Committee praises mental‑health panel, plans outreach and more public presentations

Members of the Tarpon Springs Sustainability Committee on June 18 reviewed a May 19 "mental health and sustainability" panel that committee members and at least one resident described as thoughtful and useful, but whose attendance was limited.

"It was excellent," resident Denise Menino told the committee and urged repeating the presentation at times when students are in school and more people can attend. Dr. Scally, who helped organize the panel, said the session built connections with students and local professors and produced networks the committee can leverage for future events.

Committee members proposed concrete outreach steps: targeted pre‑meeting recruitment identifying key audiences, leveraging partner groups (Peace for Tarpon, Tampa Green team and university contacts), distributing fliers, and using social media pages with repeated personal invitations. One member who said she has an advertising and promotion background offered to help craft outreach materials. The group discussed scheduling: a preservation‑focused presentation in September and a sustainable gardening/trees session in November.

Members agreed to add pre‑planning and a standard outreach checklist to future agendas — including lists of Facebook pages, partner organizations and contact lists — so each committee member can share outreach tasks. Holly, the sustainability staff member, said she would circulate contact lists and investigate whether the Sustainable Development Recognition program and other items could be ready for upcoming meetings.

The committee also discussed civic events and engagement strategies, including how to present topics to city commissioners and how to track follow‑up requests. No formal votes were taken; the meeting closed after staff agreed to provide outreach materials and schedule follow‑up presentations.