Urban Planner Jaime Correa to address TEAM Punta Gorda annual meeting

CORREA World-renowned urban planner Jaime Correa will pay a return visit to Punta Gorda in November.

Mr. Correa was hired in 2005 by TEAM Punta Gorda to help create a visionary plan for rebuilding the community following the devastation caused by Hurricane Charley.

The Citizens' Master Plan 2005 served as a road map for development in Punta Gorda and surrounding areas.

"I still have vivid recollections of the physical destruction caused by Hurricane Charley in the City of Punta Gorda," Mr. Correa said. "My most important memories, however, come from the resilience of a community that never gave up and worked hard to pick up the few pieces that were left standing. Everywhere I go, the Citizens' Master Plan is mentioned as an example of a community that took matters into their own hands to educate citizens and create a place of pride and honor."

As the keynote speaker at TEAM Punta Gorda's annual meeting on Nov. 10 at the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center, Mr. Correa will share his observations on the progress that has been made in the past five years to implement the Citizens' Master Plan. He will also discuss steps to take in the future to assure continued progress.

Mr. Correa is an advocate of "New Urbanism," an urban lifestyle in sustainable, convenient and enjoyable places. Many of the principles of the Citizens' Master Plan reflect the concepts of "New Urbanism."

Mr. Correa has been widely published and is the recipient of a number of urban planning and architectural awards, including the first Chinese Government Award to an American design firm outside China and a citation to represent the United States in the Bienal de Arquitectura in Chile.

He has lectured at Harvard, Notre Dame, and at the Bauhaus/Dessau in Germany, as well as in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Guatemala, and Colombia.

TEAM Punta Gorda's annual meeting will be emceed by Harbor Style magazine's Jimmy Dean, and will feature updates on community projects. There will be a drawing for the "2009 Super Raffle" prizes of a MiXto Micro Fractional Laser Treatment by Dr. Robert Watine, valued at $3,000; two nights for two at the Wyvern Hotel, valued at $278; two tickets to the Punta Gorda Wine and Jazz Festival compliments of the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce, valued at $150; dinner for two at Santhinos Family Restaurant, valued at $100; and a cooking class at Pies and Plates, valued at $35. Raffle tickets are $5 each or five for $20 and may be purchased at the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce office, 252 West Marion.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and is open to the public. For more information, contact TEAM Punta Gorda at 637- 8326 or team@teampuntagorda.org. ¦