Thirteen passionate residents helped chip away at what they called a tunnel-vision approach that threatened to stall growth 10 years ago, especially when developers and environmentalists were at odds.
They banded together and created the Economic Environmental Consensus Committee, which then sparked the intergovernmental agency now known as Blueprint 2000. Nearly 70 people attended the 10-year anniversary event Tuesday at St. John’s Episcopal Church. It was hosted by the Village Square and the Tallahassee Democrat. Kevin McGorty, one of the 13, said some members would have liked to see some environmental projects salvaged, such as elements to Cascades Park Trail. But overall, he said the vision for Blueprint is still intact.
“I’m proud that the community took the leadership to say ‘let’s give this a try,’ ” said McGorty, director of land conservancy for Tall Timbers.
Blueprint is funded through a penny-sales tax approved in 2000 and implemented in 2004. It’s brought wider roads, bike lanes and storm-water improvements to sections of Capital Circle, along with neighborhood improvements.
Jim Davis, Blueprint’s executive director, said the signature project is finishing Cascades Park Trail, which should be done within three years.
“A lot of people thought it was never going to happen in their lifetime,” Davis said. “I’m here to tell you. Unless they plan on dying real soon, it will be here.”
Just for fun, we’re going to let you take a sneak peak at our We the Wiki today. We threw up a page on Blueprint 2000 which you can go to and edit (you must create an account to edit – you’ll receive an email to confirm your registration). Once registered, you can add information, relevant facts, challenges ahead, and you can even pen your very own op-ed.
The Wiki isn’t fully up and running. It’s missing a lot of the instructions that will come later. But we thought this was a good day to quietly let Tallahassee have a look.
As promised at last night’s dinner. It’s long but well worth the watch, so prop your feet up, grab a cold one and listen up (conservatives hang in, in the long run you’ll get where he’s going.)
Just in case you missed it, in yesterday’s Tallahassee Democrat, Mary Ann Lindley wrote that ten Gannett papers will begin screening article comments on July 1. Dear God, thank you.
On the quality of the posted comments, Lindley says: “Today anger is ubiquitous. Like potatoes, angry talk is plentiful and cheap.”
I’ll say.
At the speed of light, the shock troops proved Mary Ann’s point not only directly underneath her editorial in their copious screeds about how this is censorship of political thought and Mary Ann is a commie, but in another article in the very same edition of the Democrat as they commented on a Father’s Day story about a dad who changed his life after his wife’s death to spend time with his twin boys.
I have long since learned to not read posts after articles that involve The Village Square (although it is sort of rich to see the rank incivility after an article on civil discourse). But this article is about a family possibly uninitiated to the comment pollution, who probably felt a bit of a wind in their sails from the wonderful Father’s Day piece only to then read tripe like this (screen names VERY intentionally left in, I only wish I could give you their real names):
tallyisracist: “This man did EXACTLY what he was suppose to do as a father, he brought them into the world and it is HIS responsibility to take care of them. He shouldn’t get any special thanks for doing the job of a parent. This is a NO BIG DEAL story. He had wealth that afforded him the ability to quit his job…YEAH GREAT SACRIFICE. He didn’t do anything GRAND, he did his job and people are praising him for it…PATHETIC.”
tallyisracist: “At least he doesn’t have five kids with five different mothers all on welfare and living in section 8 housing, and yet can still drive an Escalade with 22″ rims that cost a fortune. Now that’s pathetic.”
Stupido: “Another example of the sissyfication and feminization of the male gender in America. Men should go to work not stay at home and play house wife!”
Kabubba: “What is PATHETIC is praising a rich WHITE man for taking care of HIS children.”
THE_SPIDER: “I fell asleep reading this story, which is the typical ‘kitten up a tree’ news so often found in the Tallahassee Democrat. You should have stuck it in lifestyle on page three. YAWN!”
In addition to the family, I feel for the poor editors who are now signing on to deal with this crew 24/7 (think about if your job were actually reading this hoo-hah, you couldn’t pay me enough and they should feature you on “America’s Dirtiest Jobs”). And earth to foul posters: Do you think you’ve actually ever convinced anyone of the merits of your thinking? This is the best thing that could possibly happen to the political argument you think you’re making… now you either have to make it like a grown-up your shush up.
I believe your mothers would approve.
(Please meet our Priest and Nun duo in the photo above who administer our We the Wiki – which is coming soon – Rap on the Knuckles for similar bad behavior among blog posters and public officials alike.)
