Treasures

Highlands County Visioning Process Creating the County We Want Setting Priorities Public Workshop 1 Report OVERVIEW The first of three public workshops in the Highlands County Vision 2020 Process was held on February 20, 2006 at Sebring Middle School in Sebring. Approximately 115 people attended the meeting. Bob Bullard, Chair of the Highlands County Board of County Commissioners gave a presentation, providing background information on current conditions in the County. Following the presentation, participants identified what they treasured about Highlands County and then what they desired for the future of the County. The meetings ended with summary insights. The second round workshop will be held on March 7 at Lake Placid High School in Lake Placid from 6:00 to 9:00 and the third workshop will be held on April 4 from 6:00 to 9:00 at the Avon park Community Center. This report along with other meeting information will be posted on the Heartland Visioning website at: http://consensus.fsu.edu/heartland/ BACKGROUND Highlands County is part of Florida's Heartland, a region that encompasses six south central Florida counties. Although each community is unique, broad-based support for economic progress is a constant, unifying theme. In 2004, two of the counties in the Heartland, Hardy and Desoto Counties, completed long-range plans with assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and others. Now, the other the four other counties in the region Highlands, Hendry, Okeechobee and Glades, are conducting visioning processes to establish short and long-range priorities for their counties. Florida's Heartland Rural Economic Development Initiative (FHREDI) is working with the Florida Department of Community Affairs, to sponsor the visioning processes in the four counties. FHREDI is an organization that provides regional economic development coordination to businesses interested in expanding or relocating to the six county area. The visioning processes are being designed and facilitated by the Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium, a state university service center that conducts consensus-building projects around the state. MEETING SUMMARY This report is a facilitator summary of the meeting, primarily based on participant comments at the meeting. The meeting agenda is in Appendix A. WELCOME, INTRODUCTIONS, PROCESS AND AGENDA REVIEW Chris Pedersen, facilitator, welcomed everyone and explained the visioning process and workshop agenda. He emphasized the importance of this opportunity for the residents of Highlands County to have a voice in their county’s future. Mr. Pedersen introduced Lynn Topel with the Florida’s Heartland Rural Economic Development Initiative. FHREDI is sponsoring the visioning process with assistance from the Florida Department of Community Affairs. The Highlands County Visioning Steering Committee was also introduced. OVERVIEW OF CURRENT CONDITIONS IN THE COUNTY Bob Bullard, Chair of the Highlands County Board of County Commissioners, expressed his appreciation for having everyone come out to the meeting. He asked the elected officials in attendance to stand and introduce themselves. He talked about the importance of broad community involvement in the visioning process. He began his presentation on the state of the county with an announcement that people are coming to Florida at a rate of 1000 per day. Many are coming to Highlands for the same things that residents of Highlands County enjoy. One of those things is the low-density development. Highlands County has only eighty-five people per square mile while the average for Florida is 300 people per square mile. In addition, approximately thirty percent of the land in Highlands County is in public ownership and should never be developed. That should help keep the density low. Thirty-three percent of residents in Highlands County are over sixty-five years of age compared with eighteen percent for the state as a whole. Many people are moving to Highlands County from the coasts because the cost of living is relatively low in Highlands County. Highlands County has an average income of $22,000 per year. Florida’s average income is $32,000 per year and the average for the U. S. is $37,000 per year. Growth is coming to Highlands County and it needs to pay for itself. Compared to other states, Florida is forty-fourth in taxes per capita. Highlands County taxes per capita ranks sixty of the sixty-seven counties in Florida. Many Highlands residents are concerned about the current 9-mil tax rate. At one point, the tax rate in Highlands County was 57 mils. The first people to inhabit Highlands County were here 8,000 years ago and it has taken that long to reach a population of 100,000. The population is expected to expand to 200,000 in the next Highlands County Visioning Workshop 1 Report Page 2 fifteen years. Highlands County residents need to plan for the future so they can determine how the county will grow. THE TREASURES OF HIGHLANDS COUNTY Participants brainstormed a list of qualities, characteristics and places that they value in Highlands County. These treasures need to be preserved and may provide the basis for enhanced economic development and quality of life in the county.                                   