CRESTVIEW — The city ollied over a pair of father-son scam artists who tried to milk taxpayers for up to $55,000 for “free” skate park equipment, according to city officials.

On Jan. 23, 2014, Anthony Hemphill approached Public Works Director Wayne Steele, offering the city $120,000 worth of “like-new” prefabricated skate park equipment, including ramps and lighting, that had been “put in place by a government agency that then didn’t want them.”

On May 10, Hemphill was sentenced in federal court to 41 months in prison after pleading guilty in February to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud non-profit organizations of more than $300,000.

His father, William Hemphill, was sentenced to five years’ probation in the same case. Both are Crestview residents.

Crestview Mayor David Cadle credits Steele and then-city attorney Jerry Miller for preventing the city from being scammed.

“We certainly dodged that one,” Cadle said. “Mr. Steele was under tremendous pressure to accept their offer.”

PURCHASING PROCEDURES

The city had been considering opening a skate park as part of its recreational facilities within the Community Redevelopment District for several years.

The Hemphills offered to provide the equipment at no cost, but requested their construction company, A.F.H. Construction, be given the contract to transport and set it up, a cost they estimated between $45,000 and $55,000.

Miller counseled the council to follow city procurement protocols, which require such contracts be open to bidding.

“Be cautious, please, that a gift horse is not a Trojan horse in disguise,” Miller said.

“And he was right, wasn’t he?” Cadle said.

In an email exchange with Steele, Anthony Hemphill offered advice on circumventing the city’s $7,500 bid threshold by suggesting the city write multiple checks, breaking the installation into segments for loading, packing, transportation and storage.

PRESSURE BUILDS

As the City Council, sitting as the CRA board, requested details of previous Hemphill “beneficiaries,” the family sidestepped the requests and increased pressure to accept the bid, threatening $3,000 monthly “storage fees” for each month the city delayed.

“Let me be blunt I have watch many (cities) and others loose great opportunity because they cant see the obvious,” Anthony Hemphill wrote Steele on Feb. 3, 2014. “This is not about the city this is about the Kids.”

Finally Hemphill threatened to offer the equipment “to another city of or non profit.”

But the CRA board heeded Steele and Miller’s advice and took no action on the Hemphill offer.

“I’m usually the bearer of bad news: Follow the regulations and procedures,” Miller said in a March 2014 interview with the News Bulletin. “It’s easier to stay out of trouble than get out of trouble.”

Despite public criticism — such as a then-Crestview High School senior, who said, “Honestly, I’d be willing to install it myself if it meant we got a skate park” —the city didn’t succumb to the pressure.

“Thank goodness for Wayne Steele, who held the line against all the criticism he received,” Cadle said. “He is a valuable employee of the city.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview dodges $55,000 skate park scam

FORT WALTON BEACH — The Okaloosa County Republican Club’s monthly meeting, featuring an Okaloosa County Property Appraiser forum, is Thursday, May 26 at American Legion Post 235, 105 S.W. Hollywood Blvd. 

Social hour will begin at 6:30 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7 p.m. Dinner costs $15 and includes drinks and gratuity. Menu choices are southwest chicken pasta or grilled chicken salad. Visitors are welcome. 

Call President Mark Franks, 240-1279, for information about the Republican Club. Call Vice President Nate Lepper, 376-2287, to make a dinner reservation. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa Republicans schedule Property Appraiser forum

CRESTVIEW — Candidate qualifying packets for the primary and general Okaloosa County election will be available May 27.

Hours and office locations for packet pickup are  8 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting May 27 at 302 Wilson Street N, Suite 102 Crestview, or 1250 Eglin Pkwy., Suite 103 Shalimar. Supervisor of Elections offices will be closed May 30.

Qualifying week begins at noon June 20 and ends at noon June 24.

In addition to other offices up for election, the following special districts will be on the ballot.

