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[See highlighted portions.] Community's effort to help can build a brighter futureBy Ron Littlepage People often do things in this community that make you proud to call Jacksonville home. An example of that is the massive HabiJax building project taking place on the city's Northside. HabiJax's goal is to build 101 homes in 17 days. Work began on Sept. 5 and will end on Sept. 23. It's a goal that undoubtedly will be reached thanks to the efforts of about 10,000 volunteers and the generous contributions of local businesses. The Northeast Florida Builders Association has provided an especially large helping hand. The result will be that families who otherwise wouldn't have been able to own their homes will be able to do so. People helping people -- from former President Carter to Mayor John Delaney to electricians to plumbers to ordinary folks hammering nails and laying sod. Most of the homes are being built in a neighborhood that will be known as Fairway Oaks. I remember when it was known as Golfbrook Terrace apartments, and it was a public housing disaster with living conditions similar to those found in impoverished Third World countries. Thanks to the work being done now, a sow's ear will be turned into a silk purse. This week brought another example of Jacksonville's citizens putting forth an extraordinary effort to correct a wrong. You probably remember when late last year the City Council and the Mayor's Office capitulated to pressure from developers and builders and approved a tree protection ordinance that does little to protect the city's trees. That didn't sit well with some people who are tired of watching the city's trees being bulldozed to make way for cookie-cutter housing developments and commercial strips. They got together to form Citizens for Tree Preservation Inc. The group set out to practice one of the most basic tenets of our democracy -- direct citizen involvement in government. They began collecting the signatures of registered voters in a petition drive to have an amendment placed on the Nov. 7 ballot that would give voters an opportunity to act forcefully where our legislators acted with temerity and pass a tree protection plan with teeth in it. To have the amendment placed on the ballot, they needed at least 20,000 signatures. Getting that many is no easy task. Last Tuesday, the group brought 31,000 signed petitions to the Supervisor of Elections Office. Thanks to their work -- done in the rain, the cold and the heat -- voters will have a chance in November to say loudly that quality of life and protecting trees go hand in hand. As I said, Jacksonville's citizens often do things that make you proud. |
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© 2000 by Citizens for Tree
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