Okaloosa County BOCC — December 31, 2012 — Action Item Printout

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST DATE: December 4, 2012 TO: Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board FROM: John Hofstad SUBJECT: Veteran's Park - Improvement Schedule and Funding DEPARTMENT: Public Works BCC DISTRICT: 2 STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Staff requests Board approval for various park improvements for the unoccupied portion of Veteran's Park (approximately 17 acres) and a dedicated funding source utilizing annual lease fees from the two leased parcels: Gulf Coast Marine Life Center and Wild Willy's Adventure Island. BACKGROUND: Earlier this year the BCC approved a conceptual plan to subdivide portions of the 35-acre Okaloosa Island property previously known as the Island Golf Center. The approved subdivision of property resulted in 4.57 acres for the Gulf Coast Marine Life Center, 3.56 acres for the Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge, 2.83 acres for Wild Willy's Adventure Island, and 17+/- acres reserved for passive recreation. Two of the leased parcels, Marine Life Center and Wild Willy's, were previously approved by the Board and are set up as revenue generating leases for the County. The largest tract within the property (17 acres +/-) is to be reserved in its natural state for the use and enjoyment of the public. This past summer, staff brought before the Board for approval a conceptual rendering of various improvements to this tract which included: gravel walking trails, pavilions with picnic tables, fountains in two of the ponds, and reconstruction of the pedestrian bridge over the large pond. Staff estimates the cost for these improvements to be: $18,000 for construction of the walking trails, $5,000-$7,000 each for the picnic pavilions, $2,500 each for the pond fountains, $15,000 for reconstruction of the pedestrian bridge, and $50,000 for a restroom facility on the east side of the park if desired. Many of the improvements planned for this tract will be accomplished through volunteer efforts and funding provided by the two lease operations, Marine Life Center and Wild Willy's. However, the two lessees have not committed to funding all of the improvements needed to complete the park. Staff recommends setting aside a portion, or all, of the annual lease fees in a separate account for use by the Parks Division as a funding source for various improvements at this location. Currently, the Parks Division does not have a budgeted capital improvement program for Veteran's Park. The annual lease fees total $140,000, with Wild Willy's contributing $65,000 and the Marine Life Center contributing $75,000. The Parks Division can draw from this funding source to ensure that the improvements outlined above are completed within our conceptual timetable of 18 months. In addition, several improvements are needed to the existing public parking area, a portion of which resides within the lease boundaries of Wild Willy's and the Marine Life Center. Staff anticipates using this funding source to complete the needed parking improvements in the area outside of the leased boundary. This project will be accomplished in cooperation with the two lease operations in order to take advantage of economies of scale savings. OPTIONS: Approve/Disapprove staff's recommendations related to Veteran's Park improvements and the corresponding funding source needed for their completion. RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff requests Board approval to implement various improvements within the unoccupied portion of Veteran's Park on Okaloosa Island and subsequent approval for a corresponding funding source utilizing annual lease fees from the two leased parcels, Gulf Coast Marine Life Center and Wild Willy's Adventure Island. RECOMMENDED BY: APPROVED BY: James D. Curry, County Administrator