CRESTVIEW — An environmental exposition in downtown Crestview will emphasize innovative green technologies and their practical — and money-saving — uses in local homes and businesses.

The expo, a project close to Crestview City Council President Ben Iannucci III, also would display the city's resources and quality of life for potential new technology businesses seeking to locate in the city, he said.

"We're talking (about) vendors coming in that have technology that we've never seen before," Iannucci said. "The catalyst here is jobs, new industry (and) lower taxes because of this.

"It's more than just the community. We're talking about the future for the city of Crestview."

Public Works Director Wayne Steele, who has been working with Iannucci on the expo, said the city's water management consultant, CH2M Hill, has offered expertise and sponsorship in planning the event.

"The staff of CH2M Hill has really enlightened us," Steele said. "There's new technologies out there we have never seen before, such as cars that run off water."

"This is a unique opportunity for the city of Crestview," the company's local manager, Jane Swift, said. "This has the potential to really blow up into something really big. What we're trying to do is gear this toward residents, not just businesses: how to get these things in your home. We're trying to facilitate bringing businesses in here as well as the technology."

To help promote the event, Swift said her company would sponsor a poster design competition among local art students. The winning student's poster would be "key to our advertising," she said.

Iannucci said he hoped to hold the expo on Main Street on Earth Day, April 20, but the annual Spanish Trail Cruisers Club car show also would take place then.

Moving it a week earlier would mean Main Street would host three Saturday events in a row, including the April 6 Triple-B barbecue festival.

That would put a strain on Public Works staff, Steele said.

"I know the Main Street merchants don't like having the streets closed off, especially on Saturday," Councilman Charles Baugh Jr. said. "That would be three consecutive weekends we'd have downtown events that would have some sort of distraction or disruption on Main Street."

Iannucci agreed to move the event to May 4, "but keep it downtown on Main Street. Call it an energy and environmental expo instead of Earth Day," he said.

The council unanimously approved having the event on May 4 following a motion of support by Baugh.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Environmental/economic expo gaining momentum

CRESTVIEW — Residents on wheels and residents on four legs might soon have facilities just for themselves if skate and dog parks proposed for Twin Hills Park become a reality.

The Crestview City Council, meeting as the Community Redevelopment Agency Board, was receptive to a concept presented by Councilwoman Robyn Helt and Public Services Director Wayne Steele.

Helt had previously proposed a dog park for a wooded area in Twin Hills Park's southwest corner. Last fall, after a Florida League of Cities meeting, several firms approached Steele with offers to develop a skate park. The same location under consideration for the dog park also looked feasible for a skate park.

However, at Monday evening's CRA meeting, Steele and Helt presented a new concept that would move both parks to Twin Hills Park's north side near U.S. Highway 90.

Crestview Police officer Sam Kimmons recommended the area, as the original southwest corner site was close to the woods and railroad tracks, Steele said.

"Sam's concern as a police officer was he thought it would be problematic because it would give teenagers and youth a place to hide and do different things," Steele said. "It (the skate park) needs to be a high visibility area. You don't want it to be hidden where people can't see it. It makes sense. You want people to be able to monitor it."

By placing the skate park alongside the dog park, "it almost acts as a watchdog for the skate park as well," Helt said. "It really opens up the park for every member of the family. It makes Twin Hills a place where every member of the family can be entertained."

The new suggested location also allows both parks to be bigger than planned, Steele said.

"We can have an area designated for beginners," Steele said, referring to skaters. "We would have (the dog park) subdivided for smaller dogs and larger dogs."

Steele said his department would consult with area kids to see what they would like to see in a skate park.

One young skater already offered some advice, he said.

"I met with one youth," he said. "One thing we eliminated is the bowl. Kids today don't like it. They say you have to be so good you can't use it." A bowl is a skating formation similar to an empty swimming pool.

Funding for the Twin Hills Park improvements would come from CRA funds and parks improvement budget money, Councilman Charles Baugh Jr. said.

Council and board President Ben Iannucci III raised several considerations, including the noise factor of the skate park, and whether there is adequate parking. In addition, he said, there was an aesthetic consideration.

"That part of the park is the entrance view of the park, and we're taking away a lot of greenery" with the proposed skate and dog parks, he said.

