November 2014 Linking Citrus County Government with Citizens Adopt-a-Tree Program Most of us take for granted there will be a decorated tree with wrapped presents under it during the holiday season. Realizing this was not a reality for many families in our community, Citrus County Parks & Recreation Department started a program to provide some Christmas cheer! The 3rd Annual Adopt-a-Tree program will be held on December 12 at the Central Ridge Community Center, located at 77 Civic Circle in Beverly Hills. Tree decorating will be held from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, with judging to start promptly at 5:15 pm. Citrus County residents, organizations and businesses are able to purchase a tree for $20, which will be on display for 3 days and then delivered to families in need around the community. Our Road Maintenance Department is called to action on everything from patching potholes, correcting drainage problems, road signage, maintaining bridges, and much more! We appreciate their hard work! How can I get involved? Service Requests for September = 334 Parks & Recreation Department is working with Lowe’s of Inverness to purchase the trees and the Beverly Hills Craftsman Guild to make the tree stands. Trees will be ready and waiting for decorating teams to have fun and decorate the purchased trees. Participants are asked to bring lights and decorations; Parks and Rec staff will provide music, cookies and Christmas cheer. The trees will be lit at 5:00 pm for the judging of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. To make this Christmas even more special, citizens can also adopt an entire family or individual family member by stopping by Lowes in Inverness, WinnDixie in Beverly Hills, Central Ridge Community Center or the Department of Community Services and pick up a family or family member card. Participants can then drop off unwrapped age appropriate toy with the family member card attached by December 1 at any of the above locations. These toys will be given to the children when the trees are delivered. Did you know... Public libraries have more cardholders than Visa? Two out of three Americans own library cards AND use them. In Citrus County, more than 93,000 citizens have a library card. Please contact Parks & Recreation at 527-7540 for more information or stop by the office located at 2804 W Marc Knighton Ct. in Lecanto to purchase your tree. FARM CITY FESTIVAL Saturday, November 15 at Liberty Park in Inverness 9 am-2 pm Come out and enjoy live bluegrass music, tractor parade, farmers market, demos and free samples, petting zoo...FREE ADMISSION! Please call 726-2611 ext. 1306 for more information. Old Courthouse Concert Series The Citrus County Historical Society will host another concert in their concert series on November 20 featuring “Patchouli”. Bruce Hecksel’s astounding guitar technique reminds listeners of The Gypsy Kings, and when blended with fellow musician/ vocalist Julie Patchouli, they bring high energy and sweet harmonies to their acoustic repertoire. Tickets are $10. Doors open at Friends of the Citrus County Library System held their Annual Fall Book Sale last month at the Citrus County Auditorium. The Friends group raised $39, 714.65 that will be used to purchase books, CDs, DVDs, and other materials for the libraries. The Friends group also sponsors programs throughout the year for adult and youth events. Thanks to our amazing volunteers! 6:30 pm, with show starting at 7:00 pm. For more information or tickets, please contact 341-6427. News & Notes Inverness Airport New T-Hangers The County recently completed the construction of a 16-unit T-Hanger building located at the south end of the airfield off of S. Eva Holden Pt. The project was completed at a cost of $861,452 and was a cooperative project funded by FDOT (80%) and Citrus County (20%). Before the hangers were completed, 50% of the units were under lease. If you are interested in leasing one of the 8 remaining units, please call 527-5446. BOCC meeting schedule Check out their music at www.patchouli.net Government offices closed on November 11 in honor of Veterans’ Day Please note the meeting schedule for Board of County Commission meetings does not follow the regular schedule in November and December due to holidays. The meetings in November will be held on November 4 and November 18 and the meetings in December will be held on December 2 and December 16. Trivia Question Animal Shelter offering adoption discounts to veterans On average, how many phone calls are received by County employees in a month? The Citrus County Foundation for Animal Protection and Citrus County Animal Services would like to honor and thank veterans for their courageous service to our county by sponsoring a half price adoption event. All Animal Shelter dogs and cats will be offered half price to a veteran with proof of military service (military ID, VA ID, or DD214) the week of November 8-November 15. Please call 746-8400 for questions or visit their website at www.citruscritters.com. Answer given in December Edition Answer from October Edition: 1,678 miles of County owned paved roads Transportation Plan Workshop The Hernando/Citrus MPO will host a public workshop on Monday, November 17 to allow citizens the opportunity to review and comment on the proposed transportation improvements for the next 25 years in the Long Range Transportation Plan., including highways, transit, bicycle facilities, sidewalks and trails. This workshop will be held at the Lakes Region Library in Inverness starting at 1:00 pm. Please call 352754-4057 for more information. C.R. 491 Public Workshop Scheduled On November 6, a public workshop is scheduled to provide information to citizens regarding the Land Development Code regulations that correspond to the adopted C.R. 491 Overlay Plan. The workshop will be held from 6:00-7:00 pm at the Lecanto Government Bldg. in Room 166. A brief presentation will be given at 6:00 pm and county staff will be available to informally discuss the project and answer questions. For more information, please contact 527-5239. P.L.A.Y. Program P.L.A.Y Basketball Mondays OR Wednesdays @ Citrus County Resource Center Fee: $45 (includes equipment and team shirt) P.L.A.Y. Flag Football Tuesdays OR Thursdays @ Bicentennial Park Fee: $45 (includes equipment and team shirt) Over the 6 week program, children will learn rules of the game. They will practice for 30 minutes, then 30 minutes of game play. Registration is now open for two P.L.A.Y. (Preparing Little