By DOTTY NIST
After months of review by the Local RESTORE Act Committee and then by county commissioners, there has been a selection of projects to be funded through the $5.7 million available to the county in direct component/Pot 1 funding through the RESTORE Act.
The Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) made their selection of projects at the Jan. 26 regular BCC meeting at the Walton County Courthouse, among other discussion and action at the meeting.
Action on the projects followed a presentation by Melinda Gates, coastal resources liaison for Walton County Public Works, on project applications and a list of 16 projects recommended for funding. The list was based on review by and recommendations from the Local RESTORE Act Committee. Billy Williams, Walton County RESTORE Act coordinator, accompanied Gates before the commissioners.
There had been agreements with some project applicants to reduce the amount requested to that needed for implementation of the first phase of their projects, so as to provide for more projects to get started. It was anticipated that many of them would be able to use the amounts provided to leverage more funding from other sources, including grants.
The selection of projects is to accompany a multi-year implementation plan to be created by Walton County and sent to the U.S. Department of Treasury for approval, per RESTORE Act requirements.
Selected projects included artificial reef fish/dive reefs, a restoration project for the county’s coastal dune lakes, a stormwater master plan and capital improvements strategic plan for the city of Freeport, identification of water quality improvements for Lagrange Bayou, Black Creek and the Choctawhatchee Bay, a Muscogee Nation of Florida micro farm and land development project, a number of Walton County stormwater projects, and a stormwater master plan, roadway and drainage improvement for the Old Town of Santa Rosa.
Along with the list of projects presented by Gates, the commissioners voted to include another proposal, the CR-30A Intermodal Transportation Innovation Program, to be funded for its phase 1 at a cost of $120,000.
Jay Liles, Robert Davis, and Tom Stein were present at the meeting on behalf of the Seaside Institute to speak in favor of funding for the latter project.
Liles explained that the project would involve trolleys and also electric vehicles similar to golf carts that would be “mostly self piloted.” He explained that the goal was to get people to park remotely and use “autonomously-powered vehicles” on CR-30A.
Stein commented that he believed part of government’s role to be to provide transit for people who do not own cars, just as government provides other transportation elements such as roads.
Davis warned that, due to crowding, he believed CR-30A to be reaching a “tipping point” that would cause people to be more and more “turned off” by traffic and parking problems. He spoke in favor of vehicles that can be “called up on command,” including Uber and/or Lyft vehicles.
Davis envisioned CR-30A becoming “an even more amazing beacon” for other areas if the innovative transportation program could be accomplished. He anticipated the ability to “highly leverage” additional funds if the county agreed to “put some skin in the game.”
He envisioned strong environmental benefit in connection with the project, including getting “gas guzzlers” off CR-30A. Tours of state forests could be a part of the program, Davis noted. Local students would be involved in technology for the project, including restoration of old cars, he added.
Among other public input on the projects were comments by Ann Tucker of the Muscogee Nation of Florida, who told the commissioners that the Muscogee Nation project was “a project about food.” She noted that the nation’s ongoing Rural Relief Food Pantry project had fed 700 people in need of assistance the previous week, serving people in Walton, Holmes, and Washington counties.
Funded for $480,000, the Muscogee Nation project is to create an agricultural tourism business employing local residents and partnering with local engineers, extension services, and universities.
Gates estimated that an addition $1 to $2 million would be available in Pot 1 funds in 2017.
Transit survey report and traffic study update
Also at the Jan. 26 meeting, the commissioners heard a report from consultant David Haight regarding a survey done on the possibility of transit.
Haight reported that 1,431 residents and 690 visitors had responded to the survey, which ended on Dec. 15.
He suggested that, due to strong interest shown in transit to Silver Sands and Pier Park, there should be a look at connecting transit on the west and east ends of the county with that existing in adjoining areas.
Haight noted that three-fourths of those responding indicated that their transportation needs were not met and that 65 percent said that they would utilize transit if available.
“There is a willingness to pay for the service,” he reported.
Haight is to return with another presentation at the March 8 BCC meeting.
Having responded to the BCC’s direction for an update of the county’s 2006 traffic study, Walton County Engineer Chance Powell reported that he was working on the scope of the update in order for all needed data to be collected. He envisioned having a proposal for the study completed later that day. Powell anticipated data collection for the study to take place in May and June.
Park and ride discussion
Discussed, as well, at the meeting were possibilities for park and ride facilities that could be utilized by county employees and possibly also employees of area businesses.
Following up on a recent BCC directive to research these possibilities, staff had determined that the state Department of Transportation (DOT) had prepared justification reports a number of years ago for park and ride sites at the fire station in Woodlawn and a site just east of CR-393 on U.S. 98 in Santa Rosa Beach. While both sites met DOT standards for construction, no state funding was available. Estimates for construction of paved parking spaces ranged from $3,000 to $4,000 per space.
Due to the widening of U.S. 331, the Woodlawn Fire Station has since been replaced with the United Fire Station at another location along U.S. 331.
As an area for park and ride and/or additional parking for citizens attending meetings, the commissioners discussed the area north of the South Walton Annex, which had been the former location for Walton County Code Enforcement when that department was housed in a temporary building. The area had been graveled at one point.
On a motion by Meadows, the commissioners voted to clean up and fix up the latter area but not pave it, so that vehicles could be parked there.
There was no action on additional parking areas, but staff was directed to research park and ride sites further, along with funding possibilities.