●Almarante Fire District: Seats 2, 4 and 5

●Baker Fire District: Groups 1, 3 and 5

●Blackman Fire District: Seats 1, 3 and 5

●Holt Fire District: Groups 2, 3 and 4

●North Okaloosa Fire District: Groups 1, 3 and 5

●Yellow River Soil and Water Conservation District: Groups 2, 3 and 4

●Destin Fire Control District: Groups 2 and 4

●Dorcas Fire District: Groups 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

●East Niceville Fire District: Groups 1, 3 and 5

●Florosa Fire Control District: Seats 2, 3 and 4

●North Bay Fire District: Groups 1, 3 and 5

●Ocean City-Wright Fire Control District: Groups 2 and 4

●Okaloosa Island Fire District: Groups 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

●Bluewater Bay MSBU: Seats 1, 3 and 5

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa candidate qualifying packets available May 27

CRESTVIEW — The Okaloosa County Courthouse has faced Crestview’s downtown district for almost 100 years, but that appears likely to change.

Okaloosa County Commissioners’ recent approval of an orientation adjustment for the new courthouse didn’t sit well with Crestview Historic Preservation Board members.

“It has not shifted a little bit,” board President Ann Spann said. “It has shifted so the new courthouse is now facing west. It is facing Pine Street, which is a dead-end, one-way street.”

Spann said the 3-2 decision — with Commissioners Carolyn Ketchell and Kelley Windes casting nay votes — during a Tuesday morning meeting in Shalimar allowed Crestview residents no convenient opportunity for input.

She said the Historic Preservation Board asked commissioners to delay voting on the new orientation until they met June 7 in Crestview. “The county commissioners turned this into, ‘Oh, it’ll delay things. It will cost more money,’” Spann said. “We asked for a change of even a few degrees to have at least part of the columns and the antebellum look overlooking the historic district and historic downtown Crestview.”

County Commissioner Nathan Boyles said he understood the historic board’s concern, but acted on the building designers’ recommendation to accommodate site restrictions. “The site was very constrained, and there are utilities on the site that had to be taken into consideration,” he said. “Because of those constraints, the designers recommended that the orientation be changed.”

The reorientation will provide eight more parking spots — for a total of 169 — than the original placement. More parking will also be provided at a county-owned lot on Wilson Street and Beech Avenue.

Spann said, until Tuesday morning’s meeting, few Crestview residents were aware the building might rotate.

“We feel … that many in the business district and the city are not aware of what they’re getting,” she said. “We feel the citizens should have an opportunity to at least be aware of how this should be oriented on the site.”

“It isn’t really about peoples’ preferences,” Boyles said. “It’s about aligning a much bigger building on a site in a way that’s feasible. The design team made it clear there was a single preferred orientation.”

Spann said the historic board appreciates initially being consulted on the courthouse design to assure the building complements the historic district’s architecture.

“The Historic Preservation Board was very grateful for the courtesies extended to us in the design of the courthouse with the classic façade, which makes for a very beautiful building,” she said. “It’s certainly historical and aesthetically correct. Why wouldn’t you want it facing the historic district?”

Boyles said the new building will still have an impressive presence.

“When you are on South Main Street looking north, you’ll see the portico projecting forward,” he said. “You’ll see those columns. The building will properly anchor Main Street from all directions, not just the south.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Change in Crestview courthouse plans raises historic board's concerns

CRESTVIEW — As city firefighters look to keep pace with Crestview’s growth, Chief Joe Traylor has asked the City Council to approve a lease-purchase agreement to acquire two new fire trucks.

The Pierce Saber pumpers will allow the Crestview Fire Department to retire its two oldest fire engines, including a 1985 pumper for which replacement parts are no longer obtainable.

Under the arrangement with Pierce’s leasing company, PNC Equipment Finance, the city has the option to keep the fire trucks at the end of the seven-year lease period in 2023.

City Clerk Betsy Roy, who worked with Traylor on the lease details, said under the $902,880 arrangement, the first $109,590 payment would fall due in May 2017.

“And we get two shiny trucks,” Roy said. “We have the option at the end (of the lease) to turn them in and get two new shiny trucks.”

MAINTENANCE

The lease cost also includes regular maintenance costs, which currently the fire department has to pay for, Roy said.

“What this will allow us to do is put in place a process where we can have an efficient and cost-effective way to manage growth,” Traylor told the City Council.

As the city begins looking for land in the Old Bethel Road area on which to build a northwest Crestview fire station in anticipation of predicted growth, “we will have vehicles than can immediately be put there,” Traylor said.

