By REID TUCKER
The Paxton Town Council may have found a somewhat ironic bargaining chip when it comes to bringing in new businesses – specifically grocery stores.
It turns out that Paxton (and indeed much of northwestern Walton County), as a low-income rural community located more than 10 miles from a grocery store or supermarket, more than matches the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s definition of a “food desert.” While limited access to affordable and healthy food is a disadvantage, considering the negative health outcomes of obesity-related diseases or the estimated $6.7 billion Florida spends treating them each year, the food desert status could bring with it a silver lining for Paxton.
That silver lining is a veritable cornucopia of available federal funding programs designed to help bring healthy, fresh food options to under-served communities.
Gabriel Landry, a representative of the Healthy Foods Financing Initiative, gave a presentation at the Town Council’s May 19 meeting, explaining how available federal dollars can be leveraged to offset a business developer’s costs once they decide to set up shop in Paxton. The Healthy Foods Financing Initiative (HFFI), working through the American Heart Association, aims to liaise with local governments to provide grant money, loans and other flexible financing options specifically for the purpose of helping under-served communities secure grocery stores for their residents. Though the total amount awarded per case varies, Landry said the average amount of a grant is in the $100,000 range, while the upper end can be more like $1.3 million per project.
This money, whatever the amount, is administered through the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services and is awarded to grocery developers in a public/private partnership. The Paxton Council had the idea for years to secure a grocery store and it has land available for retail development, but has, up to this point, failed to land a business there due to the presence of grocery options just across the state line in Florala. However, Landry said that won’t have an effect on an applicant wanting to open a grocery store in Paxton since grant monies will be administered through a Florida state department.
In order to qualify for the grant, applicants must plan to open a self-service supermarket or other grocery outlet primarily selling fresh produce, meat, dairy or other foodstuffs or to renovate an existing store to sell more fresh fruits and vegetables.
Nevertheless, there is a catch. The funds necessary to implement such a pilot program statewide have not, as yet, been appropriated despite support for the program in both houses of the state legislature. Landry told the Council his organization expects the necessary appropriations to make it through when put to the vote after the special session begins come the first of July, but for now the HFFI is focusing on building relationships with local governments and getting a grassroots advocacy campaign going.
The remainder of the meeting agenda was occupied by discussion about the possibility of making some modifications to Paxton’s Dixie Youth Baseball complex before the upcoming district softball tournament next month. Councilwoman Ann Sexton, who oversees the city’s parks and recreations department, suggested converting the field used for pitching machine baseball into a multipurpose field capable of being used for softball games as well. This process will involve removing the infield grass and installing a portable pitching mound.
The Paxton Dixie Youth Baseball board of directors requested the Council’s permission to effect the renovations of the field, and the Council members returned a 4-0 aye vote. The tournament is expected to attract 12 teams this year, which could make scheduling all the necessary games a hassle, with only one field to play on, Sexton said. Walton County Parks and Recreation workers will be responsible for the renovation project, which is expected to begin in the next few weeks.
