NEWS ANAYLYSIS

MILT THOMAS

Back in 1999, the County Commission asked the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce to put together a task force that would study problems in the Gifford community. The Chamber then formed a Workforce Enhancement Task Force made up of Gifford community leaders, business leaders and agencies that deal with minority economic issues. That group presented its findings to the Commission in 2000, which resulted in the 2002 Gifford Neighborhood Plan.

Last July 22, 2013, the Indian River County Community Development Department held a meeting at the Gifford Community Center to discuss revisions to the 2002 Gifford Neighborhood Plan. Bob Keating, who headed the Community Development Department at the time, presented all that had been accomplished so far from the 2002 plan. Then Gifford residents were to comment on what further improvements were necessary. Comments centered on three areas – infrastructure, public works and economic development. County staff noted comments on all subjects and promised to investigate and come up with recommendations at a follow up meeting to be held sometime in October.

On September 19, county staff conducted an interim meeting regarding plan revisions, especially in the infrastructure and economic development areas. The infrastructure portion was led by Public Works Director Chris Mora and the economic development segment by Chamber of Commerce President, Penny Chandler. Mora explained work that had been done on roads, street lighting and drainage in Gifford since the 2002 plan, covering ground that had been largely discussed in the July 22 meeting. Chandler reviewed Chamber economic development initiatives including the Enterprise Zone designed to help bring jobs to the Gifford community.

Dr. Jacqueline Warrior, a Gifford activist then said, “I assume the goal of any economic development program is to improve the quality of life. That appears to be true in Indian River County, where the average income is $47,000, but not in Gifford, where it is $23,000. Something isn’t working very well.”

Gifford residents commented on areas that needed infrastructure improvement, most of which were discussed at the July meeting. Then resident Godfrey Gipson stated what seemed to be on everyone’s mind – lots of talk but little action.

To illustrate his point, Gipson said that former Public Works Director, Jim Davis, had come to Gifford just before he retired and walked through many of the areas with chronic drainage and infrastructure problems, promising to take care of them. He retired in 2009 and Gipson said here we are in 2013 still talking about the same problems. He add that some progress had been made, but “too many of these issues are always on the back burner.”

Another resident attending that meeting was Mrs. Kathryn Washington, who has experienced drainage problems resulting from the pavement of a road in front of her home. . “I was told the county was putting in a drain field to divert the runoff to a canal, but they never finished the job, so I took out a flood insurance policy even though my house was not in a flood zone. “Then on October 31, 2011, we had the worst flooding after a storm, even worse than the hurricanes in 2004. Water in my living room was waist deep. My flood insurance went from $600 a year up to $1500, which is very hard on my finances.”

A third meeting, again organized by the County, was held October 21. At this meeting, many of the same issues were discussed, including Mrs. Washington’s.  She noted that County people have come out to inspect her problem, but nothing has ever been done about it. Fortunately, a member of her church gave her a sump pump to help keep the water out.

Many of the issues raised at this meeting by residents had been unresolved going back to the original 2002 Gifford Neighborhood Plan and before. In spite of their complaints, residents attending the October 21 meeting were satisfied with the way County officials handled it. Residents were told that a final revision of the plan would be brought back to them after the first of the year. The bottom line of this meeting was the hope expressed by attendees that a revision of the 2002 Gifford Neighborhood Plan would finally produce results.

On February 3, 2014, the Enterprise Zone Development Agency held its board meeting at the Gifford Community Center. The EZDA had come under criticism in some quarters for not doing enough to help improve the economic development situation in Gifford. Part of that criticism stemmed from a lack of understanding about the program. This was an opportunity to explain it and indicate what steps had been taken or were being taken to help the Gifford economy. After presentations by manufacturing, commercial and retail businesses located in Gifford and other steps taken to improve economic conditions, residents appreciated the efforts.

However, it is now late March 2014 and no further meetings have been scheduled regarding the infrastructure and drainage issues that have been unresolved in some cases for years. Residents have been told it would probably be another month before they present the results of all these efforts since the first meeting last July.

We will be following progress on this issue and report on some of the specific problems that need to be addressed.