“We'd be planning ahead for that so it wouldn't be an ‘oh-my-God-we-have-to-do-it-tomorrow’ scenario,” he said.

While scheduled routine preventative maintenance on the new vehicles was included in Pierce’s bid, it was inadvertently omitted from the contract.

At the City Council’s direction, Traylor returned to Pierce to assure the provision was included.

“We got that taken care of and the leasing company and the Pierce corporation and the city will be happy with it,” Traylor said.

While the fire department’s trucks don’t put on many miles every year—the average is about 6,000 miles, Traylor said—wear and tear comes from service at a fire scene.

“Fire trucks don't necessarily drive long distances, but they sit there for several hours with the motors running at high RPMs while they pump water,” he said.

MAY 23 APPROVAL

Traylor expects the council will consider the contract at a special meeting called for May 23 before its scheduled workshop.

Leasing the two new engines won’t cost much more than the city paid for two new fire trucks in 2007 with maintenance costs figured in, Traylor said.

The new trucks will be built to meet the Crestview Fire Department’s requirements, Traylor said, right down to the paint scheme.

“They’ll build the trucks to our specifications,” he said. “These are trucks that are in common use throughout the United States. They have a very good track record.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Omission delays Crestview fire trucks lease approval (VIDEO)

CRESTVIEW — The intersection of Wingard Street and Sanders Avenue will be closed May 17 for construction.

The City of Crestview Utility Maintenance Department will be working on construction repair from 7 a.m. through 1 p.m. May 17, weather permitting.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: May 17 Crestview intersection closure set

FORT WALTON BEACH — All Okaloosa Democrats are invited to attend as the Okaloosa Democrat Executive Committee launches its 2016 campaign, "All In, to Win."

The meeting is 6:30 p.m. May 16 at the new Democrat satellite office, 1500 Lewis Turner Blvd., Fort Walton Beach.

Attendees may meet Richard Rian, newly elected committee chair, and get details on becoming a democratic precinct committee member in their neighborhoods. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa Democratic campaign kicks off May 16

FORT WALTON BEACH — Representatives from the Okaloosa County Tax Collector’s Office conduct workshops around the county to educate citizens on its annual Tax Certificate Sale.

Winning bidders can earn between 5-18 percent interest. Investors earned an average of 7.09 percent in 2015 through the sales.

Here's the schedule:

●6 p.m. May 12, Okaloosa Administration Building, 1250 Eglin Parkway N, Shalimar.

●6 p.m. May 17, OCTC office, 701 John Sims Parkway E., Niceville.

●6 p.m. May 19, OCTC office, 302 Wilson St. N, Crestview

●6 p.m. May 24, Okaloosa Administration Building, Shalimar.

Potential investors may go to www.BidOkaloosa.com to take full advantage of the demonstrations, procedural information, links to public records and the Delinquent Tax advertising list.

Bidding began May 11 and ends June 1.

The required published advertisement of delinquent parcels appears in May 11, 18 and 25 Crestview News Bulletins. Copies will be available at all OCTC office locations and www.OkaloosaTax.com.

Delinquent taxpayers have until 5 p.m. May 31 to pay on their account or a certificate will be sold June 1. Payment must be made by cash, cashier’s check, money-order or by credit card.

For details contact the tax department at 651-7604.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa tax certificate sale workshops set

NAVARRE — The Northwest Florida Regional Transportation Planning Organization will meet May 18.

The meeting is 1:30 p.m. at Navarre Visitor Center, 8543 Navarre Parkway.

The Technical Working Group will meet at 10:30 a.m. in the same location. 

A full agenda is available online at www.wfrpc.org.

The TPO strives to plan for the future transportation needs of the region in a collaborative manner that is beneficial to all residents and visitors.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Northwest Florida Regional TPO to meet May 18

CRESTVIEW — The Democratic Women's Club of Okaloosa County will host a local luncheon, "Celebrate Democratic Women."

Speakers include local candidates and one person who will address women's issues in the workplace. Every female guest will get a gift, and other door prize.

The public may attend the event; the lunch buffet costs $10.28 per person, including drink.

 Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 19 at Ryan's Family Steakhouse Restaurant, 3000 Ferdon Blvd. S.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'Celebrate Democratic Women' May 19 in Crestview