PANAMA CITY — A group of green-thumbed ladies called on Bay County mayors to prove their cities’ respective progress Friday as part of an annual ceremony.
The Panama City Garden Club has hosted “Operation Cinderella” for nearly 60 years, but this year the women of the Garden Club upped the stakes by assigning Bay County’s leadership the task of providing proof of recently completed, ongoing and future improvement projects in their communities.
“This is really the one time of year the ladies of the Garden Club put all our mayors and commissioners on the spot to stand up and report what they’ve done,” said Neil Fravel, public works director in Panama City, describing Operation Cinderella’s tradition. “This year is the first year you see poster boards around, so it’s really escalating.”
Five of Bay County’s seven mayors obliged the Garden Club, with varying degrees of accomplishments in each city depending on available funds.
Panama City Beach Mayor Gayle Oberst highlighted the city’s conservation park, which acts as wastewater treatment facilities and a trail system accessible by bike or by foot; developments on Aaron Bessant Park and streetscaping projects along Thomas Drive, as a few of the city’s more substantial achievements.
Those beautification efforts won’t cease anytime soon either, Oberst said.
“What we want when you cross the West Bay Bridge that you say: ‘Oh my gosh, I’m at the beach,’ ” she said. “And we have done a lot of natural plans up and down [U.S. 79] that look really good.”
Mayor Greg Brudnicki of Panama City displayed beautification projects in the downtown area, redevelopment progress on the city’s marinas and a 1,300 home subdivision planned for the old airport property.
“It’s all about continual progress and getting things fixed up,” he said.
Smaller municipalities did not show up empty-handed. Lynn Haven Mayor Walter Kelley showed off the growth of their Community Redevelopment Agency and sidewalk projects. Parker Mayor Richard Musgrave showcased home renovation projects and business-friendly policies. Callaway Mayor Thomas Abbott touted a $720,000 stormwater improvement project in the relatively undeveloped east end of the county.
Operation Cinderella came from a meager beginning and has grown to a statement about some county leaders’ commitment to perpetual improvement, according to William Whitson, Panama City CRA director and president of this year’s Operation Cinderella.
“It goes to show you the power of a good idea,” Whitson said. “It started out very small and it has grown because it is the right thing to do for the community and continuous improvement is what we’re all about.”