- April 19, 2024
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Longboat Key Town Manager Tom Harmer said the town is still planning to launch its annual Citizens Academy this month even with the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
Harmer said the town will monitor conditions before making a final determination to hold the free in-person classes.
“We’re looking at what safety precautions we need to put in place,” Harmer said. “We prefer not to cancel the Citizens Academy.”
The Citizens Academy is set to start at 9 a.m. on seven consecutive Wednesdays from Jan. 12 to Feb. 23. Each session is scheduled to run until 11:30 a.m.
On Monday, Longboat Key re-established many of its COVID-19 precautions at town facilities to keep staff and the public safe. It includes requiring masks to be worn in common areas and when people can’t socially distance themselves.
Harmer said the town plans to re-evaluate its COVID-19 procedures in two weeks.
“We’ll do everything we can to try and identify a safe environment for the attendees, and that’s what we’re working on now,” Harmer said.
Several members of the Town Commission and the Planning and Zoning Board have participated in the Citizens Academy when the town has offered it in previous years.
“This is one way for those residents who have an interest in understanding what their town government does to give them a deeper dive of how we operate and pull the curtain back a little bit to share about how their government provides services,” Harmer said. “It has side benefits in that the town is always looking for volunteers, advisory board members and other interested parties as well.”
Residents can sign up by calling Assistant to the Town Manager Susan Phillips at 941-316-1999 extension 1212 or by emailing [email protected].
Last year, the town held its free virtual “IntroLBK 2021” classes in lieu of the Citizens Academy because of the pandemic. In 2021, the town held the “IntroLBK 2021” courses from March 23-25 and again from June 22-24.