Lakes Less traffic Lower cost of living Open space Low density development Lots of room People wave to you with an open hand Scrub ecosystem Murals in Lake Placid Retirement population Less crime Fabulous volunteer system Hendry County State Park Lake June Scrub Park Orange Groves Golf Courses Quality and kindness of the people Outdoors and fishing Relaxing atmosphere Convenient location to larger cities Good community relationships Stresslessness Schools are easy to get to No large planes overhead Plentiful nice churches South Florida Community College High and dry – little flooding Automobile races Small school systems Growing airport and industrial park Excellent hospitals No live bombing at the bombing range Avon Park Air Force Range Interesting events and festivals Highlands County Visioning Workshop 1 Report Page 3                             Good drinking water Eagles Good county leadership – law enforcement and commission Centrally located and relatively safe from hurricanes The towns feel like neighborhoods Variety of unique institutions like Archbold History Recreational activities and facilities for youth and seniors Ample ground water Wildlife and nature Culture, arts and theatre Good air Cultural diversity Pride in communities Florida outdoor drama Bus line High concentration of threatened and endangered species Close to amusement parks, cruise lines, and airports Arbuckle and Fisheating Creeks Weather Adherence to the comprehensive plan Access to local officials Emergency helicopter Sidewalks and bike trails Amtrak station Working farms and ranches integrated into our daily lives Agricultural diversity Quality public employees, dedicated and customer service oriented A VISION FOR THE FUTURE The workshop participants were encouraged to imagine that it is the year 2020 and the County has met all their hopes. They were asked to describe what the county would look like, what development has occurred, what economic activity has taken place, and any other aspects that have changed. Each person was asked to write their desires for the future on post-it notes and place them on flip charts around the room. The following are the participant desires transcribed from the post-it notes. The desires have been organized into categories. If several people submitted the same comment, the number of times it was submitted is indicated after the comment “(#).” Development Land Use and Planning  Preparation of a comprehensive land use plan that actually plans for the future and development in accordance with that plan (2). Controlled residential development. Highlands County Visioning Workshop 1 Report Page 4                          Carefully planned growth focused in villages/towns and cities, with intercity open space, farms and conservation areas. Reduce sprawl by using systems to transfer development rights and allow rural areas to stay on the landscape. Focus on conservation of large-scale systems in the context of development instead of attempting to exclude all development and preserve every ecological asset. Improve zoning. Rework planning and zoning concepts to incentivise mixed use, fully functional, neighborhoods and communities, instead of economically stratified monocultures such as gated, golf course subdivisions. Don’t allow development without a realistic plan. Cooperative planning and requirements between the County, cities, CRA, etc. The planning horizon should be 2050 not 2020 Involve young parents in development plans. A low-density county. Recognition by residential developers of the need to retain a low density, open space community. Discourage growth in agriculture lands. More residential development of housing megalopolic’ particularly rezoning of agriculture for housing. Centralized high-density housing, to control urban sprawl. Centralized business development. Large regional mall. Increase industrially zoned land in appropriate locations. Business development only in business parks, limited areas, no sprawl (2). Frontage roads for new businesses (2). Town centers to stop all the trips on 27. Don’t end up with US 27 being a complete, horrible strip development. Make community centers, rather than develop both sides of US 27 (2). Improve transportation other than on US 27 in order to encourage growth east and west of US 27. Business and industrial areas that have attractive buildings landscaping and neat grounds. Recognition by business of the desire to retain an open space community (2). Residential development must have corresponding increases in schools. Develop in a way to avoid problems rather than create problems and then have to pay to fix them. Housing  We need more homes.  Variety of housing: low income (subsidized), affordable, multi-family and acreage homes.  Increased low-income housing (7).  Adequate affordable housing (10), worker housing (5) agriculture laborers (2), single parents, nurses, teachers (3) (especially those just out of college), seniors, white collar, police force (3), assisted living, in Lake Placid  Affordable housing more dispersed throughout the County and in major residential developments (2). Highlands County Visioning Workshop 1 Report Page 5             Bigger, better, less expensive housing for low-income singles and families (2). Young working families need affordable home ownership opportunities. Develop and implement a framework to incentivise affordable housing, community trusts without “hidden tax” subsidies. Cooperative land use and cost so developers, not government build low-income housing. Government should not be in the building business, but should assist developers. More medium and lower end (nice) subdivisions. Housing for mid-income families (4). Bigger homes built in upcoming subdivisions. Planned mixed income single-family neighborhoods. Planned multi-family housing. Rehabilitation of older homes. We need housing in Highway Park. Better housing in the Washington Heights area. Development Standards and Regulation  Save more trees when developing, no clear cutting all lots.  