'NACA'
NOKOMIS AREA CIVIC ASSOCIATION
NOKOMIS, FLORIDA
"Providing
leadership and an organized voice to improve the quality of life in the Nokomis
area of Sarasota County."
|
'NACA' |
|
Newsletter of the Nokomis Area Civic Association
- NACA Vol. 10, No. 1, January 2005 Next NACA General Meeting "Speaker: Dr. Gary Norris, Superintendent, School
Board of Sarasota County" Dr. Norris will present his plans to address the many
issues confronting our local public school system that need attention both short
and longer term. DR. NORRIS'S AGENDA FOR THE JANUARY 19 MEETING Don Lewis, NACA County Government Liaison
We are very fortunate to have Dr. Gary Norris, new Superintendent of the
School Board of Sarasota County, as our guest speaker on Tuesday, January 19,
considering all the press that the Sarasota public school system has been
receiving of late. The timing
couldn't be better.
Dr. Norris has agreed to cover the following subjects during his
presentation:
1. Closing the achievement
gap between white students and minorities, boosting graduation rates, and
lowering the dropout rates are major priorities.
Dr. Norris will discuss how he plans to get it done.
2. A larger staff is
required to comply with the state's class size amendment.
What's involved and how will he do it?
3. New Schools/Portable
Classrooms/Improvement of Older Schools. His
plans for 2005/2006.
4. How is the Operational
School Year Budget derived? What is
the 2004/2005 increase and why?
5. Need and Plans for the
renewal of the 2002 1 mil voter referendum.
Afterward, Dr. Norris will take questions from the audience on any
subject relative to the Sarasota public school system.
Dr. Norris will begin his presentation shortly after 7 pm and, as usual,
we will adjourn by no later than 9 pm. See
you there! PRESIDENT'S CORNER
John Ask, NACA President Dear Nokomis Neighbors:
On behalf of the NACA Board of Directors, I wish each of you a
"Happy and Safe 2005" and want to thank you for being a member of the
Nokomis Area Civic Association! Please
continue to invest $5 per year and maintain your membership so NACA can continue
to be effective in helping make Nokomis and Sarasota County a great place to
live and work.
There is a lot going on in Nokomis and Sarasota County in 2005.
Some of the highlights are mentioned throughout this newsletter, but much
more will become known during the year so please stay tuned.
Managing our revitalization and new growth in a quality manner is a high
priority requiring ongoing vigilance. NACA
seeks to be informed of both the mega-trends and specifics of future plans for
our area and is determined to collaborate with decision-makers in shaping our
community to become the best it can be.
We're very pleased to have Dr. Gary Norris, Sarasota County
Superintendent of Schools, as our featured speaker at the quarterly NACA meeting
on January 19th at the Nokomis Community Center.
Speaking as a former school principal, I believe that the vibrancy and
long-term prognosis of a community are directly correlated with the
effectiveness of the schools.
If young people are well educated, prepared to take positions of
responsibility in society, and are optimistic about their futures, communities
prosper and are good places to live. Conversely,
when public education doesn't adequately prepare students to assume roles of
responsibility and to prosper in mainstream society, the community doesn't
thrive. The burden on government
increases with crime, Welfare, and other public services when young people
aren't gainfully employed. Subsequently,
the tax base declines, as does the quality of life.
Effective public education results in a prospering local economy and
increasing property values. We need
good schools, and this starts with effective and strong leadership.
Please put our NACA meeting on your calendar and meet Dr. Norris; bring
questions, too! CURRENT STATUS OF THE "RAISE THE BRIDGES"
AND RAILROAD TRESTLE ISSUES Don Lewis, NACA County Government Liaison
The Coast Guard has advised the Florida Department of Transportation that
they have reviewed responses to their public notice sent out in August, and the
bottom line is they anticipate issuing a permit to the FDOT accepting the 12
foot bridge height over Shackett Creek by the end of January.
The FDOT will then finalize the new bridge drawings, advertise for
construction bids, and let the contracts by mid 2005.
Even though the FDOT plans to use two construction crews simultaneously,
one to widen US 41 to six lanes from State Rd. 681 north, south to US Business
41 in Venice, and the other to widen the bridges to six lanes it will require
about a year and a half to complete the entire project. Hopefully, it will be ready for the winter tourist season in
2007.
Re the Railroad Trestle just east of the bridges: Jon Thaxton, Chair of
the Board of Sarasota County Commissioners, has been closely involved to obtain
a resolution. I asked Jon to give
us a status report and I quote his response as follows:
"The County anticipates on closing on the CSX rail corridor prior to
the end of the year. Once we own
the property, we feel it will be a little easier working through some of the
outstanding issues with FDOT and USCG. The
concerns outstanding include the trestle height requirements of the Coast Guard.
