Okaloosa
County League of Cities, Inc.
Executive
Board Meeting
Minutes
Monday,
October 2, 2006
CALL
TO ORDER President,
Mayor PRESENT
BOARD MEMBERS Mayor
Heyward
Strong - Valparaiso (Vice President) Gary
Combs - Shalimar (Secretary/Treasurer) Craig
Barker - Destin Margaret
McLemore - Mary Esther Al
Swihart - Niceville ALSO
PRESENT Dave
Swanick - Eglin AFB
MINUTES
- Councilmember
Swihart moved to approve the minutes of the September 11, 2006 meeting as
written. Mayor McLemore seconded the
motion and it passed unanimously.
TREASURER’S REPORT: $1847.34 after paying $53.23 for the September 11, 2006 lunches and $75 for the "Friends of the Library" donation in Mayor Thomas' name. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: - Eglin Bypass Resolution 2006-01 - Mayor Anderson asked each city if their boards had passed this resolution. Some knew that it was on an upcoming agenda to be discussed and some had passed it. Mayor Anderson will call the cities that don’t have a representative present and get their status. Mayor Barker moved to add the Eglin Bypass Resolution to the November OCLOC agenda. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Swihart and passed unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS: -
Vision 2015 Vector Check - There will be a 3-hour meeting on November 21. -
OCLOC dinner plan - The Quarterly Dinner will be hosted by Crestview at
Coach-n-Four Restaurant on October 17. Mayor
Anderson and Mayor McLemore discussed a Growth Management/Department of
Transportation Ordinance that has to be passed by December.
More information will be e-mailed to each of the cities for review.
ANNOUNCEMENTS/REPORTS FROM CITIES: Cinco
Bayou - No one from Cinco Bayou was
present. Crestview
- No one from Crestview was present. Destin
- attached Eglin
AFB -
The National CFC Campaign is under way.
There will be a mid-campaign rally on October 20 -
The contract was awarded for the new VA clinic.
The groundbreaking should be some time in October. -
Fischer House is aiming to build a house somewhere near the new VA
clinic. They are looking for
sponsorship from companies. -
November is Native American Heritage Month Fort
Walton Beach - -
Water Transmission Main - Construction on the water transmission line
continues. Hemphill Construction crews are currently about 4 weeks ahead
of schedule. Hemphill has finished laying the main down Denton Boulevard
and Justin Street and are now working along Lang Road. Crews have also
begun to restore the disturbed areas along the project path. The goal of
the new main is to bring water from the Golf Club area to the downtown water
distribution zone, providing much needed redundancy in the City’s ability to
provide water. -
Cinco Bayou Force Main Relocation Project - Work
is wrapping up on the Cinco Bayou Force Main Relocation Project. The
project involves relocating the sub-aqueous sewage force main underneath Cinco
Bayou, to the underside of the Cinco Bayou Bridge. The existing line is
approximately 40 years old and has experienced recent failures caused by
Hurricane Ivan and Dennis storm surge driven debris in the water. During
inspection of the line after Ivan, numerous anchors and even a sunken boat were
found on the line. A vessel near the line took a lightning strike during
Dennis and it’s believed the voltage could have hit the line. The new
pipe is being attached to the underside of the bridge, keeping it out of harms
way during a storm event. The new location also allows for easier access
for maintenance and repair. This project symbolizes the City’s
commitment to keeping area waterways clean by eliminating a potential source of
pollution to the water. -
K-9 Cops - The
Fort Walton Police Department is currently raising money to add two drug canines
to the force. The dogs will be brought on board to help fight illegal drug
activity in the City. The department is looking to raise $18,000 dollars
for the training, food and expenses of the dogs, which will probably be Belgian
Malinois. Contact the Fort Walton Beach Police Department at 833-9547 if
you’d like to donate. -
City Hall Athletic Complex - The City Hall Athletic Complex located directly
behind City Hall opened with a ribbon cutting recently. The 6.47 acre park
was funded by a Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP) Grant
with a match from the City. The park houses two multi-use ball fields that
will be used for football, soccer and baseball. -
Vandergriff Park - The
City recently purchased the Vandergriff Park property along Highway 98 in
Downtown Fort Walton Beach from Pat Balanzategui with Community Redevelopment
Agency funds. Pat’s family had owned the land for years and had allowed the
City to use it as a park since 1992. The park is a great asset to the City
because it, along with the Camellia Garden, will allow perpetual pedestrian
access from the Heritage Park and Cultural Center (Indian Temple Mound) to
Brooks Street and the Fort Walton Landing. -
Nature Walk - The
City of Fort Walton Beach approved a proposal from Eagle Scout Candidate Jacob
Sumrall to build the City’s first Nature Walk park in the Vesta Heights
neighborhood. The 4.1 acre parcel will feature a 1/3 mile wood-chip trail
and educational placards identifying vegetative species. -
Hurricane Tree Grant - The
City received its first delivery of trees recently from the 2005 Hurricane
Forestry Grant. The grant is designed to help areas recover trees and
vegetation lost during recent storm events. In this first delivery, the
City received twenty crape myrtles, seventeen of which were planted in the
medians along Highway 98. The other three were placed in Mary Esther
Cut-off medians. This was just the first batch of over 365 trees the City
will receive. Later shipments of oak and pine trees will arrive and be
planted at the Beal Memorial Cemetery and the Fort Walton Beach Golf Club. -
Mayor Anderson added that October is Domestic Violence
Awareness Month. There will be
vigils all over the county. Hurlburt
Field - No one from Hurlburt Field
was present. Laurel
Hill - No one from Laurel Hill was
present. Mary
Esther - The
City adopted an ad valorem millage rate of 3.4. - The
City applied for a FRDAP grant for the park in Mary Esther Manor. - The
City continues the review of its Fence Ordinance - The
City held its 2nd and final reading of the Flood Prevention Ordinance - The
City will hold its annual Veterans Day Parade on November 11th.
All cities, businesses and individuals are invited to participate. - The
City has pending the approval of the union contract for firefighters - The
library renovation is almost complete. A
grand opening date is TBD. - The
City has serious concerns about Senate Bill 360 on the proportionate fair share. Niceville -
We are spending a lot of time getting ready for
the Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival, October 20-21-22, Friday, Blake Sheldon Sat,
Lonestar, Sunday, Surprise ????? -
The city is completing a 5000 sq. ft. expansion on their library.
The Okaloosa County Library Cooperative will be moving their offices into
the new building. -
Niceville will have their annual Veteran’s Day activities in the park. Okaloosa
County - No one from Okaloosa County
was present but Mayor Anderson reported that the City of Fort Walton Beach is
trying to meet with the county to find out how serious the county is about using
the Fairgrounds for the new judicial center. Shalimar -
Site demolition is complete for the new Shalimar Starbucks and the
Cuppy’s Coffee should be open any day -
One of the current county gas stations has made a request to be annexed. Valparaiso -
The Commission has decided to lower the millage rate another .2 mills.
-
October 17, 2006 at 6:00 p.m. - OCLOC Quarterly Dinner Meeting -
November 6, 2006 at 12:00 p.m. - ADJOURN – Mayor Barker moved to adjourn the meeting at 12:45 p.m. The motion was seconded by Mayor McLemore and passed unanimously.
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