Identifying Local Opportunities

Here's some issues from Clay County presented by the Clay Today newspaper:

1. BCC Takes up Multiple Issues
• http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00028416/00577  --page 1
• The Board of County Commissioners' meetings are typically broadcast for residents to watch, but for the past couple months the broadcast has not worked. When residents turn on to watch, they only get shown a blank green screen.  The School Board actually manages the broadcast channel, and there has not been a problem with the broadcasting of the School Board meetings.
• So the problem arises because the residents who want to stay informed about the meeting proceedings are not able to watch the live broadcast. Also, the commissioners have spent quite a bit of money on the communications equipment and software and it hasn't been able to help the residents.
• The problem is both for the residents who aren't able to watch the broadcast and for the BCC because when residents can't watch, the BCC isn't getting the feedback from the county that they should.
2. Good Parade, Bad Parent
•  http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00028416/00577  --page 4
• Craig Seaton discusses his experience at the Green Cove Springs Christmas parade.  He tells how great the parade was, but heavily criticizes the behavior of numerous parents he observed.  So many were smoking next to their young children, one man even blew smoke into his child's face. Also one mom continuously berated her child all afternoon and never showed her child any love.
• The problem here is that parents, whether intentionally or not, abuse their children by endangering them with the effects of secondhand smoke.
• I would say it's obvious that the children have the problem of being around secondhand smoke, but I also think smoking parents have "a problem" because they are hurting their children.  The article suggests making this park a No Smoking Zone, which I would undoubtedly support.
3. Landscape Resolutions
• http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00028416/00577  --page 25
• This article discusses that many landscaping techniques that people use regularly can cause more harm than good.  The most common errors involve overwatering, pruning & fertilizing, overplanting, and amendments (use of fertilizer when planting).
• The problem here is that many people don't know how to care for their plants and end up hurting the soil and plant life.
• The people that don't know how to properly care for their plants have to problem and the plants are being negatively affected.
4. OPHS Bomb Threat Cancels School Tuesday
• http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00028416/00577  --page 40
• Orange Park High School received an emailed bomb threat early Tuesday morning, the 8th of December.  After deputies and police dogs had searched the school and everything was clear, they had the teachers inspect their classrooms to make sure everything was normal.
• Along with the other bomb threats that happened in the Orange Park and Jacksonville area, I think the problem here is that students can too easily claim there is a bomb at the school and get to skip school when it is cancelled for investigations.
• The schools have a problem, because if these threats continue to happen more and more school has to be cancelled.  Also, parents will seriously fear for the safety of their children and maybe choose not to send them to school and opt for homeschooling.
5. Letter to the Editor-Bus Driver Calls on Citizens to Get Involved
• http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00028416/00577  --page 4
• Bus driver Keith Nichols wrote the letter to the editor to inform the public of the wrongdoings of Robert Waremburg, Director of Transportation, and of the website that provides proof of his claims, www.cespa7409.org.  One of the big claims is that when Waremburg was asked about the cost of air conditioning for buses, he quoted an outrageous price for air conditioning units that don't fit on the currently owned buses.
• The problem here is that Waremburg has been dishonest and demonstrated inappropriate behavior on a number of issues, and some of the other directors are protecting Waremburg's actions.
• The citizens have this problem because School Board directors are behaving dishonestly.