Maintain the historic character of Sebring proper.  Keep a 3-story limit on buildings.  More care in zoning to avoid too much density in residential areas.  Ease zoning for housing for public service workers.  Environmentally determined zoning rather than the current developer controlled zoning.  Improved parking planning in all growth areas.  More parking spaces for new homes.  All new development should require sidewalks.  Wider streets in subdivisions.  Require business and residential development to have roads ready to meet the added population.  Better code enforcement.  Strict enforcement of cleanup in towns. Utilities and Other Infrastructure  Provide adequate infrastructure for growth.  In 2020 Highlands County will install wastewater treatment as the population grows.  Comprehensive water and wastewater utilities throughout the county, either by the county or cities (2).  Sewer systems and the reduction of septic tanks (3).  Sewers for developments on lakes, creeks and rivers.  Encourage wastewater reuse (need sewers to do this).  Keep and conserve our drinking water for us, don’t sell it (3). Guard our water resources from coastal county encroachment.  All new development must pay large impact fees, etc. for infrastructure (sewer, water, schools, etc.) (13). Impact fees should be in the $10-15,000 range or 10% of capitalization. Immediately pass comprehensive impact fees on new construction. Highlands County Visioning Workshop 1 Report Page 6          Individuals who do not pay homestead taxes need to be taxed in another way. Ensure that development is not subsidized by undeveloped or agricultural lands. Underground utilities in all new developments and elsewhere (3). Bring in competition, currently we have a monopoly on utilities, i.e. electric and cable. Affordable telecommunications increase competition, i.e. phones, TV cable, bandwidth, etc. Competition for Sprint. Control sewage plants (scent) or remove them in Washington Heights (3). Washington Heights improvements: streets, sidewalks, street lights, landscaping, etc. (5) Trash pickup once every week in Washington Heights. Make Highway Park a better place to live. Transportation                               Transportation planning for adequate traffic flow. Rapid expansion of transportation corridors (2). Develop a transportation network without resorting to 6-laning highways through the county. New major North-South (2) and East-West highways in Highlands County. Like the idea of an East to West Coast Turnpike (2). Site East-West Corridor outside of Highlands County but provide a connector. Better East-West access to Hardee County. Need better North-South roads or access (limited access highway) (2). A grid of North-South and East–West roadways including a westerly by-pass road (2). No “through road” through HHSP. Build a US 27 by-pass as a very limited access highway (2). Erase the alternative Rt. 27 plan that was scheduled to go through environmentally sensitive lands (4). No county road going through H.H.S.P. alternate selected. Need crossroad and full service traffic light at US 27 at Agriculture Center. Do not put Sebring Parkway Phase 2 on the present route. Good provisions for through country traffic outside urban congestion. Safer highways in Sebring, declare US 27 to 98 a business district. Highway 635 needs to be continued through to Highway 64 as soon as possible. Schmacker Road needs to be continued through to Hardee County (Hwy. 17) Better roads in poor communities. Roads that do not detract from or destroy neighborhoods. More streetlights. Efficient roads that are well maintained. Safe roads. Attractive roadways, landscaped. Red light cameras on dangerous intersections. Bike lanes added to all new streets, in subdivisions and roadways (2). Support law for speed governors on large trucks. Better roads in Highway Park. Better railroad tracks on E. Center Street. Highlands County Visioning Workshop 1 Report Page 7 Public Transportation  Public transportation, bus or transit system (8) to major areas, i.e. airports (3), theme parks, movie theater, mall, SFCC, Highlands Little Theatre, special events, AMTRAK and between the three main towns.  Countywide bus system (5) for our seniors (2).  Trolley service around towns with bus service in the regional area.  Need special transportation for people who are disabled and elderly to go shopping, to doctors, etc (2).  US 27 bus line.  Private companies providing mass transportation need. Government assists with tax breaks, incentives, etc.  Greyhound Buses to Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Lakeland, ports etc.  Street bus transportation in Lake Placid.  Bus line from Lake Shore Mall to Wal-Mart to Washington Heights, Lamont Street, back up to Commerce Avenue.  Taxicab services. Air Transportation  Aggressive pursuit of air commuter service to major airports (Orlando, Tampa) (5).  Major commercial airline flights to local airports.  Develop airport for commercial aircraft and industrial park.  Continue to develop Sebring airport into a full service regional facility.  