CRESTVIEW — The City Council has rejected a Main Street business owner's request to replace parallel parking spots in front of his business with diagonal parking.

Hub City Smokehouse owner Mike Carroll sought the change — which would add 10 parking spots to the current nine — but the council turned down the request following a Public Works recommendation,

A report from city engineer Fred Cook stated that creating diagonal parking would degrade visibility from traffic turning onto Main Street from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Cook’s report also stated diagonal parking would allow less room for drivers’ transition to the intersection.

Assistant Public Works Director Carlos Jones said during the City Council's Monday evening workshop the issue had been considered at least 18 years ago.

“The street supervisor looked at it and said it wasn't advised then and it isn't advised now," Jones said. "We have a lot more traffic on Main Street now.”

Councilman Doug Faircloth said Carroll had caused part of the parking crunch himself.

“The gentleman had extra parking (in a side parking lot) but he chose to put outdoor seating there,” Faircloth said. “I don't see where the city has to provide parking when he has places to provide parking.”

Councilman Bill Cox said the city’s underused Wilson Street parking lot is just a block from the barbecue restaurant.

“But we have a lot of lazy people,” he added.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview City Council rejects parking change

SHALIMAR — The Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners has set an executive session to discuss ongoing litigation.

The session — about 8 a.m. Nov. 17 at the  Okaloosa County Administrative Building, 1250 N. Eglin Parkway, Shalimar — is expected to last a half-hour.

Commissioners will discuss the cases Birkshire Johnstone LLC. v. Board of County Commissioners of Okaloosa County, Florida litigation case numbers 2015-CA-000115-F and 2015-CA-000099-F.

Discussion will focus on settlement negotiations or strategy sessions related to litigation expenditures.

After opening the public meeting, the board will go into closed session.

After the closed session, the board will reconvene in open session in the board chambers so that the board can take action, if necessary.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa commission plans executive session

CRESTVIEW — The City Council, sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency Board, unanimously approved a maximum of $1,000 to hire a legal adviser to check the agency’s compliance with state regulations.

CRA Director Brenda Smith said state officials are looking “harder and harder” at community CRAs to assure they meet the requirements for such special taxing districts.

“They want to look at what redevelopment accomplishments are actually taking place and how money is used,” Smith said.

It is prudent to assure the city is in compliance before the state decides to investigate it, she said.

City attorney Ben Holley concurred the compliance assessment is a good idea and should be done by an attorney with CRA expertise.

Smith said she has identified an attorney, whom she did not identify, recommended by the state CRA board.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview redevelopment board to assess compliance

CRESTVIEW — Following an inquiry by City Councilman JB Whitten, City Clerk Betsy Roy said the city has only six credit cards and they are secure.

Whitten said his inquiry followed questions about inappropriate city-owned credit card use in Destin. Whitten said while he didn’t suspect any misuse was occurring in Crestview, he wanted to be sure there were controls in place to prevent possible abuse.

Roy said two of the cards are held by the police and fire chiefs for emergency purchases, such as critical equipment breakdowns, while the remaining four are kept in a vault and are signed out by her only when requested by a department head.

Roy said her office is looking into replacing the credit cards with purchase cards so the city could receive cash back on purchases at the end of the year. If the city goes that route, the cards might also be used to pay city bills, increasing the cash return.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: City credit cards secure, Crestview clerk says

CRESTVIEW — Given city attorney Ben Holley’s approval, Monday night the City Council approved a contract and financing agreement to purchase a new $800,000 computer system for the Crestview Police Department.

The department’s more than 10-year-old current computer system is failing, Chief Tony Taylor said, and, as seen during 2014’s crime statistics reporting, produces erroneous data.

Crimes were incorrectly classified, necessitating officers to review reports by hand.

A recent data request by the News Bulletin took officers two days to gather by hand, while the new SunGuard system would have produced the information in moments, department spokesman Cmdr. Andrew Schneider said.

The SunGuard system integrates officers’ patrol car computers and the main headquarters system, including dispatch and investigations.

Officers will be able to file reports from the field without having to return to the department’s Whitehurst Municipal Building headquarters. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview council approves new police system

CRESTVIEW — In six days, the rebel battle flag fluttering over Confederate Park will come down during a flag retirement ceremony.

