It is with great sadness that I give you the news that Bill Hunter passed away on Monday. Bill went into the hospital a little over a month ago to fight a fast-moving cancer but was unable to win the battle.
For those of you who knew Bill, he needs no introduction. With that thought, I write this for those of you who didn’t know the behind the scenes work he did for Pine Ridge.
Bill and his wife Mary moved to Pine Ridge a little over a year ago in May 2021. When I was thinking of the impact and the amount of work he accomplished for our community, it just didn’t seem possible he had been here for such a short time. Bill had a great interest in having as much influence as he could to keep Pine Ridge the community he moved to and in doing what he could to improve it.
Upon his arrival he soon became involved on the Road’s Committee. Through his work there and the information and presentations he developed on road conditions countywide, he influenced both sitting Commissioners and those running for office. He scheduled one-on-one meetings with both Commissioners and staff to focus their attention on the dire conditions of the roads in Pine Ridge and our specific needs, as well as the conditions throughout the county. His influence will continue to be present as new policies are developed.
In May, Bill came to the Board with a proposal for an External Affairs Committee. It was formed and he became the Chair. The idea was to monitor and try to influence the development and zoning impact around Pine Ridge. In July, many of you attended the Pine Ridge County Commissioners Candidate’s Forum. What most people don’t know is that Bill was the driver behind that event. Not only did he push the POA to host the Candidate’s Forum, but he was a major force in the planning and the formatting of the evening. He also worked successfully in recruiting the Candidates to participate. It was an overwhelming success and brought attention to the electoral power within Pine Ridge. You may have attended the Town Hall meeting in August on the development south of Ranger and the Suncoast Interchange Management Area. Again, that was Bill’s work, gathering the information and developing the presentation. There are many more examples of the time and work Bill put in for Pine Ridge but hopefully this drives home the work he did for the community.
Bill will be missed by our community even though his influence and work was often behind the scenes. Those of us who work as volunteers have a full appreciation of Bill’s impact and effectiveness. He became a good friend to me as well. I will miss Bill and his council.
John Hyde
President
Pine Ridge POA
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