Session 3 Overview: Public Works and the Regional Transit System

During our last class, we visited the Public Works Department to learn about their job keeping the city in shape and also heard from RTS about the services they provide.

The heads of each division within Public Works gave us an overview of their duties, which included construction, waste management and water management.

We even learned about small ways individuals can help keep the city and groundwater clean, namely picking up animal waste and consulting web sites, such as Florida Lawns, on the best ways to treat our yards so chemicals don’t seep into the groundwater.

During the presentation about RTS, we were given tons of information. For example, did you know that the University of Florida subsidizes 50 percent of RTS’s budget, or that 22 campus buses run on biodiesel? Wow!

And here are two really nifty tools: the Gator Locator and the RTS Trip Planner. You can use the first map to check the real-time progression of your bus route. The Trip Planner, which is powered by Google, will tell you the best bus routes to take to your destination, the duration of your trip and what time you should arrive at your bus stop. As a frequent bus rider, I know this was invaluable information for me.

After the presentations, we toured the Public Works Compound, including the sign shop and Mosquito Control. Thankfully, the weather cooperated, which it will hopefully do again this week!

Session 2 Overview: Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs

Last Wednesday our class was lucky enough to start our mornings off at Morningside Nature Park where we delved into the depths of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department.

Assistant Director Michelle Park and other staff took us through the five divisions of the department and covered the programs and services they offer, including summer camp programs and adult sports leagues.

I don’t know about you. but I learned so much. I had no idea the department managed 4,000 trees or that Gainesville had two Olympic-sized swimming pools!

After the presentation, everyone was able to participate in two demonstrations.

We received a tour of the living history farm, which recreates a typical Florida farm during the mid-19th Century, complete with dairy cows, wild hogs, chickens and more. Common Florida crops — such as pumpkin, squash, carrots and broccoli — are grown on the farm and used for cooking demonstrations on the wood burning stove.

Session 1 Overview: Local Government

In our first session of Citizens’ Academy, we listened to several speakers who all work very closely with Gainesville’s city government, including City Manager Russ Blackburn, Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan, City Attorney Marion Radson, City Auditor Brent Godshalk, Equal Opportunity Specialist Senior Gwendolyn Saffo, Clerk of the Commission Kurt Lannon and Gainesville Regional Utilities Assistant General Manager Dave Beaulieu.

We learned what the duties of each position entailed and even a little history about the city’s system of government.

For the upcoming week, we will hear from officials from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. We will even get to tour Morningside Nature Center!

If you have any comments or questions about previous or upcoming sessions, please let us know.

Welcome to the Gainesville 101 Blog!

Welcome to the official blog of Gainesville 101: the 2009 City of Gainesville Citizens’ Academy. To add to your class experience, we will use this blog to post summaries and pictures of our sessions as well as relevant links which you may use to find out more information. We welcome any questions or comments you have; just post a comment below or e-mail us at gainesvillepio@cityofgainesville.org, and we will work to get an answer for you. We hope you enjoy learning more about your local government and thank you for your participation!