EATONVILLE, Fla. – A historical preservation group is looking to get results for the community and generate more economic growth as the group discusses why it should be chosen to receive funding from an Orange County task force.
“You can count on the Preserve Eatonville Community to go to the bat,” said N.Y. Nathiri, the executive director of the association to Preserve the Eatonville Community (P.E.C.).
P.E.C. is set to present before Orange County’s Tourist Development Tax Citizen Task Force, which put out a funding interest form.
One of the respondents was P.E.C., which became one of 55 organizations and businesses looking to be chosen for funding.
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“Eatonville is positioned perfectly, perfectly to take advantage of cultural heritage tourism,” Nathiri said.
P.E.C. proposed to build the Zora Neale Hurston campus for the arts, humanities and sciences — as well as a STEM center.
The plans would take 10 years to complete and is set to cost more than $87 million, but Nathiri said there is one challenge.
“This is contingent on the ability to use a parcel of land currently owned by and controlled by Orange County Public Schools,” Nathiri said.
That parcel of land mentioned by Nathiri is 23 acres of the historic Hungerford Preparatory School property.
Back at the end of March, Eatonville residents celebrated after Orange County Public Schools canceled a deal to sell the land to a private developer.
“I still look for an opportunity, so that way, we can be able to move forward in economic development in our community,” said Wanda Randolph, a councilwoman in Eatonville.
Randolph says she hopes P.E.C.’s proposal can lead to further improvements in the town’s roads, water, and sewage.
But in the meantime, Randolph says building a museum is a step in the right direction.
“It’s our time now in Eatonville, the PEC has been in existence for over 30 years and we do not have our own museum,” Randolph.
If approved for funding, P.E.C.’s proposal would call for a three-tier plan starting with a 3-year planning phase.
That phase would then be followed by a 7-year building phase and the last tier, which is marketing, starts the moment the planning phase begins.
Nathiri said she hopes this project inspires all in her community to get results together.
“We hope that the people of Eatonville have the confidence that we really can bring revenue to the town of Eatonville,” Nathiri said.
As a reminder, even if P.E.C does get approved for funding, Orange County Public Schools have still not released their plans for this portion of land.
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