Twenty residents of Palm Coast celebrated their graduation from the 56th session of the Palm Coast Citizens Academy during the City Council meeting on Tuesday, December 3rd.
The academy session, which started on September 23rd and concluded on November 25th, educated participants about the inner workings of city government. Originally scheduled to graduate on November 12th, the class had to adjust its timeline due to Hurricane Milton. Graduates of this session include Joseph Benney, Kathleen Brady, Joanne Campbell, Geraldine Casarella, Gina DosSantos, Michael Flanagan, Rosa Fragosa, Donna Harkins, Cornelia Downing Manfre, Mahogany Marfan, Francine Martin, Kenneth McGevna, Christine Paris, Christine Reardon, Harold Sankey, Jane Santi, Kristina Uzun, Phyllis Van Reeth, Kathleen Vining, and Lynn Wade.
The Palm Coast Citizens Academy is a free, comprehensive program designed to provide insights into various city departments such as Utilities, Stormwater & Engineering, Financial Services, Parks & Recreation, Community Development, Public Works, and the Fire Department. Organized by the City’s Communications & Marketing Department, the academy offers interactive sessions with city officials, including council members, the city manager, and department directors. The program is held twice a year, with an evening session in the spring and an afternoon session in the fall, accommodating up to 30 participants per session.
“Congratulations to all the graduates of our Citizens Academy,” said Acting City Manager Lauren Johnston. “This program offers an in-depth look at how our city operates, from urban planning to public safety. If you’re curious about how things work and want to get more involved, I highly recommend signing up for the next session!”
Kat says
I am one of the graduates and I highly recommend the program. We have some amazing people working here in Palm Coast.
celia pugliese says
We took the Citizens Academy about 23 years ago and was a very interesting experience in how our city “should” work. We wanted to know better about our city functions as we voted for incorporation in 1999 and we still believe was the best thing done by Palmcoasters then! In all these 25 years our city still is “rough around the edges” with residents needs, but we have faith our new council will resolve most, if not all our issues and going forward will have the “residents needs as a priority other than in the back burner”. One of our needs are the urgently requested traffic calming speed tables, humps or islands that are urgently needed given growth unruly traffic specially in heavy traffic residential roads like Florida Park Drive and Cimarron, The other urgency is to resolve the flooded yards, pool (Mr. Jeremy’s) and/or homes caused by infill lots or parcels allowed higher backfill. Recover our 1078 Palmcoaters members among them residents with special needs, elderly, youth, children and families that can’t afford a home pool in these long hot summers!! Palm Coast has two pools and they are both closed to Palmcoasters (one heated) this winter in a city with a budget of 421 million a school budget and county budgets with over 300 millions each a year? Please cut the fat and give us the services we pay for. When I moved here in 1991 from Sussex County NJ there we had the county Olimpic size heated pool for all users at minimal fee or membership, open year around! What is wrong here, where our taxpayers funds go? Maybe “too many chiefs at six figure pay and few indians” to do the work? Management of public owned two pools and fee sustained PHGC golf course are too costly and and leaving both in the red. Serious oversight needed. Maybe more involvement of city informed residents committees and elected officials will help. So those graduates potential hands on could help as I bet retired accountants, cpa’s, managers, architects, engineers, etc etc. are among them graduates.
Stacy says
The links to the class don’t work, just an FYI.
FlaglerLive says
Thank you for alerting us. We have fixed the link. Please let us know if it’s still a problem.
NBPort says
Celia,
Is there anything, ANYTHING what so ever positive you have to say about Palm Coast. It is absolutely beyond any comprehension how you are allowed to post your “opinions” either here or any other site such as Neighbors, etc. It is natural for people to have opinions on news worthy subject matter but to brazenly insult everyone who does not meet their norm is ignorance at it’s finest. In the 9 years that I have lived and purchases properties here in the Palm Coast area, I have seen countless opinions posted by you. In that time not once have I ever seen you run for public office. I guess that is the empowerment one feels while typing behind the security of a computer screen.