City officials can't do — or know — everything. That's why Crestview's assorted city committees, staffed by generally unpaid volunteer experts, advise the mayor, city clerk, department heads and councilmen.

CRESTVIEW — Before Okaloosa County commissioners settled on an exterior façade for the new courthouse, Crestview’s Historic Preservation Board vetted the designs.

While the board may not make policy or create ordinances, its members’ knowledge in regional historic architecture and community design is respected, and its input is valued.

Crestview’s 11 boards and committees provide city and — occasionally, county — officials with technical expertise in specific subject areas with which city staff may need assistance.

“It’s so important that our citizens get involved, and we’re so appreciative of those who step up to lend their professional experience to the city,” Mayor David Cadle said.

FORMING PARTNERSHIPS

In some instances, cooperative partnerships with citizen or business organizations provide specialized public services without taking resources from hard-pressed city departments and officials.

One example is the city’s ongoing centennial celebration, Cadle said, in which resident and business volunteers, headed by retired Supervisor of Elections Pat Hollarn, are producing a year-long program of events.

“That is a volunteer group, along with the Main Street Association, that is pulling off great events,” Cadle said. “The (April 16) city birthday event was truly impressive. County officials told me later they were impressed with our city’s organizational skills and community involvement.”

Similar partner organizations include the Main Street Crestview Association and the Crestview Area Sister City Program for its educational and cultural events.

ADVISORY CAPACITY

Few of the city’s committees and boards actually make policy or official decisions, City Clerk Betsy Roy said, but all provide expert advice to the mayor, City Council and department heads.

“They’re for specific reasons, so they’re pretty much their own thing,” Roy said. “They’re in an advisory capacity.”

Two of the boards, the Technical Review Committee and the Planning and Zoning Board — also known as the Local Planning Agency — have limited powers to implement decisions, Roy said.

“They can deny applications, and the Technical Review Board, in particular, makes sure plans are in compliance before they come to the council,” she said. “Some things, like small project plans, just go to the LPA. They don’t have to go to the council.”

Technical Review is the only advisory board comprised entirely of city officials, including department heads.

Committees generally comprise mayoral and City Council appointees, whose professional knowledge and experience is vetted before appointment.

“We put people on boards that have expertise in the areas the board covers,” Cadle said.

GLAD TO SERVE

Serving on city committees allows residents to contribute to their community, board members and officials say.

Historic Preservation Board member Cal Zethmayr said the committee members’ rewards are tangible, visible in landmarks such as the new courthouse to be built in two years.

“Just in knowing we’re going to be able walk up Main Street and see that new building in two years, and we were involved in it, is rewarding,” he said.

One of the board’s biggest battles, saving the historic Alatex Building from demolition, has paid dividends for the city as the home of a Florida A&M University satellite pharmacy school, Zethmayr said.

“Our volunteer citizen board and committee members bring more energy and understanding to the governmental process,” Cadle said. “The city couldn’t operate affectively without them.”

“We’re doing things that are good for the community,” Zethmayr said. “And we enjoy doing it.”

City of Crestview boards and committees, mostly comprising citizen volunteers, advise officials in a variety of areas. Current committees and their meeting dates are:

●Board of Adjustment: meets as needed

●Code Enforcement Board: as needed; second Tuesdays

●Crestview Housing Authority: fourth Mondays

●Downtown Development Committee: as needed

●General Employees Retirement Board: quarterly; first Tuesdays

●Historic Preservation Board: quarterly; fourth Thursdays

●Planning and Zoning (Local Planning Agency) Board: third Tuesdays

●Police/Firefighters Retirement Board: quarterly; first Tuesdays

●Recreation Advisory Committee: as needed

●Technical Review Committee: comprises city department heads; first Tuesdays

●Veterans' Affairs Committee: as needed

CITY COMMITTEES

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview citizen committees provide specialized expertise

NICEVILLE — Northwest Florida residents can meet Okaloosa candidates at a Niceville Fair.

The event is 4:30-6:30 p.m. May 10 in the Student Services Building, Northwest Florida State College, 100 College Blvd., Niceville.

It is free and open to the public. Residents can ask candidates about the issues and register to vote as well.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: May 10 Okaloosa candidate fair, voter registration planned

SHALIMAR — The Okaloosa County Department of Public Safety now accepts 9-1-1 texts. T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless customers can now send a text (up to 140 characters) to 9-1-1 in an emergency.

Text to 9-1-1 should only be used in an emergency situation, when placing a voice call is not possible, as follows:

●if the caller is deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech impaired

●when speaking out loud would put the caller in danger. 

"Call if you can, text if you can’t," is the idea.

If there is an emergency and you are unable to make a call, remember these steps:

●Don’t text and drive

●Send the location and type of emergency in the first text message

●Text using simple words. Send a short text message without abbreviations or slang.

●Be prepared to answer questions and follow instructions from the 9-1-1 call taker.

●If you do not receive a text response from 9-1-1, try to contact 9-1-1 via voice phone call. Photos and videos cannot be sent to 9-1-1 at this time.

Text-to-9-1-1 currently cannot accept photos or videos, and cannot include more than one person.  You also cannot send the text to multiple people (no group text messages). Do not send your emergency text to anyone other than the 9-1-1 account.

According to an Okaloosa County media release, the service will have many challenges. A text or data plan is required to send it. As with all text messages, messages to 9-1-1 may take longer to receive, may get out of order, or may not be received at all.

Keep in mind the following information:

●Text to 9-1-1 service is ONLY for emergencies.

●It is a crime to text or call 9-1-1 with a false report.

Text-to-9-1-1 cannot include more than one person. Voice calls are still the best and fastest way to contact 9-1-1.

AT&T and Sprint Wireless Text to 9-1-1 services should be implemented within Okaloosa County soon.

It is not available everywhere in Florida and the United States.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa Public Safety implements 9-1-1 texting

FORT WALTON BEACH — The Okaloosa Republican Club next meeting will provide a school board and superintendent forum.

Visitors are welcome and encouraged to attend.

The event starts with socializing at 6:30 p.m. and includes dinner at 7 p.m. April 28 at American Legion Post 235, 105 S.W. Hollywood Blvd.

Cost is $15 per person, which includes drinks and gratuity. To make a reservation call Vice President Nate Lepper, 376-2287. Menu choices are Cornish hen with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus or grilled chicken salad.

For information about the Republican Club call President Mark Franks, 240-1279.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa school board, superintendent candidate forum set April 28

MIRAMAR BEACH — John Mills, retired U.S. Navy pilot, is campaigning as a Republican for Florida’s 1st Congressional District, a seat retiring Rep. Jeff Miller is vacating.

“While faithfully serving 26 years in the U.S. Navy, I commanded two Naval Security Force Units, and directed Navy regional and local emergency management operations,” Mills said in a statement. “I learned to handle crisis situations quickly and effectively. I will carry those crisis management skills to Congress, where so many seem to be unaware of the dire situation that surrounds them.”

“America is in crisis!” he said. “I am prepared to face our country’s challenges head on. We face unprecedented and unsustainable debt, our economy is in limbo, our relationships abroad are tense, and our military is strained; meanwhile, Washington bureaucrats continue to squabble. I intend to build on Florida’s 1st Congressional District legacy of strong, conservative values as we reach a turning point and begin to move our great nation forward once again.

“I was honored to receive the Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference Emergency Management of the Year Award in 1998 for innovative thinking. I worked with the Department of Defense, Escambia County Emergency Management, Escambia County School Board, and American Red Cross, making significant accomplishments in sheltering, a common need for all entities involved.”

Mills works in the aerospace defense industry, and lives in Miramar Beach with his wife, Trina, and daughters, Julie and Nancy.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Navy retiree seeks Florida District 1 Congressional seat

GULF BREEZE — State Rep. Doug Broxson announced his candidacy for the Florida Senate.

Since first being elected to the Florida House in 2010, Broxson, a Republican, has been a leader on insurance reform and recovery of funds from BP in the wake of the 2010 oil spill, a campaign media release states.

He seeks the District One seat, currently held by Greg Evers, who is running for the United States House of Representatives.

“I want to thank Senator Greg Evers for his service in the Florida Legislature,” said Broxson. “Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Okaloosa counties have a great future, and the next few years will be a critical period.

“As a state representative, I have worked to create jobs by keeping taxes and spending low and by halting the overreach of the federal government. It is my desire to continue that fight in the State Senate.”

In recent years, Broxson led an effort to unite the eight Florida counties most affected by the BP oil spill and spoke out against problems with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility. He organized multiple oil spill claims workshops with state officials and Panhandle residents.

In addition, Broxson has strongly opposed expanding benefits for illegal immigrants and has been an advocate for the protection of the Second Amendment.

He is a lifelong resident of Santa Rosa County, where he and his wife, Mary, raised their four children. They are active members of Brownsville Assembly of God Church and have eight grandchildren.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Broxson joins race for Florida Senate

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: It's official: Mike Hill is running for Florida Senate

FORT WALTON BEACH — Over 75 employers will accept applications and talk to potential employees tomorrow at the Spring 2016 Panhandle Job Fair.

The event is free to attend; part time, seasonal contract and full-time opportunities are available.

The fair is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 21 at St. Mary's Parish Life Center, 110 St. Mary Ave. SW, Fort Walton Beach.

For more information, go to http://panhandlejobfair.com/.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa-Walton Panhandle job fair April 21

MARY ESTHER —Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, announced his campaign’s Fight Washington Bus Tour across the 1st Congressional District.

“Like so many in our community, I am fed up with Washington’s failures. The Obama Presidency has jeopardized the future of our country by burying us in debt, subverting the Constitution, and abandoning our veterans and weakening our 2nd Amendment rights while radical Muslim terrorism is on the rise. Northwest Florida voters are looking for rock-ribbed conservative reform to take our country back. That’s why I am holding the Fight Washington Bus Tour,” Gaetz said.

“I am excited to travel across the 1st Congressional District and talk to voters about this pivotal election. I encourage interested voters to join us at any or all stops on the tour and be part of our growing campaign to fight Washington and restore America,” he said.

The Fight Washington Bus Tour includes stops at the following locations on April 23:

●9 a.m.  – Grand Dunes Condominium, 219 Scenic Gulf Drive, Miramar Beach

●11 a.m. – KC’s Sandbar and Grille, 190 Miracle Strip Parkway, Fort Walton Beach

●2 p.m. – Helen Back Again, 8651 Navarre Parkway, Navarre

●4 p.m. – The Fish House, 600 South Barracks Street, Pensacola

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Gaetz schedules April 23 Fight Washington Bus Tour

CRESTVIEW — When Barbara Fein has a weekday morning doctor’s appointment near North Okaloosa Medical Center, her “back way” route involves U.S. Highway 90, Okaloosa Lane and Redstone Avenue.

It’s a bit convoluted, but it has no traffic signals and doesn’t touch ultra-busy State Road 85. And that’s just fine with Fein.

“The lights aren’t very well synched,” she said. “And people are afraid of the 45 (mph) speed limit so you creep along and always catch the red lights.”

See a photo gallery of alternatives to S.R. 85>>

Fein’s S.R. 85 bypass is one of the creative ways locals avoid Crestview’s only north-south artery. But when it comes to conquering Interstate 10, which forms an east-west barrier through town, options are few.

 THE SQUEEZE

Crossing I-10 at its S.R. 85 underpass is often an exercise in patience. Being limited to just two ways of crossing the interstate—the other is the Antioch Road crossover—is frustrating.

For emergency responders, the “85 squeeze” can mean delays.

“Our ambulances all utilize Highway 85,” Okaloosa County Public Safety Director Alvin Henderson said. “Basically it’s lights and sirens usage and having the citizens’ courtesy to let them through.”

Without a light bar and siren to clear the way, the average driver is caught in a traffic morass. A battery of traffic lights half a mile or more on either side of the interstate creates stop-and-go travel at peak periods.

And it’s the northbound evening rush hour that can be most frustrating. For some public safety officials, as well as ordinary citizens, going a little out of their way eliminates stop-and-go stress.

“If it’s 4:30 or 5 in the afternoon, I’ll go through Niceville and come up (State Road) 285 to 90,” Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Capt. Larry Ward, commander of the Crestview station, said. “Once you get to 90, the traffic’s not too bad.”

THE ‘T’

After the I-10 squeeze, the city’s second-worst bottleneck occurs around the intersection of S.R. 85 and U.S. Hwy. 90.

“Basically, the city of Crestview is a big T,” Crestview Police Department Cmdr. Andrew Schneider said. “You’re going to have to go north or south, or east or west, on 85 or 90. Right now there’s really no way of avoiding them.”

“It is what it is,” Henderson said.

When local schools let out in the afternoon, southbound S.R. 85 backups several blocks long begin at U.S. 90.

The congestion then swaps directions as evening rush hour traffic heads north, with cars frequently waiting as far south as the top of the railroad overpass.

The situation is compounded by traffic having to wait for left-turn signals in each direction, “which is why a roundabout would work great there,” Fein said.

GETTING CREATIVE

As long as they don’t have to cross the interstate—which almost inevitably means returning to S.R. 85—savvy drivers get innovative in finding ways around regularly occurring backups.

Mayor David Cadle, for example, has called Industrial Drive, which parallels S.R. 85 from downtown to Airport Road, “Crestview’s best-kept secret.”

Cadle frequently uses Industrial, which follows the old Yellow River Railroad route, to get from downtown to meetings and events in north Crestview.

Ward and his deputies know favorite connectors and neighborhood streets that parallel S.R. 85 to help them bypass congestion when responding to calls.

So does Barbara Fein’s “back way” save any time? She can’t say for sure.

“It feels like it,” she said. “I never timed it. But I don’t care. At least I’m not dealing with 85 traffic.”

—

FAVORITE ‘BACK WAYS’

1. Aplin Rd.-Atwell Rd.-Okaloosa Ln.: Connects S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 E., bypassing central Crestview

2. Aplin Rd.-Pearl St. S: Parallels S.R. 85

3. Arena Rd.-Gordon St.-M.L. King Ave.: A little-traveled diagonal route between downtown and S.R. 85 to Antioch Rd.

4. Duggan/McLelland/Griffith/Lloyd: Bypasses S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 West intersection from the southwest

5. Fairchild Road: Bypasses S.R. 85, connects Airport Road and U.S. 90 E.

6. First Ave.-Lindberg St.: Cuts the corner of S.R. 85 and U.S. 90

7. Industrial Dr.: Parallels S.R. 85 from downtown to Airport Road, bypassing traffic lights, but has intermittent stop signs.

8. John Givens Rd.-Hare St.: Bypasses S.R. 85, connects Airport Road and U.S. 90 E.

9. Live Oak Church Rd.-John King Rd.: Parallels S.R. 85, bypassing P.J. Adams and John King backups. But drivers still have to get under I-10 after returning to S.R. 85

10. Okaloosa Lane-Redstone Ave. East: Connects U.S. 90 East with S.R. 85, bypassing northeast Crestview

11. Old Bethel Road: Makes a bypass around northwest Crestview between S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 West

12. P.J. Adams/Antioch Rd. Corridor: Widening begins this fall on this southwest bypass connecting S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 West

13. Texas Pkwy.-Adams Dr.-Park Ln.: Parallels S.R. 85, bypassing Stillwell Blvd. backups

14. Valley Rd.-Reinke Dr.-Farmer St.: Connects U.S. 90 E. with Airport Rd., paralleling S.R. 85

CONNECTORS

Connector roads remove traffic from S.R. 85 by providing alternative routes around congested areas

1. Brookmeade Drive: Bypasses S.R. 85 hospital and Juke Hill traffic between Wal-Mart to Aplin Rd.

2. Price-Gregory Way: Bypasses S.R. 85 between Lowe’s and Redstone Ave. W., behind Starbucks and the “Four Story” medical center

3. Crestview Corners Cut-through: Will connect Hospital Dr. and Redstone Ave. E. through Big Lots shopping center parking lot

4. Arena Rd.-Rasberry Rd.: Proposed connector parallels I-10 between S.R. 85 and Antioch Rd.

FAVORITE ‘BACK WAYS’

1. Aplin Rd.-Atwell Rd.-Okaloosa Ln.: Connects S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 E., bypassing central Crestview

2. Aplin Rd.-Pearl St. S: Parallels S.R. 85

3. Arena Rd.-Gordon St.-M.L. King Ave.: A little-traveled diagonal route between downtown and S.R. 85 to Antioch Rd.

4. Duggan/McLelland/Griffith/Lloyd: Bypasses S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 West intersection from the southwest

5. Fairchild Road: Bypasses S.R. 85, connects Airport Road and U.S. 90 E.

6. First Ave.-Lindberg St.: Cuts the corner of S.R. 85 and U.S. 90

7. Industrial Dr.: Parallels S.R. 85 from downtown to Airport Road, bypassing traffic lights, but has intermittent stop signs.

8. John Givens Rd.-Hare St.: Bypasses S.R. 85, connects Airport Road and U.S. 90 E.

9. Live Oak Church Rd.-John King Rd.: Parallels S.R. 85, bypassing P.J. Adams and John King backups. But drivers still have to get under I-10 after returning to S.R. 85

10. Okaloosa Lane-Redstone Ave. East: Connects U.S. 90 East with S.R. 85, bypassing northeast Crestview

11. Old Bethel Road: Makes a bypass around northwest Crestview between S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 West

12. P.J. Adams/Antioch Rd. Corridor: Widening begins this fall on this southwest bypass connecting S.R. 85 and U.S. 90 West

13. Texas Pkwy.-Adams Dr.-Park Ln.: Parallels S.R. 85, bypassing Stillwell Blvd. backups

14. Valley Rd.-Reinke Dr.-Farmer St.: Connects U.S. 90 E. with Airport Rd., paralleling S.R. 85

CONNECTORS

Connector roads remove traffic from S.R. 85 by providing alternative routes around congested areas

1. Brookmeade Drive: Bypasses S.R. 85 hospital and Juke Hill traffic between Wal-Mart to Aplin Rd.

2. Price-Gregory Way: Bypasses S.R. 85 between Lowe’s and Redstone Ave. W., behind Starbucks and the “Four Story” medical center

3. Crestview Corners Cut-through: Will connect Hospital Dr. and Redstone Ave. E. through Big Lots shopping center parking lot

4. Arena Rd.-Rasberry Rd.: Proposed connector parallels I-10 between S.R. 85 and Antioch Rd.

FAVORITE 'BACK WAYS' & CONNECTORS

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Locals, public safety officials share tips to avoid Crestview S.R. 85 (VIDEO, PHOTOS)