No regional airport Environment Surface Water Quality  Local governments that respect the environmental treasure we have already.  Improve lake, stream and river water quality significantly (8). Cleanest lakes in the country. Fish can be safely eaten.  Improve enforcement of wetland protection and other measures to improve water quality in lakes that is critical for the environment and the economy.  Preservation of our wetlands rather than mitigation [compensating for destruction of wetlands]  Protect recharge areas and springs.  Greatly improve ground water hydrology analysis and understanding. Lake Istokpoga needs a complete study.  Lakes are the treasure, literally, of Highlands County. We need to stop fertilizer run-off from lawns, contaminated stormwater run-off (2), restrict development on and around lakes and get rid of septics on the lakes.  Less paving on natural watershed lands.  Stop spraying the hydrilla plant in the lakes throughout Highlands County. Find another way to control this plant. Don’t kill it entirely because it is needed in order for the food chain to survive. Highlands County Visioning Workshop 1 Report Page 8   I would like to see Lucus Lake cleaned up. Long-range planning for lakes. Open Space and Natural Areas  Retain and expand our natural environment: open spaces, scrub lands (3), walking trails, parks, lakes and water activities (4).  Increase environmental lands to 50% [30% of the County is now in classifications that will not be developed]. Remove the bombing range from the calculation of “conservation” lands).  Preservation of state lands, parks and support of management activities (2). Burning plant communities is still a priority for their survival.  Better public access to publicly owned lands.  Preserve rare and endangered species by limiting loss of habitat.  Avoid excessive fragmentation of natural areas, e.g. so-called “by-pass” cutting through western Highlands County.  Link protected areas to allow for wildlife and habitat corridors (2).  Preservation of wildlife corridors still protected from roads and highways.  Institute education programs to encourage use of natural areas and preserves.  Educate the public that preserving scrub habitat areas on their residential or commercial properties that will take care of itself while preserving a little more of native Florida.  More fish management areas, i.e. catch and release or slot limits.  Keep native trees and bushes on lands instead of stripping off every plant and tree (2). Native plants on lake edges for fish and birds.  Encourage clean business ventures that are non-polluters.  Need air quality monitoring program (2).  Improve the County’s recycling program. Diverse recycling. Economic Activity              Planned economic development. Need better paying jobs so families have a living wage (4). Wages equal to the rest of the state (2) or 115% (2). Encourage existing businesses to develop on-the-job training programs to create higher wages. Aggressive pursuit of office and industrial development. Incentives to lure corporate offices to relocate here (2). More manufacturing jobs. More clean, light manufacturing and distribution businesses (2). Recruit clean manufacturing that leads to better paying jobs (3). Have broadband everywhere. More job opportunities for untrained citizens. New businesses (2). Bring businesses in that are high tech (6), larger companies with benefits, good salaries and training. More locally owned restaurants (2). Restaurants, Olive Gardens, etc. Page 9 Highlands County Visioning Workshop 1 Report                   More department stores, Sams, Target, Best Buy, Old Navy, Ross, TJ Max, etc (3). Protect small businesses from huge ones. Do not let malls in everywhere. Sebring is enough, keep Lake Placid small. No more Wal-Mart type businesses. Need diversity of businesses (2), light industry, mom and pop stores, upscale stores, big box stores (3). Employers other than retail. Large organic health food store like Whole Foods (2). Major regional mall. No wall-to-wall malls. We can drive, i.e. outlet. Encourage more businesses to promote natural and conservation features of the county and natural lands management, e.g. ecotourism. Amusement park like six flags or a water park to bring in businesses like major hotel chains. More high quality hotels to encourage tourism. More day care centers in Lake Placid. More jobs and business with government. Cooperation between different government bodies to enhance the quality of public service employees (cities and County). State building. Optimize the public’s use and availability of public lands. Business incubator (2). Small business incubator at a college. More minority owned businesses. Minority business development center for minorities who are socially or economically disadvantaged and would like to own their own business. Special loans and grants to minorities and women. Increase government-business partnerships to encourage appropriate business growth. Education              Good education, pre-K through Ph.D. More education of all children. Higher graduation rates 98% instead of the 64% currently. Keep small high schools. Large high schools lead to exclusion from participation. Locating more schools will help traffic. Keep class size low. We need to attract quality teachers (3). Teachers equipped to deal with different kinds of children. Adequate funding for classrooms rather than for politically motivated tax holidays. Increase salaries for teachers (3). Pay our teachers a wage competitive nationally and with business (2). Provide low cost housing for teachers. State funding for mandates (2). Proper funding of education, number 44 in the state is too low. Stop catering to the older demographic and INVEST in the youth of the County. Rethink 1% sales tax (not .5%) to fund new schools or a combination of tax grants - business incentives to fund education in Hendry County. Impact fees should be sufficient to ensure education needs (3). Highlands County Visioning Workshop 1 Report Page 10                     Need funding for additional facilities to house our growth in students (4). 