Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
SPIRIT OF AMERICA palmcoastobserver.com JULY 2020
VOLUME 6, NO. 12
Gardner, Bexley, Johnston, Lenhart re-elected Qualifying period ends, and county, city and school races are set in Flagler County. PAGE 3 BRIEFS Volusia approves coronavirus relief for clerk’s office The Volusia County Clerk of the Circuit Court will receive over a half-million dollars coronavirus relief funds by the county, an allocation request unanimously approved by the County Council on Tuesday, June 30, but the clerk warns that even that might not be enough to keep the office running. Clerk Laura Roth said her office staff has been reduced by over 100 since 2009. She told the council that, depending on whether clerk’s offices receive emergency funds from the state, she may have to ask for up to $1 million to keep the office open and staffed sufficiently.
Catching another wave
Boil water notice for Plantation Bay rescinded The boil water notice for the users of Flagler County’s Plantation Bay water system was rescinded on June 17. “We are pleased to report that the problem has been corrected,” said General Service Director Heidi Petito. “It is no longer necessary to boil your water.” The notice was issued, June 15, after E. coli bacteria was detected in one of the wells, which was shut down until the issue could be resolved. The drinking water system has collected two consecutive days of additional total coliform bacteria samples from, and all test results were negative for total coliform and E. coli.
After 16 years with the Ormond Beach Police Department, Mike Pavelka started his own small business: Surf’s Up Surface Cleaning. See the story at OrmondBeachObserver.com. Mike Pavelka and his son Tyler.
Conklin begins ‘Uncomfortable Conversations’ about race “We are at a tipping point in our nation and have a responsibility to engage in conversations we may typically shy away from or be afraid to engage in.”
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COLLEEN CONKLIN, School Board member
Flagler County panelists talk about how race impacts their lives. BRENT WORONOFF CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Flagler County School Board Vice Chairwoman Colleen Conklin titled her three-part panel discussion on race relations, “Uncomfortable Conversations: a Time to Lean in.” The voices heard in the first discussion were candid, impassioned and heartfelt as well as uncomfortable at times. The three-part Zoom webinar began Thursday, June 18, and will continue the next two Thursday nights, June 25 and July 2, begin-
ning at 6 p.m. Each discussion will also be streamed on Facebook Live. Conklin and Tim King, the former director of Flagler Schools Exceptional Student Education, are the moderators for the series. The other panel members will change each week. In announcing the series on Facebook and Twitter, Conklin said the purpose of the discussions is “to open and broaden the perspective of those who are struggling to understand what is currently happening in our country as it relates to race. I truly believe we are at a tipping point in our nation and have a responsibility to engage in conversation we may typically shy away from or be afraid to engage in.”
The first discussion, titled, “Building a Foundation of Understanding: A Time to Lean In,” can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/flaglerschoolnews. conklin. “Obviously a lot is going on in our world,” Conklin said in introducing the discussion. “Our nation is hurting, and when we were discussing how can we open up a dialogue here in Flagler County, we thought of a panel discussion.” DAILY CONVERSATIONS
The first discussion went beyond the current protests throughout the nation spurred on by the death SEE UNCOMFORTABLE PAGE 2