Athletes Youth) programs, which are organized for ages 3-5 that focuses on building confidence and self esteem while making sports fun! Upcoming Arterial/Collector Resurfacing Projects Plans have been completed for the 2014 Small County Outreach Program (SCOP) and have been approved by the Florida Department of Transportation. The County anticipates posting the following projects for bid: C.R. 581 from S.R. 44 south to E. Anna Jo Drive N. Citrus Springs Blvd from W. Dunklin Street to U.S. 41 C.R. 491 from W. Cardinal Street to W. Glenn Pines Court C.R. 491 from W. Glenn Pines Court to Hernando County Line Look What’s Coming... Frequent questions County staff receives in regards to new construction or business is "What is coming?" "What is being built there?" Is it true...?" Citrus Link will provide monthly updates on the newly received permit requests and/ or issued permits for large commercial projects received by the Planning & Development Department. ACE HARDWARE– building permit a new Ace Hardware store to be located in the Winn-Dixie shopping plaza on CR 491 in Beverly Hills. CRYSTAL CHEVROLET–building permit for a 2,815 sq. ft. addition to existing collision shop at Crystal Chevrolet in Homosassa. NATURE’S RESORT RV PARK– site approval application to add 91 new RV lots in the Nature’s Resort RV Park on W. Halls River Rd. in Homosassa. “What a Day” with Grounds Maintenance By: Tobey Phillips As you drive through Wesley Jones Park in Citrus Springs, have you wondered who paints the picnic tables, fixes the fence, provides toilet paper and mows the lawn? Mike Cacyuk, a Technician II with Grounds Maintenance Division, handles these responsibilities every day…and much, much more! Mike has been a county employee for 1 ½ years and grew up here in Citrus County, graduating from Crystal River High School. Grounds Maintenance Division oversees 30 locations in our community, including parks, trailheads, boat ramps, and playgrounds, and some of their tasks include restroom maintenance, building maintenance/painting, maintenance/installation/painting of picnic tables, pavilions, and benches, tree trimming, playground inspection and sports field preparation. As I traveled with Mike and his crew, we started the day at the Old Courthouse, hedging bushes, mulching, pulling weeks, litter control, in preparation for several community events coming up in downtown Inverness. He takes pride in making sure the grounds are in top condition for citizens to enjoy themselves. When asked his favorite part of the job, he responded with a smile, “Being outside! I love being outside!” Although he admits the heat can take a toll, he enjoys the busy schedule. “There is not much down time around here. Even in bad weather, we have rainy day projects to work on, like equipment repair, sharpening tools and restocking trucks.” We then traveled on to Spruce Boat Ramp in the north part of the county, where Mike coordinated staff to paint picnic tables, clean signs, paint parking lot striping, and spray for ants. These crew members are organized, communicate with each other, work together to accomplish the tasks given to them and are constantly moving. Mike refers to the work order, then assigns responsibility and keeps everyone on task, all while working hard himself. “For the most part, dealing with the public is a good experience. People appreciate what we do. You always have a few though,” stated Mike. Safety is always the top priority, with safety vests and equipment available to all staff, and considered before starting a job. “If we need equipment or training, all we have to do is ask. Our manager understands we have to stay safe and need proper equipment,” Mike explained. We finished out the morning at Wesley Jones Park in Citrus Springs, with Mike and the crew painting all the picnic tables, benches and bathroom doors, inspecting a fence that needed repair and litter control. I asked if there is a “normal” day when working in Grounds Maintenance and Mike responded, “You never know what you are going to run into. It’s always a little different. But that’s why I like this job!” In Citrus County, we have a large number of amenities for outdoor recreation. Our County parks, playgrounds, boat ramps, and buildings are known for being clean, manicured, and safe. The next time you utilize one of these facilities, give a shout out to Mike for keeping our grounds looking great! For more information on Grounds Maintenance, please visit http:// www.bocc.citrus.fl.us/commserv/ parksrec/groundsmaint/ grounds_maint.htm Contact Us Kudos Corner “Deborah (Dahlinger) and Tom (McDowell) came by my home to help with my faulty sprinkler box. They helped reset it, and also stayed with me while we ran a test of the zones, pointing out which ones needed repair. I can’t thank them enough, and wanted to express my appreciation.” Andrew Annese Give us a call for more information or if you have questions Tobey Phillips, Public Information Officer [email protected] (352) 527-5484 “Meals on Wheels has many benefits. The lunch meal I receive is well balanced. The meals are giving me a push to recovery from having chemotherapy...encourages me to prepare the other meals for the day in a balanced way. With your help (Senior Care Services) I will stay strong and be able to help others too!” Maureen Lithgow CONGRATULATIONS to Jenette Collins, Director of Planning and Development, for receiving an Award of Excellence from the Citrus County Economic Development Council for her “exceptional leadership, commitment and dedication to promoting positive economic growth in Citrus County”. Visit us on the web at www.bocc.citrus.fl.us Mission Statement Citrus County Government will be a value-driven organization dedicated to responsive citizen service by providing quality programs, services and facilities to build a strong community and promote the best quality of life for our citizens. To view full calendar of events, please visit www.bocc.citrus.fl.us CALENDAR REQUESTS Florida-Friendly Gardening workshop Tuesday, November 4 @ 2:00-3:30 pm Extension Service Bldg., Lecanto For more information, call 527-5708 Florida-Friendly Gardening Workshop Tuesday, October 21 @ 2:00-3:30 pm Extension Service Bldg., Lecanto For more information, call 527-5708 Board of County Commission Meetings Tuesday, November 4 and Tuesday, November 18 Citrus County Courthouse Rm. 100 starting at 1:00 pm Planning & Development Commission Meeting Thursday, November 20 @ 9:00 am Lecanto Government Building, Rm 166 For more information, call 527-5248