3 to 4 new elementary schools, 2 additional middle schools. Acquire land for future schools while land prices are low. Adequate classroom space without portables (2). Move all school classrooms to permanent buildings. Better utilization of school systems physical facilities (2). Year round schools to fully utilize facilities available now (2). Use our education space from 7 AM to 7 PM (all day). Education needs to think outside the box on ways to use space (2). Need equal opportunity in all the county’s high schools, not just Sebring. More Black teachers (4). Fourth high school for vo-tech job training. Vocational training in high schools (3). Provide more and better vocational educational opportunities (2). Job training partnerships. Teacher and student dress codes. More teaching and discipline in the classroom. No early release in high school. More subject choices (2). More classes for gifted and challenging classes. Education targeted to local needs. College needs more comprehensive classes, as in Dade and Broward Counties. Local access to more 4-year colleges, i.e. state university or make SFCC a four-year university (2). Health             Seek out better doctors and improve health facilities (4). Best medical surgical providers attainable. Expand Highlands Regional Medical Center, property and facilities. Highland County trauma center (2). More concern about the welfare of senior citizens. Improve quality of elderly care: assisted living (2) and nursing homes. Provide programs to keep seniors active and engaged in the community. Plan for lower age medical care. More training for healthcare service. Increase nursing enrollment at SFCC. More social services and easier access (3). Maintain good drinking water quality (5). Fix problems to eliminate “boil water” advisories. Cultural, Recreation and Community Activities Active Recreation  Variety of areas and activities for all ages (4).  Continue development of recreation areas (parks, ball fields, etc.) and use of lakes Highlands County Visioning Workshop 1 Report Page 11            More local multiple theme locations. More sidewalks and bike paths. Need bike and jogging paths throughout the county – need to have areas to exercise without rear of being hit by cars (3). Develop trails on a small-scale in some of these fenced state owned ”public” areas. Develop public lands and parks for camping, hiking (2), biking and fishing. Public access to all lakes. Better public beaches at Lake Jackson (2 were closed). Improvements to Crescent and Hidden Beach and opening them up to the public for parking and use. Need a public swimming pool. Teaching swimming program. Train teens to assist elders with small repairs, cooking, cleaning, mowing, washing cars, etc. Cultural, Social and Entertainment Activities  Increased cultural activities, e.g. theatre and museums  Need a multi-cultural museum.  Continue to increase support for current arts, culture and special events.  A place to show independent and foreign films.  Encourage the state to support the outdoor theatre initiative.  Continued growth of the art village and cultural area surrounding it.  Cultural centers in all communities.  Community centers in large retirement areas.  Larger auditorium for cultural performances.  Civic center in Lake Placid.  Put a multi-cultural building in Highway Park.  Pursue spring training facilities.  A public zoo.  Public firearms range.  Better race relations.  Art in public/government spaces.  Keep local newspapers.  Daily local news on-line (print and broadcast). Youth Programs  Activities for youth and teenagers.  More social programs for kids.  After school recreation for teens.  Better summer recreation programs for children.  More recreational facilities for Hispanic youth (2).  More places for the young blacks to go, keeping youth off the streets.  Swimming pool and better recreation center in Washington Heights.  Groom civic-minded younger people to take leadership roles (including political). Highlands County Visioning Workshop 1 Report Page 12 Regional and Other Regional Cooperation  Participate in the development and implementation of a regional vision in partnership with both inland and coastal counties.  Promote regional consortia and alliances to influence state government.  Work with Polk County and myregion.org to develop ideas and coordinate to preserve Lake Wales City Ecosystem Agency.  Cooperate and share agencies, e.g. health, transportation.  Need one water management district designation.  SW FL Water Management District, out of our county.  Regional convention and meeting facility. Public Safety  Upgrade our sheriff and police departments, better pay and more (2).  Control drug selling. Have more police patrols (3).  Better police system in Highway Park.  