Municipal employees in North Port, Fla., learn Ukrainian (09/03/06)

Municipal employees in North Port, Fla., learn Ukrainian

by Andrew Nynka
Speical to The Ukrainian Weekly

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Municipal employees in North Port, Fla., the state's third largest city, have taken up a unique challenge from their City Commission: learn Ukrainian.

"It's very enjoyable," said Marilyn Garlick, one of two dozen city officials who have enrolled in a seven-week Ukrainian language class. "We're having a good time. I think I'm doing fine. We're all helping each other."

The 24 city workers - among them fire, police and public works employees - can answer the phone or greet one of the thousands of Ukrainians who live in North Port with a rudimentary "hello," or "nice to see you," said Mrs. Garlick, the senior executive assistant to the town manager.

Six months ago the City Commission agreed that municipal employees should be given an opportunity to take Ukrainian language classes as a way to connect with the city's growing Ukrainian community.

"We did it because we wanted to reach out to people," Mrs. Garlick said. "We have such a large Ukrainian population."

North Port, a city of about 35,000 people, according to the U.S. Census, sits on Florida's west coast, roughly 50 miles south of Tampa Bay. The city, which is about 75 square miles, is run by a city commission.

Throughout the years the city has attracted Ukrainian retirees, many of whom have established churches, branches of national veterans and women's organizations, as well as other Ukrainian community groups in the city.

Currently, there are about 3,500 Ukrainians in North Port, said Levko Klos, a resident who is running for a seat on the City Commission.

By consensus, the City Commission decided earlier this year to offer a Ukrainian language course as a way to connect with that community. The challenge, however, was in finding an established course.

The city's manager, Steven S. Crowell, contacted David Auzier at the local college, Manatee Community College. But the school did not offer courses in Ukrainian. Mr. Auzier then found Olena Kryvenok, a native Ukrainian, who could teach the students rudimentary Ukrainian.

The seven-week class is "strictly voluntary," Mrs. Garlick said. The class, which began on August 1, meets Mondays and Fridays, at 9-11 a.m., at City Hall. The city covers the costs of the class, any necessary materials and the employees' time to attend.

Employees from 12 city departments are enrolled in the class, including members of the police and fire departments, along with officials from the departments of Building, Engineering, Finance, Public Works, Social Services, Solid Waste, as well as mechanics and field crew.

It was the first time that North Port, employees were given the opportunity to learn a foreign language, Mrs. Garlick said. It is probably the first time any Florida city has trained its employees to speak Ukrainian, though that is difficult to confirm.

City officials said they knew from the outset that the program would not result in employees who speak fluent Ukrainian. However, the program was intended to help bridge a cultural gap between Ukrainian residents and city employees, Mrs. Garlick said.

"They know a few words, a few phrases - 'good morning' and other things," said Atanas Kobryn, a Ukrainian American who has lived in North Port for the past 11 years. For the past 10 years Mr. Kobryn has written a regular column focusing on the Ukrainian community for the local paper.

"The program itself has created an interesting reaction here," Mr. Kobryn said. "Some people question why we're using taxpayer money to support such a program. On the other hand, most people seem ambivalent about the program." The reaction among Ukrainians has been similar, Mr. Kobryn said.

But the point of the class was never to teach municipal employees perfect Ukrainian, Mrs. Garlick pointed out. Rather, the point was to reach out to the Ukrainian community in the city and bridge cultural gaps.

"That's the whole intention," Mr. Kobryn said.

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