The following article was published August 25, 2007 in the Tallahassee Democrat and was written by Bonnie Holub. APTAWEB added the meeting logistics under the header and highlighted a paragraph in red.

Tallahassee Community College Service Center, Crawfordville

2:00 PM

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

More than six years ago, a U.S. Forest Service representative contacted me, as director of the Wakulla County Tourist Development Council, and asked if the TDC would support an effort to obtain a scenic byway designation in our area.

At least that's the word I thought I heard, "support." With the council's agreement, I said, "Of course."

But shortly after, when the paperwork started rolling in to the TDC, I realized that we had agreed to sponsor the project, not just support it. Pardon my repeating a well-worn phrase, but what we had there was a significant failure to communicate. However, the TDC embraced the project, in partnership with Franklin and Leon counties, and in the end there was no failure, only success.

The scenic byway designation process is long, arduous and costly. It involves multiple public meetings, roadway surveys, hundreds of pages of documentation and, of course, money and volunteers to implement these tasks. However, last October, all the intensive work was deemed worthwhile when the 220-mile Big Bend Scenic Byway was officially designated by the Florida Department of Transportation as the 19th and longest scenic highway in Florida.

Now we are about to see the first tangible roadway evidence that the Big Bend Scenic Byway exists. Sign-makers for the Florida Department of Transportation in Midway are busy constructing directional signs to be placed along the BBSB in Wakulla, Franklin and Leon counties. The 69 signs will feature the Florida Scenic Highway logo and lettering that reads Big Bend Scenic Byway. Look for the signs to be installed in October.

In the meantime, task-force meetings are being held in the three counties to implement BBSB enhancement plans. These plans include beautification efforts, scenic pull-offs and interpretive signage along the byway routes. If you have an interest in participating in the development of the BBSB in your area, please contact Cathy Briggs of the USFS at 926-7095 about joining a task force.

On a related note, the Corridor Management Entity, the citizens' group with a classic bureaucratic name that oversees scenic byway development, has scheduled a public meeting of important interest to residents and businesses along the byway route. The meeting will focus on regional transportation plans that affect the BBSB, including the Northwest Florida Transportation Authority's potential plan to move U.S. Highway 98 inland. The meeting will be at the Tallahassee Community College Service Center in Crawfordville at 2 p.m. Wednesday. The CME encourages citizens who have businesses or homes along the byway route to attend.