Need a curfew to keep teens and drug dealers off the street.  Get those boom boxes out of cars and off the streets. Emergency Management  Up-to-code hurricane shelters (2).  Require mobile home parks to provide up-to-code hurricane shelters.  Rapid, post-storm, restorable electricity. Military Base  Protect Avon Park, APR from encroachment.  Less military.  Keep live bombs out, practice without them in this urban area.  Bombing range as a stronger stakeholder, with Highlands County, in growth and planning. Other  I hope that in 2020 when there is a meeting like this there will be more parents of young children in attendance (2).  Passage of the Home Town Democracy Act (requires citizen approval of land use changes). Agriculture        Agriculture, ranches, cattle, citrus, vegetables and fruits are still present in 2020. Maintain the status quo for major and minor farmlands. Don’t let farms get too small. Stop rezoning age for high-income residential development (2). Diversify agriculture (4), especially food, animals, ornamentals and row crops. Encourage organic agriculture (3) with less use of pesticides. Grow for ethanol, a new industry. Prepare for losses in citrus lands from canker (2). Page 13 Highlands County Visioning Workshop 1 Report               Provide incentives to retain working ranches and farms. Look to ranches to provide public environmental service to maintain their viability in the long-term. Encourage agriculture to enter programs protecting natural environments. Incentivise the survival of agriculture by payment for the amenities it provides, i.e. open space, water storage, environmental conservation, etc. Need sustainable agriculture, perhaps with green payments. Preserve ranches and keep some wooded areas on them. Relax permitting to allow agriculture to maintain diversity. Maintain a positive environment to attract farm and agriculture labor. More money for agriculture workers (3). Supply better migrant worker housing. No more articles in National Geographic and New Yorker on slavery in Lake Placid. Control the run-off and ground water pollution. Market price compensation for land set aside for right-of-way, green space, etc. Freedom to develop agriculture land. Require an agriculture class in high school for all students. A farmers’ market for local produce. I would like all groves out of Washington Heights. SUMMARY INSIGHTS Near the end of the evening meeting, the facilitators presented a sampling of the desires that had been posted around the room. Participants were then asked for any insights from the evening activities. The following comments were offered.             We need to control growth. We don’t want to end up like south Florida with continuous pavement. We need to develop a plan that will look forward for several generations. County Commissioners need to follow the Comprehensive Plan. A realistic vision of the future needs to be based on a realistic view of the present. We need to look at the problems we have now and try to deal with them. Growth should pay for itself. We need to figure out how to move forward from the problems we have now to the solutions we want for the future. Once we hit a population of 100,000, some funding for parks and infrastructure will cease. New people don’t necessarily appreciate the treasures we have and they don’t take care of them. My children and my grandchildren are my treasures. We need to focus on education for the sake of those treasures. We are on the right side of the population curve. The county is not built out so we still have the opportunity to do some planning. Many of the issues we raised are interdependent and they must all be addressed. Public awareness is important and we need to see the common good for all of us. We have good law enforcement and good schools but we need to address the issue of school drop-outs. Highlands County Visioning Workshop 1 Report Page 14  We need to encourage members of the Hispanic communities to attend these visioning meetings. NEXT STEPS The facilitators and participants emphasized the importance of getting even broader participation at the next two workshops. Everyone was encouraged to spread the word and invite people to the next workshop. The next workshops will be: March 7, 6:00 to 9:00 PM at Lake Placid High School April 4, 6:00 to 9:00 PM at the Avon Park Community Center Highlands County Visioning Workshop 1 Report Page 15 Creating the County We Want Setting Priorities Public Workshop 1 February 2006 Meeting Objectives    Share expert and citizen perspectives on the current state of the county Capture what people treasure and want in their county’s future Identify a comprehensive list of citizen desires Meeting Agenda 5:45 6:10 6:15 Refreshments Welcome, Introductions, Process Review and Agenda Review Overview of Current Conditions in the County Presentation on current conditions and trends Identify What People Treasure in the County Create a Vision for the Future Use the worksheet in the agenda packet to spur ideas List your desires on post-it notes for topics of interest to you Post your desires on easel stations around the room Read others’ desires, chat with others and experts at the various stations Highlight Several Ideas from Each Station In a full group hear several of the ideas from each easel station Next Steps Briefly describe next meeting Give location, date and time Adjourn 6:30 7:00 8:00 8:25 8:30 Highlands County Visioning Workshop 1 Report Page 16