More Good News About Vista

The Florida Division of Historical Resources has selected Friends of the Lower Suwannee & Cedar Keys NWRs to receive a grant to begin repairs on at least one historical building on the Vista property near Refuge headquarters. The State will provide $60,000 for the project and Friends agreed to match that with $15,000 raised elsewhere. Thus, the total amount for this part of the project is $75,000. That will not be enough to make the building fully functional, but it will move us much closer to being able to use the building for Friends and Refuge activities.

This is the second grant Friends received from the State for Vista. The first, in 2019, was a planning grant of $50,000 that resulted in a Historic Structure Assessment Report evaluating the historical, cultural, and structural characteristics of the property, including many current and historic photos.

Living room in the main house at Vista

Historic photo of the houseboat at Vista

Earlier this year, Richey Smith, whose wife Sandra Roe Smith and her sister Linda Roe Alexander donated the Vista property to the Refuge, gave Friends a Bass Tracker with motor and trailer to use for fundraising. Friends can put the $11,500 received from its sale toward the needed Historical Resources match. That is a double win. The couple who bought the boat are enjoying Florida waters in it, and Friends can already be in a favorable position to meet the required match for this grant.

Scroll down to the description of Vista on the Places of Interest tab for additional background.

Scroll down in the post about the  2020 Annual Meeting and Walk to Vista  for photos of Friends members visiting the site.

Scroll thru the 2022 Annual Meeting post for photos of Sandra Roe Smith turning over a symbolic key to the property to Refuge Manager Andrew Gude.

Boat house at Vista

Friends members at Vista during Annual Meeting 2020

Sandra Roe Smith and Andrew Gude as she symbolically turns over the key to Vista