Following the Confederate veterans memorial's Oct. 31 removal, the flag is the last component of a city landmark that has caused debate since the 1990s.

“Everything is gone (from the park) except the flag," Mayor David Cadle said.

After unanimous City Council votes Sept. 14, representatives of William “Uncle Bill” Lundy’s descendants had 60 days to move the memorial and flag to private property of their choosing.  

Lundy, a purported Confederate States Army veteran who died in Crestview in 1957, is mentioned by name on the memorial.

Saturday, Lundy family members and volunteers relocated the memorial to the corner of Hemphill Road and State Road 85 in the Auburn community.

“I hate that it had to be moved,” Greg Lundy, William's great-grandson, said. “City leaders years ago got together and made that in honor of him. It used to be a big thing in Crestview, Florida.

“I’m upset it had to be moved, especially that there have been no protests for it to be moved. There has been outstanding support for it to stay.”

Lundy estimated that “66 percent of the speakers wanted it to stay,” during an August public meeting with the Crestview City Council on the matter, Lundy said.

DIFFICULT DECISION

City Councilman JB Whitten, who made the motion to turn the memorial and flag over to the Lundy family, said it was a difficult decision but was made after the council received input from more than 70 people.

“It took awhile but we finally came up with something everybody could agree on,” Whitten said. “I think it was the right thing for the city.”

A media release from the Southern Strong organization — which launched an Aug. 29 road rally from Crestview’s Old Spanish Trail Park to support keeping the battle flag visible in area communities — said the flag will be ceremoniously lowered at 10 a.m. Nov. 7.

In addition to its own members, Southern Strong expects ceremony guests to include members of the United Daughters of Confederacy and Sons of Confederate Veterans from Camp Carney, Alabama.

The organization seeks businesses or individuals to lease or provide land for the memorial and flag to be permanently displayed.

PREPARATIONS

Public Works Director Wayne Steele said the Lundy family removed the memorial, which includes a bronze plaque mounted on a granite pedestal, without city resources.

Steele said Greg Lundy worked with his department to facilitate removing the memorial and prepare for Saturday’s flag-lowering ceremony.

“He wanted to go ahead and get that done by Saturday so that they would have more room for the color guard ceremony and to help speed up the event,” Steele stated in an email.

“We’re hoping for a more visible place for it,” Lundy said. “We’re going to go with the cards we’ve been dealt.

“The Bible says that we are to obey the laws of the land. The council members have been elected to do the business of the city. I don’t have a choice but to move it.”

The American flag, which until recently flew above the Confederate battle flag, was removed Oct. 29 when it was discovered the display was against flag protocol, which disallows both flags to be displayed from the same staff.

FUTURE PLANS

Relocating the park’s components allows city officials to proceed with a plan to improve traffic flow.

Public Works staffers want to reconfigure the intersection of First and Hickory Avenues with State Road 85 in which Confederate Park sits.

Coupled with traffic calling at several surrounding businesses and entering the intersection from Alabama Street, the intersection is notorious.

“We will submit some design improvements and changes to the City Council in the near future to help make the intersection safer,” Steele stated in his email.

!——-HUB NOTE: PLEASE IGNORE BELOW

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.

Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at brianh@crestviewbulletin.com, follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian or call 850-682-6524.                                                                            

BRIAN HUGHES / News Bulletin

What: Confederate battle flag lowering ceremony

When: 10 a.m. Nov. 7

Where: Confederate Park, Hickory and First Avenues at State Road 85, Crestview

WANT TO GO?

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview's Confederate battle flag comes down Saturday

PENSACOLA — Gulf Power customers will see a decrease in their monthly utility bill beginning in January.

On Monday, the Florida Public Service Commission approved Gulf Power’s request for the rate reduction. Starting January 2016, Gulf Power customers will see a 2.7 percent decrease in their electricity bills.

The average residential bill for 1,000-kilowatt hours of electricity will drop $3.71 to $135.58. This decrease is due mostly to continued lower prices in natural gas and coal used to generate electricity.

“We’ve worked very hard to manage our fuel mix to provide affordable, reliable electric service for our customers,” said Jeff Rogers, Gulf Power manager of external communications. “In the end it means lower electricity bills and that’s great news for Gulf Power customers.”

Each January the FPSC adjusts Gulf Power’s prices to reflect cost changes in fuel, environmental compliance and energy conservation programs.