Conversations continue on this issue.
And issues with FDOT include the trail's location within the ROW and the
possible conversion of the trail to an automobile roadway at some date in the
future. Assuming the FDOT issues
can be worked out to the satisfaction of the Board of County Commissions, FDOT
would purchase the corridor from the County (over a three year period) for the
same purchase price that the County paid. This
would free up the County's money for capital improvement on the trail.
Trail improvement will only materialize after an extensive public
participation process. We will be
looking to NACA for help in this regard." NACA MEMBERSHIP DRIVE 2005 Tom Bartholomay, NACA Secretary & Membership Chair
The Nokomis Area Civic Association is our community "Voice"!
We've accomplished a lot, and we can do a lot more if we grow our
membership. In the 38 Nokomis
Community Associations there are over 7,000 homeowners.
NACA has a membership of 1,583. With
extra effort on the part of everyone, we should be able to double our
membership. Let's shoot for over
2,000 this coming year!
NACA is just 9 years old, and look what we've accomplished! - Nokomis Community Center - Voted down a jail in our backyard - Improvement of Albee Road to the beach - Improvements through the Revitalization Plan for
Nokomis - Completion of Edmondson Road - Stoplight on Laurel Road at Mission Valley Road - The placing of attractive "Welcome" signs on
US 41
Two projects in the hopper: - Improvements to Colonia Lane in 2005 - County water to be installed for the remaining
homeowners
Ask your neighbor to join so we can effect even more benefits for
NOKOMIS!
Your Association President has membership forms for your convenience.
He'll be glad to give you all you need.
Thanks for your efforts! Let's
increase our membership to 2,000. With
your help, we can do it! HURRICANE CHARLEY DISASTER RELIEF FUND Don Lewis, NACA County Government Liaison
In addition to NACA's $1,000 contribution to those who were hardest hit
by "Charley" and are in dire need of help as determined by the
Southwest Florida Community Foundation (SWFCF) of Ft. Myers, eleven of our 38
HOA's in our NACA network contributed an additional $2,200, for a total of
$3,200.
Many thanks to those eleven: Sorrento East Villa Section 6, Terra Cove
HOA, Nokomis Oaks HOA, Shore Oaks HOA, Lake Village Mobile Home HOA, Nokomis
Harbor HOA, Calusa Lakes Master HOA, Sorrento East Master HOA, Sorrento Inlets
HOA, Waterside Acres, Nokomis East HOA.
If your homeowners' association is not on this list and you would like it
to contribute, have your treasurer send a check made out to "The Hurricane
Charley Relief Fund," and send it to our NACA Treasurer, B. J. Brown, who,
in turn, will get it to the SWFCF. The
help needed down there will continue for many months, so your HOA contribution
will be appreciated. I'll note your
response in the next VOICE. WATERWAYS REPORT Patrick McCarthy, NACA Waterways
I must mention what a great Christmas Boat Parade we enjoyed this year.
Even the weather cooperated! I
hope everyone had a great holiday and New Year.
The Sarasota Sheriff Marine Patrol, in partnership with West Marine, will
be conducting monthly seminars on topics of interest to the boating public.
"Basic Boating Safety" was the topic of December's meeting and
it was well attended. January's seminar will be on fishing rules and regulations.
An FWC Officer will also be on hand to answer your questions.
This is a great opportunity to have a "face to face" with your
local Marine Patrol Officers. Watch
the media for date and time. 861-SINK is a number to call for ongoing non-emergency boating violations. Give the location, FL#'s, description of boat and occupants, and direction of travel. Of course, in an emergency, call 911. You may also want to visit www.boatsafe.com
The utility pole at the Loreto boat ramp is being relocated by FPL.
After the other utilities (Verizon and Comcast) move their wires, the old
pole and guy wires will be removed and we will have more room for parking.
Our thanks to the Parks & Recreation Department for facilitating the
process.
See you on the water! NOKOMIS REVITALIZATION NEWS Bruce Dillon, NACA Revitalization & Nokomis
Revitalization Committee Chair POCONO TRAIL PRESERVE
Work on the Pocono Trail Preserve began in November with clearing of the
underbrush and removal of illegally dumped trash in preparation for the
installation of the split-rail fence around the new park.
Other improvements planned include a parking area, nature trails, and a
canoe/kayak landing. In addition,
there will be a handicap accessible picnic area and waterfront Shakett Creek
overlook. The parcel was added to
the County's Environmentally Sensitive Lands program at the suggestion of area
residents during the public workshops held to create our Nokomis Revitalization
Plan. WATERWAYS MANAGEMENT
At the November Revitalization meeting, Bud Goldsby of the County's
Navigational Waterways Management program gave a very thorough presentation of
the process now available to waterfront neighborhoods for maintenance dredging.
