The welcome signs heading into Bunnell proclaim the city as "The Crossroad of Flagler County" and the county seat finds itself at a crossroad as well.
With the search for a new city manager on the minds of local officials, the Flagler County Chamber's Bunnell Area Council is stepping up efforts to showcase commercial opportunities in the city. That effort was evident last week during a breakfast meeting of the council at the Southern Table restaurant on U.S. 1.
John Distler, chairman of the council, said the group has been working to reinvigorate communication and interaction within the business community.
"That last year and a half has not been very strong in the events area, but we're making things happen this year," he said. "We're looking at bringing some things back from the past and we're talking about bringing back what was the Potato Festival and do kind of an agricultural festival and get local growers involved to really showcase Bunnell and bring some people back."
Distler said one of the biggest challenges facing Bunnell business owners is the perception that there aren't many commercial opportunities in the city. That issue received a lot of attention during the May 2 meeting.
"The biggest thing from that meeting is the concern of bringing people to Bunnell," he said. "A lot of business owners said their customers and people they talk to don't want to come all the way into Bunnell."
Distler said the perception that going to Bunnell entails a longer trip for residents in other parts of the county is something that needs to be addressed.
"It's not really that far to get from Target (on State Road 100) to downtown Bunnell, but there is this stigma that it is really far," he said. "They are thinking of the growing lands in Daytona North as Bunnell, when it's really just around the corner. I think that is the biggest challenge — just overcoming the mindset that Bunnell is far away when it is really super close."
Flagler Chamber president Jorge Gutierrez said providing those perspectives and communicating concerns with the rest of the business community and elected officials is the foundation of the area council model.
"They fit into the Chamber and they are partners with us," he said. "They are a group of people that love their cities and they are the eyes and ears of the Chamber to keep track of critical issues."
Gutierrez said the input that comes from the Bunnell Area Council, as well as those in Flagler Beach and Palm Coast, are an important component of the Chamber's overall mission to be the voice of the business community.
"We take that information and we work collectively with city officials, elected officials and appointed officials to get the job done," he said. "The area councils are a critical component of the communication piece between the cities and the Chamber."
Bunnell Interim City Manager Tom Foster attended the area council breakfast and said he was pleased with the large turnout.
"I'm actually surprised so many businesses are here to join us," he said. "This gives us a great opportunity to grow and put Bunnell on the map."
Scott Sowers, president of Cline Construction in Bunnell, also attended the breakfast meeting and said it is important for the business community to communicate with local government officials about concerns and issues.
"It shows there is a comfort level between the business community and government to speak freely," he said. "You can talk about what you need to talk about, and that's a good sign."