Lee G.R.O.W.S. ‘Shows Where Your Taxes Go’
To the editor:
I recently had the opportunity to attend Lee G.R.O.W.S. (Government Resource and Orientation Workshop Series). What an amazing adventure! For those unfamiliar with the program, it was developed 25 years ago as a means to show concerned citizens the vast resources and responsibilities that exist within Lee County government. It helps answer the question, “How are my tax dollars being spent?”
The free program consists of five classes that are held on one full day a week, a Tuesday or a Thursday, for five weeks. Each class is devoted to visiting facilities that are maintained by the county with our tax dollars. The Board of County Commissioners oversees the program and even though there is not enough time to see every Lee County facility, it allows a behind the scenes look at many of the agencies that help to make Lee County great.
We started with a trip to the North Fort Myers Reverse Osmosis Water Plant, which may sound a bit mundane, but have you ever thought about what might happen if we had a problem with the water lines that feed so many of the homes in Lee County? You don’t have to worry about it because, as we learned, they already have an action plan in place and a state of the art facility to keep things flowing smoothly. This was followed by a trip to the 3 Oaks Waste Water Treatment Plant where there is an amazing process in place to clean the water and recover nutrient solids. These solids are mixed with soil which is sold and the proceeds are used to offset the cost of operating the facility.
One trip took us to Lakes Park Regional Library where we learned all of our Lee County libraries have seemingly limitless resources available, including the ability to borrow books and resources from other countries!
Some of the other facilities we visited were the waste-to-energy plant, Six Mile Cypress Slough, (just one of the many beautiful Lee County Parks), Jetblue Stadium, the D.O.T. Office, the Medical Examiner’s Office (morgue), Animal Services, the Jail and the Justice Center, the Elections Center, and the very well-equipped new EOC building on Ortiz. At each of these locations we were greeted by front-line employees who spoke with us about their facility before taking us on a short tour.
In addition to the trips and tours, we had several elected officials meet with us to speak about their offices and provide an opportunity for questions and answers. They included State Attorney Stephen Russell, Public Defender Kathy Smith, Clerk of the Circuit Court Linda Doggett and County Commissioner Larry Kiker. Each of these elected officials realizes the value of the Lee G.R.O.W.S. program and all are glad to see that citizens are getting educated about and involved in their local government.
Lee G.R.O.W.S. has reinforced my appreciation for the people and agencies that make up our local government. I am so glad I was able to take a few vacation days from work so I could be a part of this wonderful program. It is available to anyone that wants to go and I encourage all interested parties to take the classes in 2015! They are already filling up so sign up as soon as possible. You can register at www.leegov.com/leegrows or call 533-2111 for more information.
Stephanie Eller
North Fort Myers