Time to invest more in libraries
I love Port St. Joe and the Forgotten Coast. While its natural beauty is unmatched, the true charm is rooted in the community which has the heart of a home, not a tourist destination.
Gulf County has embraced tourism and the building of places to house them, but to date, seems to have invested little in keeping up the hometown charm.
The library has been one of the few places which brings culture to Gulf County; it has charm in spades. It regularly provides creative and meaningful programming, available to all. The team on staff has been phenomenal – the definition of excellence while doing more with less.
There can be no doubt that the libraries of Gulf County continue to show their value, and provide a high return on investment under the leadership of Coordinator Mimi Minnick. However, the funding for salaries and operational costs which you control is inadequate against the expenses of today. It is time to invest more in this essential community resource.
As a full-time resident of Port St. Joe, I respectfully request you fully support Gulf County libraries and staff with an increased budget for this next year. They should have pay at fair market value, the staffing to cover the open hours our community needs, and yes, money to purchase books.
Gulf County is booming. Where is the money going? Not much has found its way to the library so far, but it should. It really should.
Respectfully,
Lisa Fritch
Port St. Joe
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.