Okaloosa County BOCC — August 16, 2016 — Gregg Chapel Church Youth Picnic 091016 request

Greqqg Chapel A.M.E. Church P.O. Box 1779 ¢ 34 Carson Drive * Fort Walton Beach, FL. 32549 Ph: 850-243-5925 = Fax: 850-243-0036 Rev. Cecil Williams, Pastor "Continuousfy pursuing perfection for the coming gf Christ” Amy Allen Parks Coordinator 5489 Old Bethel Rd. Crestview, FL 32536 Greetings, Ms. Allen & Okaloosa Board of County Commissioners, I write this short missive in accordance with Resolution No. 05-96 and Recreation Area Ordinance #04-05 seeking a temporary use permit for a special event and a few other waivers to policy. The event is the 151 Florida Annual Conference for the African Methodist Episcopal Church, which is being hosted by Gregg Chapel AME Church. This is a first for our county. The event will span from the 10 September 2016 and end on the evening of 16 September 2016. The Florida Annual Conference consist of 126 churches spanning from Monticello to Pensacola Florida. We are looking for 1200 to 1400 people at the opening and closing ceremonies. Generally the excitement is in the closing ceremony as pastors are given their church assignments for the next conference year. Our humble request deals with Marler Park which is located adjacent to the Emerald Coast Convention Center for which we have booked for the entire week. On Saturday 10 September, our youth will be holding their annual business sessions, workshops, worship service and will end with a picnic (hopefully) at Marler Park, which is located perfectly as it relates to logistics. In addition to the special permit we are seeking, we are also asking for a waiver to policy by seeking a release from the fees associated with a special event. We have enclosed all necessary checks but hope that you will see that we too are positively promoting our area, increasing revenue at hotels, gas stations and the local eateries during this time. The efforts of this event could possibly lock us in for this to be an ongoing occurrence. Please know that our present expenditure line with the convention center alone tops $14,000.00 and steadily rising. Therefore any waivers or release for this one-time request would be greatly appreciated. A Ministry gftfie A.M.E. Church Email: revwms(@greggchapel.org