Steele said he would resume discussions with Kimmons, local skaters and park designers and bring a proposal with a budget to the CRA's next meeting.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Skate and dog parks proposed for Twin Hills Park

LAUREL HILL — Using the city's unreserved account or fuel tax revenue and requesting county funding to cover road repairs were discussion points during the City Council's workshop on Tuesday.

Council chair Larry Hendren, following a city auditor's advice, suggested using funds from the city's unreserved account.

“I think there is enough money to isolate $83,000 (from the $199,572 account) and start on some road repair business," he said.

The account received funding last year through reimbursements, Hendren said. 

Such credits are undependable or unlikely to recur, and these funds may not be easily replenished, Councilman Robby Adams said.

“It is money we will not be able to count on every year,” he said. “We are not going to get an insurance claim of $29,000 or a Gulf Power refund for $37,000 (every year).”

More dependable is a $30,000 state allocation the city annually receives from fuel tax revenue.

The city had been using fuel tax money to pick up roadside debris, against Florida statute, Mayor Joan Smith said.

"We are not supposed to be paying for it (debris pickup) out of that fund. Now, we are going to have to take it out of another fund," she said.

Road construction and maintenance, and purchase of transportation facilities, are within the statute's allowances.

Council members suggested opening a checking account to track how the money was being spent on road maintenance.

The council recently sent a letter to Okaloosa County commissioners requesting assistance with repaving unspecified roads.

The city would cover the cost of asphalt, while the county would be responsible for paving the roads, under the proposal.

City leaders sent the letter to Public Works Director John Hofstad, who could bring it before the board of commissioners, Hendren said.

There is no expected date to hear a response from the commissioners, he said.

Want to go?

The Laurel Hill City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Feb. 7 at City Hall, 8209 State Road 85.

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill council mulls possible funding for road repairs

NICEVILLE — Okaloosa County’s mismanagement of millions in taxpayer dollars and BP grants will be under scrutiny at the next meeting of Northwest Florida’s legislative delegation.

The meeting will be from 5 to 6:30 p.m. next Wednesday at Niceville City Hall.

The Florida Auditor General’s Office will make a presentation on the findings of its audit of the Okaloosa County Commission’s oversight of the Tourist Development Council and the use of bed taxes and BP funds.

Read the state auditor general’s final report for yourself.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, who set the agenda for the meeting, said he believes “a full vetting” is necessary for the public to get the answers it deserves.

“It’s devastating that our county was being run with such lax oversight,” he said. “No one person should be able to steal this amount of money from the taxpayers. We can’t be that vulnerable.”

County Administrator Jim Curry said Commissioner Dave Parisot, vice chairman of the board, is scheduled to represent the county at the meeting.

The auditor general’s report on the County Commission focused on the management of the TDC from May 2010 to May 2012. Okaloosa County Sheriff Larry Ashley, along with Matt Gaetz and his father, Senate President Don Gaetz, requested the audit in May 2012 after county officials discovered a fraud scheme put in place by former tourism head Mark Bellinger.

County commissioners discovered May 1 that Bellinger had purchased a $710,000 yacht with bed tax money without their authorization. Three days later, Bellinger took a fatal dose of Benadryl in Pelham, Ala. That same day authorities revealed he had also used $747,000 in BP oil spill money to pay for his home in Destin.

In the months following, the list of purchases Bellinger made illegally or without county approval grew to include two RVs, Visa debit cards, furniture, food and entertainment. One of Bellinger’s first thefts — the purchase of a $48,000 Porsche Cayman — occurred three months after he was hired in May 2010.

Matt Gaetz said the meeting will give lawmakers and residents a chance to ask questions about the audit or comment on the findings.

“I hope a lot of people take the time to attend,” he said.

The Auditor General’s Office issued its final audit report late Wednesday. That document also includes the corrective action report the county was required to submit to the state in response to the findings.

Don Gaetz said he is eager to hear what the auditor general has to say about report and the county’s response.

“Clearly, the auditor general’s report on the financial stewardship of Okaloosa County is a huge local issue,” he said. “To be able to ask them questions in public is the right thing to do.”

He said he has read the county’s corrective action report and found it “a useful document.”

“I think the question, obviously, is whether the citizens of the county and whether policymakers at the state level can trust that the County Commission has learned its lesson and is going to operate in a different way,” he said.

Don Gaetz said the director of the TDC was never meant to function as a “one-person authority.”