Customers can find additional savings by making their homes more energy efficient. There are many low-cost and no-cost programs to help customers save money and energy available at www.MyGulfPower.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Florida Public Service Commission approves Gulf Power price decrease

 Oct. 11

●Edmundo Gamboa, 37, Crestview: fleeing/eluding police with disregard of safety to person or property and driving with a suspended license.

●Kaylie Dawn Judy, 21, Baker: probation violation.

Oct. 12

●Reginald Jamaal Evans, 35, Cantonment: out-of-county warrant.

●Joseph Tyrone Gray, 33, Crestview: probation violation.

●Frederick Dewayne McLaughlin, 52, Crestview: aggravated assault with deadly weapon without intent to kill.

●Hunter Lewis Patriquin, 19, Crestview: probation violation.

Oct. 13

●Scott Allen Adams, 51, Pensacola: out-of-county warrant.

●Shannon Harold Burns, 38, Holt: probation violation.

●Codi Brian Fairchild, 21, unlisted address: driving with suspended or revoked license and drug equipment possession or use.

●Taylor Daniel Fureigh, 26, Crestview: cruelty toward child.

●Jacob Stewart Hice, 29, Crestview: probation violation.

●John Earnest Jamison, 66, Crestview: probation violation.

●Walter Ray Moore, 56, Crestview: dealing in stolen property.

●Nkosi Stephen Seals, 18, Crestview: burglary to a conveyance and vehicle grand theft.

●Michael Allen Stiles, 17, Crestview: arson, vehicle grand theft, burglary to a structure or conveyance unarmed without person inside.

●Jack Ethan Sweck, 23, Crestview: weapon or ammo possession by a convicted felon, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, drug equipment or use and probation violation.

●Tiffany Dawn Williams, 25, Crestview: weapon or ammo possession by a convicted felon.

Oct. 15

●Ian Oliver Christiansen, 30, Crestview: battery.

●Caleb Shawn Laird, 18, Crestview: burglary.

●Robert Earl Martin, 41, Crestview: probation violation.

●Frederick Dewayne McLaughlin, 52, Crestview: probation violation.

●Sabrina Varner Naumanuf, 47, Crestview: marijuana possession and drug equipment possession or use.

●Jacob Allen Willman, 18, Crestview: burglary.

Oct. 16

●Limuel Stephen Batson, 24, Holt: driving with suspended license.

●Deanna Faye Beitler, 24, Holt: probation violation.

●Daniel Eugene Kent, 52, Crestview: failure to appear.

●Angelica Lea Ward, 21, Niceville: out-of-county warrant.

●James Glendon Williams, 40, Pensacola: fugitive from justice.

Oct. 17

●Bradley Keith Anderson, 17, Crestview: burglary, possession of burglary tools, trespassing.

●Ashley Nicole Peacock, 29, Baker: battery by strangulation.

Oct. 18

●Joseph James Cantrell, 37, Crestview: failure to appear.

●Dusty Larue Jernigan, 34, Holt: failure to register motor vehicle; failure to have vehicle liability insurance; weapon or ammo possession by a convicted felon; controlled substance possession without a prescription; marijuana and drug equipment possession or use; and smuggling contraband into a detention facility.

●Justin Robert Meredith, 33, Baker: probation violation.

●Cody Jarred Myers, 24, Holt: resisting a law enforcement officer with lights and siren active and driving with suspended or revoked license.

Oct. 19

●Fifteen-year-old Crestview teenager: resisting an officer with violence.

●Jordan Everett Glover, 24, Crestview: resisting an officer without violence, marijuana possession and destroying or tampering with evidence.

●Stephen Gregg Harvey, 24, Owensboro, Ky.: battery.

●Shannon Lynn Hunter, 32, unlisted address: selling opium or its derivative.

●Jason Will Turner, 38, Fort Walton Beach: out-of-county warrant.

Oct. 20

●Tommy Joe Chesser, 48, Crestview: probation violation.

●Darryle Duwayne Coleman, 24, unlisted address: 11 counts of insufficient funds under $150.

●Sonny Lee Findlay, 38, Crestview: probation violation.

●Tonya Michelle Kimmons, 37, Laurel Hill: probation violation.

●Darin Evan Lewis, 45, Crestview: battery.

●Staci Leigh Murrell, 43, Crestview: hit and run of unattended vehicle or property.

