Okaloosa County BOCC — May 6, 2014 — Action Item Printout — reading text

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST DATE: May 6, 2014 TO: Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board FROM: Jeff Littrell SUBJECT: Defense Infrastructure Grant Phase 4 (DIG) Agreement between Okaloosa County and Enterprise Florida DEPARTMENT: Water and Sewer BCC DISTRICT: 1 STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Staff requests that the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) approve and authorize the Chairman to execute the Defense Infrastructure Grant Agreement between the County and the Enterprise Florida Inc. This $200,000 grant is for land acquisition of a Shoal River buffer, which benefits both the Air Force (Duke Field flight path) and Okaloosa County (watershed protection for future water supply). BACKGROUND: The attached agreement is indirectly related to future water supply planning for Okaloosa County. This agreement further formalizes the partnership between the County, the state (Enterprise Florida Inc.), and Eglin AFB. These entities have the same objective of being protective of the environment, specifically north of Duke Field and south of Interstate 10. Because of Duke Field’s flight path, Eglin would like to limit development in this area and create a natural buffer. Specifically, sound attenuation is an issue that would affect the public, and light pollution is an issue that would affect the various military missions at Duke Field. This buffer area is in the same vicinity that the Board and OCWS have been committed to utilizing for future water supply. We are currently at the land acquisition stage, in order to secure land to be used for an offline reservoir, water treatment plant, wetlands mitigation, and associated infrastructure such as pipelines, pump stations, an intake structure, and the needed utilities. Land acquisition for the reservoir, water treatment plant, and other related infrastructure will be a separate transaction from the Shoal River Buffer Land Acquisition (because of other funding restrictions). An example would be the Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative (REPI). For the Shoal River Buffer Land Acquisition funded by DIG (Defense Infrastructure Grant) and REPI, the benefit to the County is that the land acquired with these funds can be used for expanded watershed protection for future water supply, as well as additional acreage for wetlands mitigation, access, and utilities. In November 2010, the BCC approved and executed the first DIG for $500,000. In November 2011, the BCC approved and executed another DIG for $200,000. In December 2012, the BCC approved and executed the third DIG for $200,000. The current agreement under consideration is for further DIG funding in an amount not to exceed $200,000 to be used for a land purchase for buffering, as described above. This funding will be utilized as Okaloosa County’s “match” with the recent $200,000 REPI Phase 4 funding, which was recently approved by the BCC on 4/15/2014 and soon to be executed by the U.S. Air Force. As staff presented at the 12/3/2013 BCC meeting, the Shoal River Buffer Land Acquisition will be funded from four (4) REPI grants (now consolidated into the Cooperative Agreement) and three (3) DIGs (excludes DIG Phase 1). Staff is planning on presenting the BCC with an overall update on the status of land acquisition for the Future Water Supply Program at the 5/20/2014 BCC Meeting. The proposed Agreement is attached, along with the County Contract Review Coordination Sheet and the following exhibits: Exhibit A - Grant Application Exhibit B - Schedule of Activities Exhibit C - Award Announcement OPTIONS: Approve or deny. RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends BCC approval for the Chairman to execute the Defense Infrastructure Grant Agreement with Enterprise Florida Inc. for $200,000 of funding for the Shoal River Military Installation Buffer Project. Staff requests that the BCC authorize the Chairman to execute the Grant Agreement and any future grant documents during the term of this grant. RECOMMENDED BY: APPROVED BY: Ernie Padgett, County Administrator