CRESTVIEW — The Okaloosa County Board of Commissioners today voted 4-1 to raze the Crestview courthouse and rebuild a new facility on the same site within two years.

Commissioner Trey Goodwin of District 4 voted nay, questioning the expense.

“This is big stuff,” board chairman Nathan Boyles said. “We’re going to demolish the courthouse: bring out our bulldozers, push it away, and spend $21 million on a beautiful new, Southern-style downtown courthouse.”

Boyles said it is important to keep the county’s main courthouse downtown in the county seat.

“The goal is to achieve a facility that the citizens up here can be proud of and make sure Crestview will be the home of the county courthouse for the next generation,” Boyles said.

HISTORIC DESIGN

During discussion at Tuesday’s board meeting, members of the city’s Historic Preservation Board, including President Ann Spann, Graham Fountain, Linda Parker and Cal Zethmayr, stressed the importance of maintaining downtown’s historic architecture in the new facility.

“The board gave specific instructions to the design team that we want to take these comments into consideration,” Boyles said. “We want this to feel like a Southern town square-type of traditional courthouse.”

Boyles said the existing courthouse has served the community well over its more than 60 years, but has outlived its lifespan. Recently discovered mold, a failing heating and cooling system and leaky roof are among challenges that would’ve been faced had the board decided to renovate the building.

“The commission had the will to say, ‘the heck with all that. Let’s push it into a pile.’”

CRESTVIEW PRESENCE

“We can rebuild it just as quickly and have a much more functional, durable and beautiful facility for the citizens of Okaloosa County by starting with a clean slate in the county seat and downtown,” Boyles said.

Boyles said county facilities currently housed in the courthouse will be vacated within the next two or three months.

While maintaining a temporary court presence in Crestview, due to the mold treatment, is under discussion, judges’ offices will be moved to the Water and Sewer Building, known as the “Taj Mahal,” in Fort Walton Beach “because the rent is free,” Boyles said. “The goal is to have some level of presence up here.”

EVOLUTION OF THE COURTHOUSE PLANS

First idea: $60,000 to refurbish portions of the current courthouse

Second idea: $8 million to renovate the courthouse entirely

Third idea: $12 million to totally renovate the courthouse and add an addition

Fourth idea: $17 to totally renovate the courthouse and add an addition after further planning

Latest idea: $21 million to raze the courthouse and build a new facility on the site

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa County Commission votes to raze, rebuild Crestview courthouse

LAUREL HILL — It’s about time Okaloosa County’s northernmost municipality joins other cities in having an official website, City Councilman Scott Moneypenny says.

“There’s no denying the internet has changed the way we communicate forever,” Moneypenny said during Thursday’s monthly council meeting. “Most people would rather visit your website then the local city hall.”

Moneypenny said in addition to keeping residents informed about city events and services, “this is an opportunity to get our name out to bigger businesses that might want to put something in our industrial park.”

 “Can that incorporate paying a water bill online?” resident Mike Hanula asked, adding, “not that I don't like coming in and visiting.”

“Absolutely,” Council Chairman Larry Hendren said, eliciting applause from Hanula.

Moneypenny said when contacting potential businesses, the first question he’s asked is, “Do you have a website we can go to?”

Moneypenny has researched other similar-sized municipalities’ websites and cited Freeport and Paxton’s online presences, noting Freeport’s would be worth emulating, but Paxton’s is not regularly updated.

Daily updates are essential, he said, but given City Hall’s small two-person staff, an outside web provider would be needed. He said 30-A Media Group offers can create and maintain a website for about $1,400 a year, which is lower than other companies he researched.

Hendren invited other website developers to contact the city and share their expertise as well.

Moneypenny proposed establishing a basic site, or “shell,” then building it based on resident input.

“Everything about our website should support our community needs, goals and aspirations, which is why it has to be built around our citizens,” Moneypenny said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill considering official website

CRESTVIEW — When festivals take place downtown, the sponsoring organization — often the city — sometimes must rent portable staging.

That might soon change.

Community Redevelopment Agency and Main Street Crestview Association director Brenda Smith proposes purchasing a retired shipping container and converting it to a mobile stage.

CRA board members like the idea — and, by a 3-1 vote, with board member Joe Blocker voting nay on Monday, approved allocating $7,550 toward the project. The plan's supporters learned after the meeting that the goal might be achieved easier and cost less.

Crestview Public Works director Wayne Steele, whose machine shop would have performed the conversion, said assistant director Carlos Jones has located used mobile stages for sale.

