Okaloosa County BOCC — November 3, 2015 — Sept 15, 2015 regular meeting

September 15, 2015 Regular Meeting The regular Tuesday meeting of the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners was called to order at 8:30 a.m. at the Water & Sewer Administration Building in Fort Walton Beach. Members present were Nathan D. Boyles, Chairman; Charles K. Windes, Jr., Vice Chairman; Wayne Harris; Carolyn Ketchel; and Trey Goodwin. Also present were J. D. Peacock II, Clerk of Circuit Court; Gary J. Stanford, Finance Officer, Clerk’s Office; John Hofstad, County Administrator; Greg Stewart, County Attorney; and members of the media. EMPLOYEE SERVICE AWARDS Mr. Hofstad presented service awards to the following employees: Richard Morton------=—-—=—-=- Five Years Paul Brown-----—==——==e——ec—a=- Five Years Nina Hawkins===-=-e==—vcrew- Ten Years Rodney Davis--------—-———=—--- Ten Years Gene Phillipgs-—===--—v-—w-- Thirty-five Years John Griffin----=-=--=—-—--—- Retirement PUBLIC WORKS REACCREDITATION Mr. Hofstad asked Public Works Director Jason Autrey and several members of his staff to join him at the podium. The Okaloosa County Public Works Department was recently awarded reaccreditation by the American Public Works Association (APWA). The original APWA Accreditation was awarded in June 2011. The Public Works team was given a round of applause and presented with a new accreditation plaque. H.E.R.O. AWARD PRESENTATION TO HEATHER WARD AND MARYSA KIRBY Mr. Paul Lawson, Interim Public Safety Director, and Tracey Vause, EMS Division Chief, joined Mr. Hofstad at the podium. Mr. Voss stated that on August 20, 2015 EMT Heather Ward and her partner, Paramedic Marysa Kirby, answered a call for a nine-year old injured in a bicycle accident. They arrived to find her still entangled in one of the wheels. He stated they had to cut the bicycle apart to free her. Ms. Ward and Ms. Kirby felt the little girl deserved a new bike and after their shift went to Wal-Mart and purchased one for her. Their plan was to leave the bike on the porch while the little girl was at school. Despite September 15, 2015 -1- Minute Book 73, Page 204 Okalocosa County Board of County Commissioners their efforts to be discrete, the efforts were noticed and became the subject of appreciation on social media. For their kindness and generosity, Ms. Ward and Ms. Kirby were nominated for the Humanitarian Efforts Recognized by Okaloosa County (H.E.R.O.) Award. Both women were presented with certificates and given a round of applause. PUBLIC INFORMATION UPDATES Mrs. Kathy Newby, Public Information Officer, stated the Beach Safety Division of Public Safety was awarded the 2015 BReach Patrol of the Year. During the summer of 2015, there was on average 5,000 visitors per day to Okaloosa Island. There were three weeks of red flag days during the 101 days of summer. Beach Safety performed 100 rescues and 350 medical calls. She also highlighted the educational outreach program to elementary school children with the Buddy the Dolphin Program. Mrs. Newby noted there were also 86 Jjunior lifeguards educated on self- rescue and surf rescue techniques. Mrs. Newby described the 9-1-1 call received by 9-1-1 Operator Scott Cronkhite requesting help for an electrocution. Arborist Levi Buttrill accidently made contact with a 1live powerline while trimming branches in a bucket truck. Mr. Cronkhite was able to provide CPR instructions to a bystander until emergency responders got on scene. They were able to revive him with an AED and provide a positive outcome to an otherwise negative scenario. The Centennial Year guest speaker was introduced-Terri Roberts, great granddaughter of Liza Jackson. Mrs. Roberts stated her grandmother came to Camp Walton 1in 1915 where she and her husband had a summer home. The family was 1in the lumber business and had a string of hotels. Mrs. Jackson managed the hotels but made Fort Walton her permanent home in 1932. She helped establish the Women’s Club which was responsible for hiring the constable, whose primary job in the