On August 23, 1977, Apalachee Regional Planning Council (ARPC) was officially founded through an interlocal agreement with the counties of Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla. With an original focus on regional federal/state grant administration, economic development planning, and growth management and land use, the ARPC served a somewhat narrow and limited purpose for its member governments. Over the years, the ARPC expanded its technical assistance services to meet the needs of the Apalachee Region. New programs emerged, including Geospatial Services, Transportation Planning, Emergency Preparedness Planning, Environmental Planning, as well as Housing and Community Development.
The journey to become the organization that the ARPC is today was a tumultuous one. In fact, at one point, the ARPC came dangerously close to shuttering its doors altogether. In October of 2013, just as legislation and funding began to dramatically shift, the Council’s longtime Executive Director retired and Chris Rietow was appointed by the ARPC Board as the replacement. It was immediately discovered that the ARPC was in the middle of a major financial crisis. Under his dedicated and steadfast leadership, along with guidance and support from the ARPC Board, the staff united as a team to stabilize the organization. Working feverishly over the next ten years, the ARPC renewed its commitment to the Region, rebuilt relationships, and expanded services exponentially. The number of staff at the ARPC has quadrupled, and the impact of our work ripples through the communities we serve on a daily basis.
ARPC serves as a collaborative hub of institutional knowledge that allows local governments to pool resources, share expertise, and develop unified strategies to address complex regional issues. Working together, our communities can achieve outcomes that might be difficult to accomplish independently, enhancing quality of life and economic vitality for the Apalachee Region as a whole. By providing a space for collaboration, ARPC facilitates solutions that enhance quality of life, economic development, public safety, and resiliency across the entire Apalachee Region.
Through comprehensive strategies that consider the needs of both urban and rural areas, ARPC is committed to ensuring that technical assistance is provided to its member governments by acting as extension of their staff. By addressing challenges collaboratively, our Region can more effectively manage economic development and infrastructure in ways that benefit all communities, making the Region more resilient to economic shifts, natural disasters, and population changes. Now more than ever, tackling challenges from a regional approach is essential. Coordinating efforts allows for more efficient and effective solutions to challenges that cross jurisdictional boundaries, such as transportation planning, natural resource management, and disaster response, which would be difficult for individual communities to address on their own. This approach ensures that smaller or less-resourced communities have a voice in regional decisions as well, balancing growth across our urban and rural areas.
ARPC is proudly committed to strengthening the Region’s ability to manage change, improve quality of life, and foster sustainable, resilient communities. We are thrilled to be celebrating our 47th year as a visionary force in the Apalachee Region, and we are honored to continue the work throughout our treasured communities!
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