MOORE HAVEN — Glades County commissioners were asked Monday night to consider assisting with financing for a “Creative Placemaking Proposal” that would be put together by a company known as McClure.

Commissioner Weston Pryor explained: “This is something that’s been brought to us by Glades Electric and some other entities that are trying to raise the tax base.”

Mr. Pryor and Commissioner John Ahern both said they’d heard the company’s pitch, but Commissioner Donna Storter Long said she’d never heard the company’s information before. She noted that other county interests with stakes in the community — including Lykes Bros., Duda Farms and U.S. Sugar Corporation — were invited to participate but have not responded, and suggested that maybe it’d be good to have the engineering/planning firm’s people give their spiel to more local stakeholders who would be involved, and then they might raise the money needed to commit to the study. Commissioner Storter noted that The GEO Group, Oldcastle Lawn & Garden, Vulcan Materials Co., Wedgworth’s Inc. and Cemex were on the list of entities to talk to.

“I would like to see it. I’m not scared to take a chance on something that had an opportunity to make us better,” said Commissioner Pryor.

She stated that “$94,000 is a lot of money, and normally if we were going to spend money like that, we would go out for an RFP (request for proposals) for different companies to come in and tell us what they could do,” she said. “I would like to invite them and let them tell us what they will do,” Commissioner Storter said.

Commissioner Ahern said Glades Electric paid for the McClure people to come and do the presentation.

Commissioner Donald Strenth told Ms. Storter Long that “probably if they see the county is that interested in it, they might be more willing to ante up also.”

She answered, “Well, then maybe they can fund it and we don’t have to since we can’t even afford a cost-of-living raise for our people, which we discussed at our workshop today.”

Commission Chairman Tim Stanley pointed out: “With the Airglades (International Airport) project coming on — and we know it’s pretty much a done deal from what I’ve seen, that that is going to happen — we do need some kind of publicity or plan or whatever so that when these companies do come in here, we’ve got something written and a procedure, a future strategy to bring them in. I don’t have a problem myself supporting this, but it’s up to the board.”

Commmissioner Strenth said, “Most people sit on their thumbs and go nowhere and we can take a gamble and invest…”

Mrs. Long said, “Why don’t we give them $1,000, then,” and Mr. Strenth questioned that, saying “it’s kind of like an insult.”

She pressed for getting McClure to give a presentation and “get enough other people,” expressing dismay that there’s no money for employee raises or maybe even for a Christmas bonus this year.

Mr. Ahern said, “Well, if we don’t do something, all these people won’t have jobs in a few years … because of businesses folding up. We have to try something.”

“What are they going to do different? I want to know,” she replied. “This may be the answer, but … I don’t think I’m anteing up any money (without hearing) a presentation from them.”

Mr. Ahern said he was “willing to take a chance.”

Chairman Stanley pointed out, “We’re not paying the $94,000; we’re paying a portion of it.”

He noted that the agenda item report stated, “At this time, the following have allocated funds for the project: Glades County School Board, $10,000; City of Moore Haven, $10,000; Capital Projects Finance Authority (a subsidiary of the City of Moore Haven), $10,000; and Glades Electric Co-Op is committed to at a level to be determined.”

With the discussion mostly over, Mr. Ahern made a motion to commit $10,000 to the project, and Mr. Strenth seconded.

From the audience, J.C. Long of Ortona asked to make a comment. “We have done this same study I don’t know how many different times, I bet you probably 10 or 12 times,” he said.

Mr. Long, who is Commissioner Storter’s husband, stated he’d been coming to county board meetings for over 15 years.

He further remarked, “In the meantime, Moore Haven’s almost gone under doing these studies … I just cannot see spending money when we’re not knowing what we’re getting.”

Chairman Tim Stanley called the question, and the vote was 4-1 in favor, with Commissioner Storter voting no.

Founded in 1956 as McClure Engineering Co. and based in the Midwest, the McClure firm added its Creative Placemaking division in 2017, “after years of working in small towns across the Midwest with declining populations and aging infrastructure. McClure’s area of expertise is in guiding its clients on making long-term capital investments in infrastructure,” according to information on McClure’s website.

Their staff “work to fulfill the company vision of building strong communities through four primary activities: Planning & Placemaking, Creative Services, Community Capacity and Infrastructure.”