The Hernando County Commission discussed options for their lease of the Chinsegut property at their Tuesday meeting.

Earlier in the meeting, USF Florida Studies professor Dr. Chris Meindl, who has been bringing his students to Chinsegut for 22 years, spoke during Citizen Input.

Dr. Meindl is one of the 15 member team who has agreed to come alongside Historic Hernando Preservation Society (HHPS) in their proposal to manage Chinsegut grounds. Why did these 15 people form a plan? Because in the April BOCC meeting, Commissioners asked the public for potential alternatives for managing the site. HHPS board members decided to combine forces to see if they could create a viable plan. They asked others who’d interceded on Chinsegut’s behalf if they wanted to join their efforts. Everyone said yes and began holding weekly meetings to devise the plan.

So what makes this team so special? Every member of the team has already invested heavily in Chinsegut. Doubt me? Check out the team bios – every person’s photo shows them at Chinsegut in past volunteer efforts. The photos weren’t hard to find because, for all of these people, Chinsegut has long held their heart.

So what’s next? The Commissioners were very pleased with the HHPS plan.

They were also glad to receive a plan from a private company but seemed to all agree that privatizing the property was not their preference. They directed staff to put out a Request for Proposals so that anyone else interested has a chance to submit one.

And as Commissioner Champion stated, it’s good to see local, qualified people stepping up.

After their proposal went public, HHPS received offers of help from the Sons & Daughters of the American Revolution as well as from former Mayor and Ederington Foundation President Blake Bell. HHPS seems to have created a plan people will rally around.

In my opinion, the most important words spoken in the meeting came from Chairman Hawkins.

Everyone who participated in the BOCC meeting seemed united in our desire to see the blessing of Chinsegut preserved for generations yet to come.

Onward and Upward!

P.S. In case you missed it, the full HHPS plan can be downloaded here: