Okaloosa County League of Cities, Inc.

Executive Board Meeting

Minutes

Monday, November 6, 2006

CALL TO ORDER

Secretary/Treasurer, Mayor Gary Combs, called the meeting to order at 12:03 p.m. at Two Trees Restaurant in Fort Walton Beach.  Mayor Combs noted that there wasn’t a quorum present so no voting will take place at this meeting.

PRESENT BOARD MEMBERS

Gary Combs - Shalimar (Secretary/Treasurer)

Brenda Bush - Crestview

Larry Williges - Destin

Fay Miller - Laurel Hill

ALSO PRESENT

Dave Swanick - Eglin AFB

Bill Roberts - Okaloosa County

Tina Smith - Shalimar

TREASURER’S REPORT:  $1737.63 after paying $48.86 for the October 2, 2006 lunches and $61.25 to Department of State for Divisions of Corporations 2006 annual report Renewal. 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

-  Eglin Bypass Resolution 2006-01 (attached) - Due to the lack of a quorum, this issue will go on next month’s agenda.

NEW BUSINESS:

-  EDC proposed community development baseline discussion - There was no discussion on this issue.

ANNOUNCEMENTS/REPORTS FROM CITIES:

Cinco Bayou - No one from Cinco Bayou was present

Crestview:

-  There were approximately 60 people in attendance at the Quarterly Dinner on October 17.

-  The newly installed Police Chief, Brian Mitchell, will take office tomorrow.

Destin - attached

Eglin AFB:

-  November is Native American Heritage Month.

-  The base is in the middle of an Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI).

-  November 17 is the CCAF Appreciation Breakfast.

-  December 2 is the Commander’s Holiday Reception at the Officers’ Club.

Fort Walton Beach:

-  League of Cities Finalists - The City of Fort Walton Beach has placed four finalists in the Florida League of Cities annual excellence awards program, the “Florida Cities of Excellence Awards”. The finalists from the City are: Mike Anderson for “Mayor of the Year”, Jim Tucker for “Council Member of the Year”, Joyce Shanahan for “City Manager of the Year”, and Charlotte Dunworth for “City Employee of the Year”.

-  New Finance Director - The City’s new Finance Director Lisa Absher started her career with the City on November 1^st.  Absher comes to the City from Gainesville where she was a self-employed consultant. 

-  City Names Manager and Employee of the Year - The City of Fort Walton Beach announced their Employee and Manager of the Year at a ceremony today.  Michael Beedie, Utilities Operations Manager, is the first recipient of the City’s inaugural Manager of the Year Award.  Beedie is responsible for overseeing many of the City’s capital projects and supervises a workforce of fifteen employees. JO Main is this year’s winner of the Employee of the Year honor.  Main is the Senior Staff Assistant in the Public Works Department.   

-  Golf Course Improvements - Grounds Crews at the Fort Walton Beach Golf Club have been busy rebuilding and reshaping tee boxes along both the Pines and Oaks course recently.  Over years of play, tee boxes begin to loose their shape or their “crown”.  In order to rehab the site, workers use dirt to reform the tees, pack it down and then apply grass seed to the tee.  Other work is being done now, including rebuilding the bridge over the stream in the Oaks #3 fairway.  The City’s Public Works Department is currently designing the bridge replacement.  And now is the time to over seed the course.  Crews are applying rye grass seed in the rough, the greens and fairways for the winter season.

-  Water Towers Come Down - Two old water towers were dismantled and removed recently.  The 100,000 gallon towers on Church Street and Nicholson Street were cut apart piece by piece and lowered to the ground by a crane.  The two water tanks were taken out of service because the City completed two new towers in May to replace them.  The new tank located at the Fort Walton Beach Golf Club holds 750,000 gallons, and the new Nicholson Street tower holds 500,000 gallons.  These new towers allowed the City’s water system to gain 850,000 gallons of storage capacity, adding increased water pressure in several parts of the City.  A third old tank is being converted to a reuse water storage tank.

-  Sound Park - The new park being constructed across from City Hall was officially named “Sound Park” at the City Council Meeting on October 10th.  The passive park will feature a pier, boardwalk, walkways and other nice, relaxing features.  This park is funded by a FRDAP grant and in-kind financial assistance from the Fort Walton Beach Rotary Club. 

-  Hurricane Tree Grant - The City has been busy planting trees as a part of the 2005 Hurricane Forestry Grant.  The grant is designed to help areas recover trees and vegetation lost during recent storm events.  The trees have been planted in the medians along Highway 98, Mary Esther Cut-off and Racetrack Road.  The Public Works Department recently planted 20 live oaks at the Golf Club and is waiting for more to arrive.  The trees at the course were killed or damaged by the storms or the pine beetles the storms brought in with them.  The City will receive over 365 trees from this grant.

-  Lula Belle Lane - The City’s Utilities Department continues to do work on Lula Belle Lane just north of Hollywood Boulevard.  Crews are installing approximately 1,300 linear feet of new 8-inch PVC sewer pipe, replacing the terra cotta sewer main that is there now.  Six manholes and twenty-six sewer laterals will also be installed.

-  Tennis Center Upgrades - The Fort Walton Beach Tennis Center’s courts will be receiving a face lift in the next few weeks.   The courts will be repaired and repainted in a new color, blue.  The design will mimic the one at the U.S. Open.  Along with the courts, landscaping will be redone, and the tennis center will be repainted and have new carpet installed.

Hurlburt Field 

Laurel Hill - Other than a lot of planning and building, the city is working on the new PAWS building.

Mary Esther - No one from Mary Esther was present.

Niceville - No one from Niceville was present.

Okaloosa County:

-  The county will be voting on their share of the PAWS building tomorrow.  The new building will also be used as an animal hurricane shelter.

-  The County Administrator and Fort Walton Beach City Manager will be meeting to discuss the use of the fairgrounds for the new judicial center.

Shalimar:

-  Cuppy’s had their Grand Opening on October 29-30

-  Starbucks has broken ground on their new building

-  Still no action from county on code enforcement question about Foodmax signage that is still beat up from Hurricane Ivan

-  The town Christmas Parade will be on December 12th

Valparaiso - No one from Valparaiso was present.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

-  December 4, 2006 at 12:00 p.m. - OCLOC Executive Board Meeting Lunch

ADJOURN - The meeting adjourned at 12:15.

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