After gathering the signatures of the majority of affected property
owners on an eligible waterway, a neighborhood group willing to be assessed can
apply for a feasibility study to be performed and County assistance with the
implementation of a dredging plan. MARK YOUR CALENDAR
The next Revitalization meeting is Wednesday, January 26, 2005, at the
Nokomis Community Center, 234 Nippino Trail, Nokomis, at 6:30 pm. "FAMILY VIOLENCE" TOPIC OF OCT. MEETING
Each year, SCOPE (Sarasota County Openly Plans For Excellence) does an in
depth study of a couple of vital issues facing our community.
In 2004, one of the topics was "Family Violence," a large,
serious, and growing, but often hidden, minimized, and swept under-the-rug
problem both in Sarasota County and nationwide.
We've used the acronym "NIMBY" before: "not in my
backyard." But in the past, we've usually meant it as "I don't WANT
it in my backyard." With
domestic violence, it's often a case of head-in-the-sand denial: "I say it
can't, therefore, DOESN'T exist in my backyard."
The first two speakers at the October 19 NACA General Meeting were Wendy
Fishman, on the SCOPE Board, and James Schulz, with Sarasota County Government
Family Violence Advisory Council and with the SCOPE Family Violence Study.
They gave an introduction about the problem of family violence in
Sarasota and the 23 week SCOPE study, and then showed a riveting 35 minute,
locally made documentary film, "Battered, Bruised and Broken."
The next speaker was Diana Reiser, from SPARCC (Safe Place And Rape
Crisis Center), who talked about that organization and then showed a short,
moving documentary video.
According to SCOPE, each year hundreds of Floridians die at the hands of
a family member. Over half of all
Floridians report that they personally know someone who is a victim of domestic
violence, and 44% report that they have actually witnessed domestic violence.
And it can take place in surprising demographic groups, e.g., neither the
rich nor the old are immune.
Sarasota County has the second oldest average population age in the
country (Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, is #1, for reasons which surpasseth
understanding). For every reported
case of elder abuse, it is estimated that there are 14 unreported cases,
suggesting that nearly 11,000 cases of elder abuse may go undetected in Sarasota
County each year, out of 12,000 total.
SCOPE notes that common challenges like diminished mental and physical
capacities, substance abuse, and involvement of a caregiver make identification
and intervention in these cases very difficult.
Traditional domestic violence service providers have limited resources
for addressing elder family violence. Courts,
batterers' programs, the emergency shelter, and the jail are not equipped to
appropriately address the special needs of some elder and/or disabled family
violence victims and perpetrators.
Florida has adopted the "Power and Control" model to treat and
prosecute domestic violence perpetrators and help ensure victims' safety.
Central to this model is the Certified Batterer's Intervention Program (CBIP),
a 29 week class that offers tools for overcoming controlling behaviors.
The problem is: local providers estimate that only half of attendees
complete the CBIP and as many of 90% demonstrate little or no change in
behavior.
In SCOPE's judgment, perpetrators are often not held sufficiently and
constructively accountable by the legal system, but it says this may be due in
part to the limited one year jurisdiction of misdemeanor court, as the result of
which, non-compliance, non-attendance, recidivism, denial, avoidance, and repeat
offenses may occur. To further
complicate the problem, it is estimated that 80% of domestic violence
perpetrators have drug or alcohol problems.
Research indicates a strong connection between substance abuse and
violence: persons who have lived in violent families are at increased risk for
alcohol and drug problems, and children whose parents abuse substances have a
high risk for abusing and neglecting their own children.
The threat of domestic homicide increases when any of the following
factors, known as LETHALITY INDICATORS, is present: the victim of family
violence has intuitive feelings of being at risk; abuser perceives loss of
control over partner through separation, divorce, or fleeing; extreme jealousy;
escalation of abuse; abuser minimizes these incidents; acts of abuse in public;
threats of suicide or homicide; use of or threat to use a weapon; stalking;
history of mental health problems; substance abuse; history of sexual abuse of
victim or children; violation of protective order or restraining orders.
SPARCC recognizes 15 warning signs of domestic violence: history of
battering, pushes for a quick relationship, jealous and possessive, tries to
control your life, expects too much, isolates you from friends and family,
blames others for own problems and mistakes, says their feelings are easily
hurt, cruel to animals and children, uses "playful" force during sex,
yells and calls you names, rigid sex roles, sudden mood swings, threatens
violence, threatens to disclose embarrassing information to your family or
employer.
SPARCC offers the following services, all of which are free and
confidential: 24 hour hotline (365-1976), confidential shelter, counseling,
family safety planning, children's program, support groups, offices in Sarasota
and Venice, legal advocacy with
courts, transitional housing, community education, and professional training. |
|
© 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 2010 All Rights Reserved
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
