Presentation to the BOCC

On behalf of our studio, I would like to say thank you to all of the citizens and the Board of County Commissioners for so warmly welcoming us at the gathering last night. Our group worked extremely hard to provide a very thorough and comprehensive vision plan for a sustainable Jefferson County. During this process, we greatly enjoyed getting to know your county and its incredibly involved and committed citizenry. We look forward to making the finishing touches on the document so it will be ready for everyone in the county to read! Thank you again for the wonderful educational and professional opportunity. Happy holidays to all!

Moving Forward

This week we created our first draft of the final visioning plan. We have compiled all community input, existing conditions, and recommendations for the county. It is amazing to look back at what we have learned over the past ten weeks! I headed up the methodology of our project, starting at the beginning and moving into the future, ending with our proposed presentations in December and it was really impressive to me of how far we have come in this process. Most of us had never spent quality time in Jefferson County before this studio and now we are all avid supporters of encouraging it to maintain its unique character and thrive well into the future.

One of the major trends we have picked up on from the beginning, and will be reflected in our plans for the future, is the important connection between the community and the environment. Jefferson County’s natural resources are the pride of the county and the community wants to continue to be tied to their continued preservation and conservation. Jefferson County is also very interested in maintaining a strong sense of community. As a small, rural county, Jefferson County has deep roots and its culture is a big part of its future. We are also very aware of the cultural and historical significance of the county and will incorporate those elements into our recommendations.

The whole studio is very excited to meet with you again and present our findings and suggestions in December. We have many different visuals and designs that we believe would work well in a county as rich in resources and community involvement as Jefferson County.

Keep looking at the blog for updates on details of the presentation!

Revisiting Jefferson County

Throughout this semester, myself and my colleagues have taken every opportunity to visit Jefferson County in an effort to immerse ourselves in the local culture. We have done this with hopes of both pinpointing and better understanding the characteristics that define Jefferson County’s unique sense of place. After participating in the two community visioning sessions held in mid-October, I decided to venture out into Jefferson County again this past weekend. On this visit I was equipped with a new and enlightened perspective.

After individually talking with community members and engaging in discussion with my colleagues about the results of our visioning sessions, I developed a new perspective with which to view Jefferson County. The unique stories and insights detailed to us at the visioning sessions were invaluable and rightly color the lens in which I view Jefferson County. On my visit I decided to re-trace some of my previous travels and partake in new adventures. The most notable aspects of my visit included: kayaking down the Wacissa, driving along Jefferson County’s scenic rural highways, and walking the throughout downtown and southside of Monticello.

My parents, 35 year residents of Tallahassee and avid outdoor recreation enthusiasts, had never been kayaking down the Wacissa River and were excited to join me on my adventure. It was a beautiful day and the three of us could not stop raving about the extremely pristine condition of the County’s natural resources. There were a few other kayakers on the water, but we felt like we had the river all to ourselves. However, I have to admit that we did have a little trouble finding the magnificent Blue Springs, but the journey was nothing but enjoyable.

With each visit to and experience in Jefferson County I find myself better understanding the features, attitudes, and characteristics that define Jefferson County’s unique sense of place. I am looking forward to continuing my learning experience and creating a successful visioning plan for Jefferson County in the weeks ahead!

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who came out last night to our first Visioning Meeting! We had such a fantastic crowd and I can speak for every member of my group when I say that we all appreciated your feedback and ideas. The discussion at every table was energized and thoughtful, both focused on current conditions and ideas for the future. We look forward to compiling all of the feedback and coming back to you in December or January with a Visioning Plan that you can all be proud of!

Again, thank you so much for coming out and be sure to tell your friends who missed out to come on Monday from 7pm to 9pm at the Memorial Missionary Baptist Church (780 Second St)!!

Shannon and Liz’s Community Visioning Meeting Adventurous Marketing Effort

Liz and I drove out to Jefferson County last Sunday to pass out flyers for up and coming Community Visioning Meetings. We would like give a big thank you to all the friendly businesses and citizens that posted our flyers. Everybody we came across was just so polite and pleasant. Thank you so much!

Working on the Visioning Meeting...

Today our group continued to perfect our plan for the upcoming Visioning Meeting. We're organizing our mapping activities, surveys and agenda. We're all very excited to get over to Jefferson County on the 18th and 24th to hear everyone's input! Make sure you invite everyone to come out to our meetings!

Planned Visit for Wednesday, the 12th

Every time I make a trip to Jefferson County, I am pleased to make the acquaintance of residents who are deeply invested in the future of the county. Whether they are business owners, county or city government employees, or people who are just going about their day to day lives. I will be in Jefferson County tomorrow, Wednesday, October 12th, to see if I can speak with extension office, a few school officials, and church communities.

While it is an important factor in my visits to the county, this is not just an effort to get the word out about our upcoming public visioning meeting. I will be handing out fliers for the event but my visit is also for the purpose of absorbing as much information and public perception as possible. Over the last two weeks, I have learned that more people in Jefferson County (than previously thought) know that "a bunch" of FSU students are working with the county for a future development plan. I think the more we are able to talk to people about what we are actually working towards, the less chance there will be for any misunderstanding and resentment in the future. Communication is key in a project like this and I sincerely hope that people will be open and honest if they allow any of us a chance to speak with them.

Looking forward to meeting new people on Wednesday!