by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
Denise Bunnewith has a pretty full plate these days. As executive director of the First Coast Metropolitan Planning Organization, Bunnewith is not only responsible for identifying trends and making transportation recommendations for much of the quad-county area, she’s still adjusting to her newly expanded job duties.
Formally a part of the City’s Planning Department, MPO only recently became an independent regional government agency.
“We’re growing, that’s definitely true,” said Bunnewith. “I feel like our boundaries are expanding all the time. I know because I’m doing a lot more driving now.”
In a given week, Bunnewith may have to be in Fernandina Beach one day and St. Augustine the next.
“Whereas we were working for the City before,” she said, “now it’s like we’re working for everyone. I’ve got a lot of bosses.”
And more bosses may be on the way.
“We’re starting to see a change in mind set with respect to what we offer to the community,” said Bunnewith. “People are seeing the benefits of working with us. They understand how important it is to sit at the table when decisions are being made.”
And though one boss is usually enough, Bunnewith said as more areas decide to work with the First Coast MPO, it’s a good thing.
“It definitely is, if you can believe it,” she said. “It gives us a new perspective, a better perspective.
“Each separate area, be it Clay County or Duval County, will always have their own individual wants and needs, but as we continue to identify and understand those needs we’ll be able to create consistency and serve a much larger region.”
A larger region, she said, with a louder and stronger voice.
“There’s never enough money out there, but when we’re trying to identify funding sources for various projects, it helps to have more entities and authorities on board,” said Bunnewith. “The Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. legislatures may be more inclined to listen to us now.”
And aside from securing a few more dollars, Bunnewith said the MPO will be working toward another long-term goal this year.
“One thing we know we have to do is raise our profile in the community,” she said. “We understand that many people — most people — don’t even know what we do.
“We’ve created some strong ties with the area’s elected officials and their staffs, but the public doesn’t really know us.”
To improve that, Bunnewith said the MPO will begin hosting more workshops open to the public. Wednesday, they hosted a commuter transportation summit at the Omni.
“It’s all about getting the public more involved and creating awareness,” she said. “We want to see the the area understand us so we can all work towards improving it.
“We can’t fix every problem, but we want to do all that we can.”