Project Committee
The Council’s Project Committee (Steering Committee) meets the last Tuesday of every month, except for August and December. It is composed of voting representatives in good standing from the five counties. As the result of a bylaw established at the March 2010 meeting, members of the board of directors also are able to vote with the Project Committee at its monthly meetings (see Board of Directors link). We are in need of interested residents of Bradford, Union and Citrus Counties to compliment this group.
Voting members in 2010 are:
Alachua County: Mark Van Soestbergen of ICBE and Council Chair. John Chamberlain, Alachua County Soil and Water Conservation District Board, Chair.
Bradford County: Salatheia Jenkins-Brown who is from Lawtey and works for Alachua County Court Services.
Citrus County: Lou Paveglio of Sandland Enterprises of Florida near Inverness.
Marion County: Dr. Tom Lane (veterinarian) and Craig Conrad of Ocala.
Union County: Chris Etherton, a forester.
At-Large Voting Members: Tom Cunilio is with CSF Turf, an ornamental perennial peanut start-up company; David Reed is Manager of North Florida Grows, a marketing center for locally produced food.
The Project Committee reviews and develops projects for funding in the four NRCS Program Areas (see links in “About Us” page). Projects must be submitted by a potential sponsor able to become a corporate sponsor at the minimum $250/year level. The coordinator can assist an interested project developer in submitting an outline of the project before it is considered by the Committee. The Council has developed a model design with Southern Fuelwood of Newberry, FL, to begin feasibility for electric power. We are also in search of projects in Bradford County for Longleaf Pine Restoration and Community Development. Projects are approved if they can qualify for funding and will be added to the Five-Year Plan of Work or Area Plan. This Work Plan must be submitted every five years to the USDA and NRCS.