the steps of the Grady Market.

The renowned Gorrie is considered to be the father of modern day air conditioning and refrigeration that resulted from his invention of an ice-making machine, an invention that materialized with Gorrie's attempt to cure Yellow Fever in the year 1841 in Apalachicola.

Author and Ice Expert Ellie Morris recounting history of Grady Market

On hand during the ceremony was noted author and ice expert Ellie Morris who recounted the history of the Grady Market, which included Dr. Gorrie, his ice-making machine and French consul Monsieur Rosan.

During that era the upstairs portion of the Grady Market served as the French Consulate where Rosan lodged, conducted business and entertained guest during his stay in Apalachicola.

Mayor Johnson autographs festival poster while visitors salute Gorrie

As the story goes it was July 14, 1847, and a hot muggy day in Apalachicola.  The supply of ice shipped from the North had run out while Rosan was in the middle of celebrating Bastille Day, a National French Holiday.  Unaware of Gorrie’s invention, Rosan and his guest became fearful of the mere thought of having to drink warm champagne as they celebrated.  Rosan rose and exclaimed, “On Bastille Day”, “France gave her citizens what they wanted; Rosan gives his guest what they want, cool wines! Even if it demands a miracle”!  

Suddenly, waiters appeared carrying large silver trays piled with bottles of champagne nestled in ice. The ice had been created in Apalachicola by Gorrie using his invention.  

Visitors with Mayor Johnson proudly displaying festival poster 

“Let us drink to the man who made ice,” one of the guests declared. “Dr. Gorrie.”

That historic moment was commemorated by those attending Saturday's ceremony with a re-enactment of the toast to the man who indeed made ice.

Mayor Johnson presents proclamation to Willie McNair, Park Ranger at
Dr. John Gorrie Museum State Park in Apalachicola

Apalachicola Mayor Van Johnson also read aloud a Mayor's Proclamation that dedicated the 2014 Annual Water Street Festival of Ice in Gorrie's honor to coincide with his induction into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame.

Photo's by Gail D.Johnson