Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
On Thursday, March 23, the City of Madison hosted a meeting for any community-minded citizens who wished to attend. The purpose of this meeting was to announce plans for an after-school and summer youth program to be funded by a grant from the Department of Juvenile Justice. There was also a presentation on the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity grant and the
outcomes of a University of Florida study of Madison's outdoor recreation design projects.
Capt. Tyrone Edwards spoke to the audience about plans for an after-school and summer youth program. Edwards came to the Madison Police Department (MPD) from Homestead, Fl. In 1989, Edwards started the Homestead Police Dept.'s Police Athletic League (PAL) program. He was the PAL's Director from 1990 to 2015. Edwards has over 20 years of experience with the State of Florida PAL program advising and training youth leadership through the PAL Youth Directors' Program. The City of Madison has applied for a grant from the Department of Juvenile Justice to fund the program. The grant would be for $60,000 per year for three years. The after-school and summer programs would target Madison County Central School students 11 to 14 years old who exhibit certain risk factors, such as low grades, truancy, history of physical aggression or fighting, past alcohol and/or drug use, etc. The program would offer not only athletics, but the arts, such as music, dance, and the visual arts as well. “We want something to touch the passion of every child,” said Edwards.
Those in attendance also heard from Dr. Helen Miller from the Suwannee River League of Cities. Miller informed the audience of changes to the City of Madison's website to include listings of commercial properties currently for sale. This will give the City greater exposure to those interested in potentially investing in Madison. Miller also spoke of the outcomes of a University of Florida study of design projects by students from the university. Many of these projects focused on outdoor recreation around the Lake Frances area. They ranged from performance spaces for concerts to bicycle shops. Those in attendance were able to peruse these design projects and envision them with the help of the students' visual renderings. The City has been awarded $40,000 from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to implement plans that will improve the City's quality of life and economic development potential.
The next scheduled meeting of the Board of City Commissioners will be Tuesday, April 11, at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall, located at 321 SW Rutledge St., in Madison.