“It is supposed to be a system of oversight, checks and balances,” he said.

Matt Gaetz said he wants to hear more details about the lack of oversight that led to the theft and misuse of public money.

“I believe there may be individuals (within county government) who are criminally culpable for their conduct,” he said.

WANT TO ATTEND? The legislative delegation will meet at 5 p.m. next Wednesday at Niceville City Hall.

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: TDC scandal to be addressed at legislative delegation meeting

CRESTVIEW — Whether all Okaloosa County elementary schools should have school resource officers is a matter between the school board and sheriff, County Commissioner Nathan Boyles said.

Since Sheriff Larry Ashley ordered 26 sheriff’s deputies be shifted from regular duties to elementary schools following the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, residents have been vocal about how to deal with gun violence. 

Thursday, during a Friends of the Library meeting, Harry Tipton of Crestview said he thought the matter was being blown out of proportion.

"A lot of this is overkill and hype because of the excessive publicity," he said. "We don't really need a resource officer at every school."

Boyles, the library’s guest speaker, said the issue rests between the school board and sheriff. Commissioners decide on the sheriff's office budget and Ashley decides on the best uses for that budget, he said.

Still, Boyles said, he favors the decision to have an officer in elementary schools.

"I went to Baker School and I remember both of the resource officers that we had in a positive way," he said. "I think it's a way to expose our children to the positive side of the law."

Boyles stated that he supports the Second Amendment and that he and his wife have gun permits.

RESTORE Act funds

The county commission will establish an advisory committee to help decide how to spend BP’s RESTORE Act fund from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Individuals with expertise in education, environment and the economy would comprise the committee, which is subject to Florida open meetings laws.

"This (committee) would make recommendations to the board of county commissioners with regard of the expenditure of those funds," Boyles said. 

County commissioners would have final say on how the funds would be spent, he said.

Friends of the Library members said they gained insight on Okaloosa County current events after Thursday’s meeting.

Several were impressed with what Boyles had to say.

"I think he is an very bright young man, very sharp," Tipton said.

Ruby Frabott of Crestview agreed.

"That was the first time I have heard him speak; I'm very impressed with the young man," Frabott said.

"It went well," Boyles said. "I got to speak with some of my constituents. They certainly had plenty of questions to ask."

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Boyles: School resource officer issue between school board and sheriff

The board will consider Okaloosa County Sheriff Larry Ashley’s request for more money to help fill 26 vacant positions. The slots were left empty when Ashley placed deputies in every school in the county following the shooting rampage in Newtown, Conn., last month

Most commissioners have supported Ashley’s decision. But now they must decide whether to help him replenish his deputies or allow him to operate with a staff cut by about 11 percent.

“I don’t know where the money is going to come from,” County Commission Chairman Don Amunds said. “Right now it would have to come out of general fund reserves.”

The 26 deputies placed in the elementary schools were pulled from several units — beach and marine patrol, civil processing, court security, detention and booking, street crimes and traffic enforcement.

The beach and marine patrol, street crimes and traffic enforcement units were depleted and will be inactive until new deputies are hired.

County commissioners also are expected to vote on several proposed changes to the ordinance governing county parks.

Under the changes, beachgoers would be prohibited from swimming more than 300 feet from shore. The proposal includes a ban on swimming, diving, surfing or watercraft use within 150 feet of the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier.

Beach safety officials say the restrictions are needed to discourage “extreme swimmers” who insist on swimming in red and double-red flag conditions.

Those swimmers can prompt wide-scale emergency responses and put rescuers at risk, officials say.

“It’s really designed for when you have a problem person who’s really creating a life-threatening situation,” County Administrator Jim Curry said. “You’ve got to have a rule that says, ‘This is not allowed.’ ”

Another proposal would make it illegal to leave items such as chairs, coolers, toys and tents on the beach unattended between midnight and 7:30 a.m.

The abandoned items block the county’s beach cleaning service, which sweeps the sand each morning. County officials say the debris also causes problems during sea turtle nesting season when the beach must be kept clear, according to a federal mandate.

WANT TO ATTEND?

The Okaloosa County Commission will meet at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Water and Sewer Administration Building at 1804 Lewis Turner Blvd. in Fort Walton Beach.  

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa considering more money for sheriff, tighter swimming rules