DELTONA BONA FIDE

COMMENTARY

Epilogue

Doug Horn

January 23, 2007

Monday evening’s vote by the Deltona City Commission has killed the opportunity of building a center for cultural, civic, educational and business gatherings in Southwest Volusia. Not forever, but for the foreseeable future.

Everyone on both sides of the argument will pontificate on why the Partnership Center project fell through, but the bottom line is a golden opportunity to build a multipurpose facility to serve the area will not happen again anytime soon.

A chance to show big businesses that we are serious about attracting them and providing a sense of community has been lost as has the chance to show the world that Deltona can work with its neighbors and work toward the good of all.

Will the future bring other windows through which progress can be welcomed in? Of course it will.

When? No one knows.

Will the chance to spread the costs of progress across multiple partners happen again? Maybe.

Will we get virtually free land again? The possibility always exists. After all, what was then Martin Marietta donated a large parcel of land for the Orange County Convention center.

Will it cost the same as it would have now? Heck no! It will cost more - much more.

Some will lick their wounds, regroup and try again. Others will walk away, never to return. Still others will celebrate the failure of the region’s elected officials to meet a common need.

What will happen in the short term is difficult to say. Give it a few weeks and alternative ideas will begin to be discussed.

One thing is for sure; the message we are essentially sending to the business community is that we want shopping and eating places in Deltona - but not community-building places.

Yes, developers will swoop in to fill a gap.

A gap that will be filled with any number of JCPenny’s, Home Depots, Lowes’, Dillards’, burger joints, maybe (finally) an Outback SteakHouse and who knows what. These stores and restaurants will meet a need. No one can question they are needed. But as for the much-requested high paying jobs: these gap fillers will not meet that need.

Let us prepare now for the future. Let’s not pass up another opportunity.

Doug Horn is a former Commissioner and Vice Mayor of Deltona and can be reached at dhorn@deltonabonafide.com

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