By VERNA BROCK
As the weather has dramatically improved, I’ve been out and about, relishing the warmth and sunshine. Like all of you, I’ve been marvelling at the rapid, seemingly overnight, development of Crawfordville and Wakulla County.
Having settled here a scant 48 years ago, I do not deceive myself that I am an old-timer. I am aware that I shall always be a newcomer. But I often sound like an old-timer of some sort when reminiscing about “how things use’ta be.”
I can be numbered among those who remember when there wasn’t a stop light anywhere in the county, and flashing caution/stop lights at intersections were few and far between. Striping along the edges of widely travelled roads was non-existent, making trips on dark nights perilous. If you planned to visit the St. Marks Lighthouse, expect at least an hour’s drive from Hwy. 98 to your destination….those potholes threatened to wreck, if not swallow, your front end!
There was no McDonald’s, or any other fast food joints, in the county, and for good reason. The county’s population barely exceeded 10,000 souls, and the BOCC zealously protected the many local, family based businesses. They had an actual policy preventing the approval of outside (competitive) building permits. Eventually the county’s population grew and expanded, and it became less urgent to halt outside competition.
So now we’re anticipating everything from a Starbucks, to a Del Taco (what?), to a Wawa! We have a Publix (yay) AND a pending Aldi’s! Rumors abound about a planned urgent care, as well as many satellite medical offices already available. More and more mom ‘n pop local businesses are also opening and Wakullans are enthusiastically welcoming them all. Still, we can imagine many more wonderful things to be wished for. We are especially eager to see businesses that will appeal to children and teens, offering healthy, engaging activities.
I was privileged to serve eight years as one of the volunteer members on the county Planning and Zoning Commission around the turn of the millenia. I learned a lot about how communities grow and develop. The P&Z attempted (then, as now) to address the twin issues of living in a paradise with a fragile environment, while facing an acutely limited space that can be developed.
Most readers understand the fact that 75% of Wakulla County is local, state, or federal lands. Only the remaining 25% can be developed and taxed. Imagine the challenges of protecting our beautifully pristine habitat while developing a sustainable tax base. It is a delicate balance that we aren’t always maintaining. Citizens are rightfully concerned, nay distressed, at the rapid pace of development, fearing the pollution of the aquifer from which our drinking water comes. In our new climate reality, flooding is imminent, and the eradication of wetlands only exacerbates the issue. Poorly managed development has been the ruin of many a paradise in Florida, and none of us want to see it happen here.
I would suggest we all need to educate ourselves on the predicament. Attend BOCC and P&Z meetings, with an open mind. Follow online, if you can’t attend. Subscribe to your two local weekly newspapers. Seek information from the many knowledgeable citizens we are fortunate to have as neighbors! Get involved. Listen actively and be prepared to change your opinion now and then.
I believe most of our elected officials are motivated by more than greed. I may not agree with a lot of their decisions, but I do think they take their responsibilities very seriously. For the sake of our community and its citizens, let us come together and learn as much as we can about what faces us all. From somewhere other than the interwebs. By actual participation in our great experiment, little-d democracy. It isn’t enough to complain and spread rumors. Read, learn, discuss, repeat!
On another note, we literally live in the parade capitol of the nation. Averaging one parade per month, citizens line the road and cheer parade participants along. In February, you will have two opportunities to celebrate a parade. The Rotary Club sponsors the Valentine’s Day Parade every year, and it is one of the county’s largest. Held every second Saturday in February, there will be a vendor fair in Hudson Park following the parade with a wide variety of family-centered activities. Parade line-up is 9:30, and begins at 10 a.m.
Every third Saturday of February the Wakulla County Christian Coalition hosts the annual African American Heritage Celebration parade, also followed by a vendor fair in Hudson Park. Parade line-up also begins at 9:30, and commences at 10 am.
On Valentine’s Day, the Friday before the parade, there will be the Annual Arthur Andrews Scholarship Gala at the Wakulla County Community Center, 6:30 to 9 p.m. This is a scholarship fundraiser for outstanding Wakulla students, and you can get your tickets from Christian Coalition members. They are $40 each, and will not be available at the door. On Sunday, Feb. 16th, there will be an annual African American “Read-In” chain, at the Palaver Theatre, from 2 to 5 p.m. What a great opportunity to celebrate the power of reading and education with our children! I hope everyone can come out and celebrate each of these special events.
Don’t forget next Sunday is Second Sunday sing at the Woodville United Methodist Church, at 6:00pm. This will be followed by a tasty supper in the fellowship hall, and all are welcome.
Please continue to lift the following folks in your prayers: Woodville First Baptist Church pastor, Tommy Stone; Thelma Outz, who is recuperating from pneumonia; the Brazier family, upon the unexpected loss of D’Arcy Brazier; Jared Miller, upon the loss of his father; Deborah Giles, sister of Cindy Blackstock; youngster Cooper Rudd; Steve Hearn; Scott Causey: my friend Sharon Morris, on the loss of her husband Dan and her mother in December; Clem Bunker and her son Charlie; and the many people around this country mourning the loss of loved ones and property in the face of accidents and natural disasters. May God’s peace comfort them all.
