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Highlands Today

City Miffed That AP Airport CRA Won't Support Christmas Parade

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By BILL RETTEW JR.

Highlands Today

Published: September 25, 2008

AVON PARK - The airport's Community Redevelopment Agency wasn't in the gift-giving mood when the agency decided to not partially fund the city's annual Christmas Parade.

At least two council members were not happy with that decision.

Council members heard about the action by the Airport CRA on Monday night at the CRA board meeting, held just prior to the city council meeting. All four city council members and the mayor are also members on the CRA board.

At Monday's meeting, council members also learned that the South Side CRA advisory board voted and will pitch in $500 to support the Avon Park Chamber of Commerce event. The Main Street CRA advisory board will likely decide at its next meeting whether to fund the annual parade.

A town policy to not pay the additional cost of town police officers, maintenance workers, overtime and other costs associated with community type activities recently sent David Greenslade, of the chamber, scrambling for financial donors.

The Main Street CRA traditionally supported the event.

C.B. Shirey, airport manager at the Avon Park Executive Airport, explained that the airport's CRA voted to not fund the 2008 Christmas Parade because its board members supported the airport's master plan and believed money could be better spent on the airport than for the parade.

Brenda Gray, councilwoman and city CRA board member, said the parade is "to the benefit of everybody in Avon Park - an event benefiting the entire city of Avon Park."

"For (the airport CRA) to have the audacity to not spend the money ... is just not fair," said Gray.
Joe Wright said during the CRA board meeting that airport-based business owners might "step forward in support of the chamber and recognize that the chamber needs help."

Al Joe Hinson said he was "disturbed" by the Airport CRA funding decision and talked about the city's efforts to curb costs rather than by cutting jobs of city employees.

"We need to look back on some of these jobs back there and get rid of them," said Hinson. "I've never been to the airport, or maybe I've been there once, it's not a place a lot of people go - it's an elite group."

Former City Manager Shirey said he is the lone municipal airport employee.

"I don't know who he was talking about," said Shirey, when asked between meetings if he felt threatened by Hinson's attitude concerning jobs. "Oh well, it's the nature of the business."

After the meeting, Hinson was asked whether he was referring to Shirey's employment status when he talked about cutting jobs.

"We need to check if we have any worthless people working for the city and look at every department," said Hinson.

Bill Rettew Jr. may be contacted at 386-5857 or wrettew@highlandstoday.com

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