●Daniel Lamar Sanders, 32, Crestview: probation violation.

●Chase Brandon Stewart, 31, Crestview: probation violation.

Oct. 21

●Michael Porter Ancrum, 23, Fort Walton Beach: fugitive from justice.

●Amber Nicole Payne, 29, Crestview: out-of-county warrant.

●Sonny Lee Scallion, 48, Milton: out-of-county warrant.

●Joe Donald Martinez, 40, Crestview: nonresident license required.

Oct. 22

●Amber Nicole Payne, 29, Crestview: out-of-county warrant.

●Danielle Nicole Dance, 21, Crestview: battery.

●Aaron Cyril Didon, 34, Jacksonville: out-of-county warrant.

●Rebecca Lee Lucas, 35, Holt: probation violation.

●Philip Michael Alan Merritt, 22, Baker: driving with suspended license.

●Carrie Amanda Richburg, 29, Holt: child neglect without great bodily harm and disorderly conduct.

●Tiffany Marie Spence, 36, Crestview: soliciting or conspiring.

●John Spencer, 48, Navarre: out-of-county warrant.

Oct. 23

●Erica Marie Hughes, 36, Milligan: fraud under $150.

●Daniel Tyler McLean, 24, Milton: contempt of court.

Oct. 25

●Demetri Jovan Martin, 24, Crestview: driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

●Michael William Meyerholz, 31, Destin: out-of-county warrant.

●Justin Michael Smelley, 25, Baker: vehicle grand theft.

●Donavan Jason Webb, 39, Fort Walton Beach: battery by person detained in prison or jail facility.

Oct. 26

●Kevin Allen Hagen, 35, Crestview: manufacturing amphetamine.

●Staci Leigh Murrell, 43, Crestview: child neglect without great bodily harm, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and drug equipment possession or use.

●Nkosi Stephen Seals, 18, Crestview: unarmed burglary to a dwelling and a conveyance, and larceny totaling $300 to $5,000.

●Letavious Antwain Wilks, 19, Crestview: larceny totaling $300 to $5,000.

Oct. 27

●Ty Lee Barocsi, 30, Freeport: out-of-county warrant.

●Bradley Neil Beck, 33, Crestview: probation violation.

●Dennis Daniel Everett, 24, Crestview: failure to appear.

●Marco Maudre Tubbs, 37, Crestview: failure to appear.

●Mark Daniel Van Schmidt, 25, Crestview: larceny totaling $100 to $300.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: ARREST REPORT: Nov. 3, 2015

DESTIN — Late registration is available for the Third Emerald Coast Transportation Symposium is Nov. 12 and 13 at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort near Destin. 

Registration costs $250 per person. See www.transportationsymposium.org or call 800-226-8914, extension 204, to register.

This year's event will bring together professionals and policy-makers to discuss ways in which the area's transportation system can be updated to meet today's demands. 

Keynote speakers and panelists include:

• Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jim Boxold
• Jim Johnson, profiled by Fast Company Magazine as "a geographer with a PhD, a professor with an endowed chair at a leading business school, an expert on poverty, and a tireless activist for social justice"
• Dan Burden, director of innovation and inspiration at Blue Zones
• James Mazzuto, director of Make It Right Solar
• Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, executive director of Florida's Turnpike Enterprise.

The event is hosted by the West Florida Regional Planning Council, Northwest Florida Regional Transportation Planning Organization and the Bay, Gulf, Holmes, Washington Regional Transportation Partnership. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Northwest Florida transportation symposium brings together policymakers, professionals

CRESTVIEW — Two of the city’s oldest churches have reverted to their original zoning following two unanimous votes of the City Council.

Councilmen on Monday passed ordinances freeing the First Presbyterian Church and LifePoint Church, the former First Assembly of God, from restrictions imposed by new downtown zoning.

The new mixed-use zone discourages several types of use, including store-front churches, but the two free-standing churches, each about a century old, were also caught under the new restrictions, which would limit their ability to expand.

After the ordinances passed their second reading, becoming law, one of the church’s ministers praised the councilmen for their decision.

“I just wanted to say thank you for working through these last two issues that stirred up a lot of emotion these last several months,” First Presbyterian’s Rev. Mark Broadhead said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 2 downtown Crestview churches revert to original zoning