CONA President updates City Council

APD Chief McKinley will speak at CONA later this month

At its core, Apopka is a city of neighborhoods. No matter how much the population increases and economic development flourishes, large established communities like Errol Estate and Rock Springs Ridge will remain as the heartbeat of Apopka.

And in order to bridge these neighborhoods together, an organization was formed a little over a year ago that is beginning to take root - The Apopka Area Council of Neighborhoods (CONA).

CONA President Eric Coleman spoke before the Apopka City Council yesterday to give an update on its progress and status after its first year in existence.

"I believe it was December of 2015 when the mayor expressed a desire to bring the city a council of homeowner associations to work together, solving common issues," he said during the public comments portion of the meeting. "With the help of Dr. Shakenya Jackson (Grant Writer for the City of Apopka), Commissioner Kyle Becker, Mike Briggs, Dale Fenwick, Michael Wilkins, and myself, by-laws were crafted and membership is developing."

CONA is a not-for-profit corporation. The council represents approximately 100 local neighborhood associations.

"The combination of citizen's participation and active neighborhoods will contribute to the improvement of the quality of life in our city. As we continue to meet the challenges of today's urban community, citizens and neighborhoods play an important role in preserving and improving what is best about our city. CONA is committed to becoming a leading community organization for building a safe, high quality city in order to meet the current and future needs of our diverse community. The vital role CONA plays in strengthening and advocating for neighborhoods through our many initiatives and activities contributes to a city of neighborhoods offering quality of life.

Coleman told the council that CONA's mission is to unite existing neighborhood organizations dedicated to protecting, improving, and promoting their area and to foster the formation of such organizations, provide education, training and guidance for neighborhood leaders in marshaling resources to better their community. He would also like to expand the pool of skilled and motivated neighborhood leaders, provide a resource for sharing of information and tools for neighborhood development, promote communication and cooperation between members organizations and the community at large, provide a forum for member organizations and to act as their advocate with the city.

He also announced that Apopka Police Chief Michael McKinley will speak on Monday, March 13th, about the newly passed parking ordinance.