“We have found some that are already made,” Steele said. “Rather than us building it, we might find something that meets our vision for a lot less.”

Steele said Smith found a container that weighs 5,000 pounds, which was almost twice as heavy as what he was envisioning and would prove a challenge for the Public Works machine shop.

Blocker asked to see design renderings before the container was converted to assure it was aesthetically presentable.

“If we're going to have something like that, let’s have something that has good first impressions,” he said.

“I have personally seen some creative repurposing of shipping containers and they’re only limited by your imagination,” board member Bill Cox said.

Steele said he, Jones and Smith will evaluate the used stages Jones found before making another recommendation to the CRA board.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Retired shipping container may become Crestview stage

CRESTVIEW – Ten candidates have submitted applications to fill the remainder of resigned City Councilman Mickey Rytman’s term of office, which ends in March 2017.

Among applicants are former City Council members Robyn Helt, Bob Allen and Bill Kilpatrick.

Other applicants include Wendell Beattie, Brandon Frost, Zachary Beasley, Joseph Earnhardt, Rodney Salisbury, Doug Faircloth and Robert Helm.

The council will interview the applicants at a special 6 p.m. Oct. 6 meeting at City Hall. If a new member is selected at that time, he or she will be sworn in and seated at the regular Oct. 12 City Council meeting.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 10 apply for vacant Crestview City Council seat

CRESTVIEW — With the Okaloosa County courthouse about to be closed indefinitely for mold mitigation, Mayor David Cadle asked for a City Council consensus to allow court to be held at Warriors Hall during the cleanup.

"I don't want to see a precedent set to remove county business from the county seat," Cadle said.

Cadle said he has been discussing the issue with Board of County Commissioners chairman Nathan Boyles, a Main Street business owner.

"Warriors Hall has been part of the conversation to retain a legal presence in the city," Cadle said, noting the court system would use the hall just for a few days each month.

City Clerk Betsy Roy said few if any daytime hall rentals would be affected during the next several months.

"I think this would be an excellent opportunity for the city to demonstrate its willingness to maintain a court presence in Crestview," Cadle said.

The council unanimously agreed.

"Mr. Mayor, the court will not be moved from the city of Crestview," Councilman Joe Blocker declared.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: County court may temporarily relocate to Warriors Hall

CRESTVIEW — The Crestview City Council came close Monday night to resorting to the rollback millage rate when the body deadlocked 2-2 on passing the previously approved 6.9466 millage.

But after discussion, both the millage and the proposed 2015-16 city budget passed 3-1, with Councilman JB Whitten voting against both resolutions.

Whitten and Councilman Joe Blocker voted against the resolution authorizing the increased millage following several residents' opposition to the rate.

"I feel there are some things in the budget we can reduce," resident Wendell Beattie said.

Following the deadlock, City Clerk Betsy Roy said unless the millage was adopted, the city would default to the 5.8743 rollback millage, which would lop more than $1 off the budget.

"I'm astounded at this vote," Councilman Bill Cox said. "Right here and now this puts the city in turmoil and it shouldn't be that way. This was the second vote to move this forward. One councilman has changed his vote from last time. I have no reason why."

Blocker, who changed to a "nay" vote from last week's first hearing on the millage, asked city attorney Ben Holley for his advice.

"You're going to have to pass a millage rate and a balanced budget," Holley said. "All of this has to be done by Oct. 1."

BUDGET ADJUSTMENT

Roy told the councilmen that once passed, they can adjust the budget more to their satisfaction if they wish.

Asked by Council President Shannon Hayes, who favored the millage and budget, what he suggests doing, Blocker shifted his stance.

"All we can do to stay out of trouble with the state and pass this millage rate, then do everything possible to lower the budget a million dollars," Blocker replied.

Blocker then moved to rescind the first vote, which passed 3-1, with Whitten voting nay. Cox moved to pass the millage again, which then passed 3-1, with Whitten again voting against it.

Discussion then turned to the proposed $29,593,225 budget. Resident Thomas Simms spoke against it, singling out expenditures such as $200,000 earmarked for future fire engine purchases as a "slush fund for the fire department," and questioning a 5 percent city worker pay raise.

Simms also dismissed a new computer system to replace the police department's failing system as "spending a million dollars on a data base that wouldn't even be talked about if it wasn't for the election," though the system actually will cost $775,856.

After discussion, the budget passed 3-1, with Whitten again voting nay.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview millage, budget barely pass City Council