As many of you know, we have many meetings with people and Lake Okeechobee Regional Initiative (LORI) committees in between our general meetings. These meetings and work is designed to promote regional activity and cooperation among those communities around the southern rim of Lake Okeechobee that share so much in common. Such has been the case with our transportation and tourism subcommittees headed by Lynn Topel and Mali Chamness respectively.

As many of you know. The transportation subcommittee has been successful in working to pull together private funding for the Clewiston to Belle Glade commuter bus route. This private funding serves as the "local” match required to keep this bus running. Though we have been successful in raising enough of the private match to allow the bus to run through May, we are now working on raising enough money to ensure that this can continue for at least the next three years. We will issue a separate report to our members on this situation in the upcoming week. In this regard, we are excited about the new clinic that will opening in Moore Haven and will be working on expanding this route to meet the needs of that clinic.

Our tourism and branding subcommittee has also met and has begun working on a strategic marketing plan for the region. This committee is being aided by professional staff that will help guide us through a process. We will obviously need to expand this effort to include the business and community at-large, and are in the process of designing a questionnaire to get stakeholder input. Some of the products will be an amalgamated guide to the region, a regional tagline, online and billboard advertising. We anticipate that we will be able to furnish a list of business opportunities as a result of this exercise. All of this will be topics at our upcoming meetings.

How about community gardening? We will are working on this concept in earnest in Belle Glade and elsewhere in the region. We see this activity as an economic development initiative as well as having a number of other social impacts on community life and nutrition. These gardens are high impact initiatives and can contribute to the kind of job creation that was enjoyed when the old vegetable markets were up and running. Stay tuned and contribute your doable deed by joining us at our next meeting in Clewiston on April 21^st.

Philip Bacon
Vice President
Neighborhood & Regional Initiatives
Collins Center for Public Policy
(305) 377-4484 x 27

Urban gardening has captured the imagination of everyone from Mrs. Obama to philanthropists and big corporations. Residents of urban core neighborhoods have found these gardens to be a source of fresh fruits and vegetables and, in some instances, employment. We are beginning to look at this as a doable deed in the Glades and in Clewiston and Moore Haven. We think it especially intriguing because of the nexus to agriculture in the region, but even more importantly because these gardens offer a variety of benefits that can help young and old people alike.

Speaking to the likes of Arthur Kirstein of the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service, urban gardening is first and foremost a business. Teaching people how to efficiently cultivate a crop in a small space takes focus, planning and marketing. Motivated people can form small work groups and make a handsome living from just one acre of land if they know what they're doing. Think of that- an acre of land. How efficient is that? Arthur sees this as a way of teaching young people how to make a buck and learning something about…well farming to boot.

Then there's the idea about education. How many calories do we need to produce to feed ourselves and our community? While you're at it, how about trying some of these fresh greens and other vegetables. You know if we eat more of these, we'd actually be a little healthier.

Whether in the city or the country, these gardens seem to connect people to something basic. The idea of sowing and reaping is sustainable. We are going to focus on putting these gardens to work for the people of the region. We hope that because of the very efficient use of land that this effort can be scaled up to supply local farmer's markets and the like. Again, little things can amount to much in the right hands.

By the way, whatever happened to those vegetable markets in South Bay and Belle Glade that used to employ so many people a few years back? Isn't it interesting how taking one market out of the picture can lead to so rapid a decline? Think about it… because the opposite is also true.

You will be hearing much more from us on this subject in the near future.

Philip Bacon
Vice President
Neighborhood & Regional Initiatives
Collins Center for Public Policy
(305) 377-4484 x 27

What does a piece of coal have in common with the LORI Region?

A diamond is a piece of coal that has been put under pressure for many years. With time and pressure it becomes one of natures' most precious jewels. Just beneath what the eye can see, a piece of coal is under a lot of pressure to change. Technology and the environment have contributed to coal's demise as a leading fuel source in the economy. Yet with time and pressure, what starts off as a piece of coal becomes something desirable and sustainable over time.

In our effort, time and pressure equals sustainability and sustainability equals desirability. The pressure to change or diversify our economy is a good thing because it leads to more job opportunities, a stable tax base, better infrastructure and growth. Sustainability is an insurance policy for the future and every resident becomes a beneficiary.

Time can be an ally even in an emergency. When time is broken into smaller pieces and embraces a set of coherent actions- time breeds hope and hope breeds energy and ideas. Initiatives are thought through and implemented properly without being half-baked. People gain confidence. Managed properly, time past and present can ensure a sustainable future. Our collective actions-large and small- have a huge impact on the future.

At our upcoming meetings we will be adding deeds, building infrastructure and setting timelines that focus on creating a sustainable economy. Our people are excited about contributing to this effort. Every action counts and adds pressure to the change and diversity we seek. We will create significantly more value in the area over time.

How do you see the LORI region-as a piece of coal or a diamond in the making? How will you use time and pressure?