ORMOND BEACH
Observer
Photo by Jeff Dawsey
RACING LIKE A PRO: AUSTIN REECE 11
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 3, NO. 47
FREE
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2015
YOUR TOWN POWER BEHIND THE PURSE Held once a year by the United Way’s Women’s Initiative Volusia, the Power of the Purse is a setting for women to come together and pool their resources to really make a difference in the community. Last year the event raised over $34,000 for 14 different local agencies. In its 12th year, Power of the Purse highlights a few of the agencies it’s helped recently. This year’s speakers include Dixie Morgese, executive director of the Healthy Start Coalition Flagler and Volusia Counties, and Sandy Bishop, of Food Brings Hope. “The concept is for local women to get together this one day for this one lunch and open their purses,” said Sabria Tabaku, president of the United Way’s Women’s Initiative Volusia. “It’s so important for us to give back to the community. This is where we live, raise our kids. ... There are individuals here who need our help.” The event will be at 11 a.m. Aug. 7, at the Shores Resort and Spa in Daytona Beach. Visit unitedwayvfc. org.
Courtesy photo
President of the United Way’s Women’s Initiative Volusia Sabria Tabaku
SUMMER SOUNDS
Emily Blackwood
Suzanne and Gary Hammer soak in the summer while watching the sunset at the concert finale. PAGE 13
DESTINATION ORMOND
Destination Daytona will be annexed into city, but its name won’t change. WAYNE GRANT NEWS EDITOR
The city of Ormond Beach continues its quest to absorb properties along North U.S. 1 into its boundaries, with three recent annexations: Beaver Bar, Broken Spoken Saloon and Destination Daytona. A second vote will be required for Broken Spoke and Destination Daytona on Aug. 18 at the regular commission meeting but the Beaver Bar has had two readings.
Brian McMillan
Destination Daytona stretches over 50 acres at the junction of U.S. 1 and Interstate 95.
The Destination Daytona annexation includes 51.9 acres, including Recreation World and Love’s Travel Stop, and will bring in an estimated $80,339 in taxes. Several retail establishments are located on the property including Bruce Rossmeyer’s HarleyDavidson. The annexed area does not include Daytona Cycle Center or Wyotech Daytona. Mandy Rossmeyer Campbell, marketing director of Destination Daytona and daughter of the late Bruce Rossmeyer who created
the development, said they knew they would eventually be annexed because they were on city water. “We’re excited about it,” she said. “We look forward to a great relationship.” She said they are happy with the beautification of the U.S. 1 medians and improvements at the Interstate 95 interchange. “There’s an awesome plan in place for the entrance to the city,” she said. Ormond Beach is currently targeting properties for annexation
End of a very special era
that have an annexation agreement or have been receiving city utility service since 1991. Since the county millage rate is higher than the city millage rate, the property owners will realize a reduction in property taxes, according to a city spokesman. The properties will also no longer pay a water surcharge of 50% to the city. Ormond Beach will gain property tax revenue but lose the water surcharge. SEE STRATEGIC PAGE 4
ARTS+CULTURE
Very Special Arts Volusia is no more, but Wolfson will continue to advocate for special needs community. EMILY BLACKWOOD COMMUNITY EDITOR
Barbara Wolfson is holding a piece of paper with a very long list of artists that will be involved in her upcoming exhibition. She reads off each of their names, and recalls the stories of their lives. Some stories are longer than others, but each is given with an anecdote so personal you know she heard it first-hand. She doesn’t need to look at her notes, or even take too much time collecting her thoughts. These are the stories of her friends. “Marcia Bobbitt, it took her six years to exhibit with us,” Wolfson said. “She had cancer of her arm when she was in college, and she was an art major. It was amputated. She didn’t think she had a disability, though it’s difficult for her to do things. So I said, ‘Marcia,
yes it’s not earth-shattering, but what has art done for your life?’” Bobbitt, who refers to Wolfson as the “heart and soul” of their community, said it took her a long time to be confident enough not only to work with her left, less dominant hand, but also display the art she had been creating since her amputation. It was both Wolfson and her students at Mainland High School that gave her the final push to join Very Special Arts Volusia. “It gives us an opportunity to inspire other artists that are struggling with similar issues,” Bobbitt said. “Barbara was after me for years, but when you’re disabled, you don’t want to be pegged as disabled. I didn’t want to be in a group for just disabled artists. But I would see some of my students that had graduated, and they would come up to me and say, ‘You are such an inspira-
Marc Schwartz and Barbara Wolfson discuss placement for the upcoming gallery.
tion to me.’ So I thought if these kids could get something out of it, maybe I could help other people, too.” It’s that type of motivation that has encouraged Wolfson’s drive to SEE VSA PAGE 4
Courtesy photo
SECOND NATURE:
A Survey by Brad Temkin
UPCOMING ARTS AND CULTURE EVENTS 14-16