Residents of Bolivar Peninsula, where 3,600 homes were washed away by Hurricane Ike's devastating storm surge, are invited to share ideas about their community's recovery at several upcoming events.

The "Bolivar Blueprint" Steering Committee and its citizen-driven subcommittees will host an open house from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 25, 2009 at Crenshaw Elementary and Middle School, 416 Highway 87.

Visitors will have an opportunity to view displays on a variety of topics, including education, housing, the environment, economic development and small business, parks, human services, and infrastructure.  Comment cards will be available at each display area, and citizens will be asked to share their thoughs and ideas about proposed recovery projects.

Additionally, citizens are invited to bring a favorite photo of Bolivar Peninsula for use on a display board and for possible inclusion in the final Bolivar Blueprint plan.  Photos also may be emailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The following Tuesday, April 28, 2009, a public hearing will be held at Crenshaw School from 5:30 to 9 p.m. to receive additional public comments.  Residents may visit at any time during the hearing to speak, complete comment cards, or visit with project coordinators.

"We encourage citizens to take advantage of the open house, the public hearing, or both, to help Bolivar Peninsula residents develop an effective blueprint for recovery,"said County Commission Patrick Doyle.

"The county has organized the recovery project, but all of the project ideas and suggestions will come from the members of the subcommittees and the general public," Doyle said.

More than 50 peninsula residents attended a subcommittee kickoff meeting April 13 to begin the process of identifying Bolivar's strengths, unmet needs, and projects that could be completed in the next several years to assist with recovery.

A team of long-term recovery consultants provided by FEMA is assisting the county with development of the Bolivar Blueprint.

All comments and ideas from the public will become part of the record and will be considered in development of the strategic plan.

After the public's ideas and notes are captured from these two events, a draft of Bolivar Blueprint will be formulated and additional public meetings will be scheduled to obtain final citizen input.

For more information, citizens may call (281) 309-5002.

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