County Adminsitrator report to the Franklin County Commission for August 3rd

Report to the Board of County Commissioners

August 3, 2010

1- Board action to allow Mr. Mike Shiver, DOC, to remove the tin from a metal shed behind the Carrabelle Annex for use on a new shed at the Carrabelle Prison complex.  Mr. Shiver will use inmate labor to remove the tin and demolish the building.  The shed has never been used by the county and has never been maintained by the county.
      The shed is listed on the lease agreement with the state and I have contacted Mr. Bill Howard, DEP, and he said that if the Board judged the building to be unnecessary and a maintenance issue he had no problem with DOC salvaging the building.  Mr. Shiver has made this request in order to save DOC money.  Provide Board with pictures of shed.


2- Inform the Board that Michael Moron and I have completed the timeline that county staff has spent on the BP oil response and we have turned it in to Ms. Brownell for reimbursement.  Michael documented 45 hours of meeting time from May 5 to July 6.

3- Inform the Board that Progress Energy is having a public informational meeting at the Armory in Apalachicola on Thursday, August 5, from 5 to 7 PM to present information regarding the replacement of the Progress Energy transmission from the Apalachicola substation to Eastpoint.


4- Board action to request $20,000 of TDC infrastructure funds to replace the playground equipment at the St. George Island County Park.  This item was discussed at the budget workshop.  A child was injured last week at the Park and I have asked Nikki Millender to find out how fast replacement equipment can be ordered.

5- Board action to approve Change Order No. 2 for the Ochlockonee Boat Ramp project for $22,800 worth of additional improvements at the site.  The improvements include some additional work for the stormwater pond and some additional work on the parking lot to protect it from potential damage when DOT comes in to work on the Ocholockonee Bridge itself.  There are grants funds available for this.

6- Board action to approve Change Order No. 3 for the Ochlockonee Boat Ramp to pay for $6000 worth of inspection fees to cover the additional work and time extension the Board has previously requested.  There are grant fund to pay for this.

7- Board action to approve a site plan for the development of the property the county purchased in Eastpoint, formerly known as the old Allen Brothers Seafood site, and currently known as the Eastpoint Pavilion.  As the Board may recall, the Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services provided the county with $60,000 for improvements to the site as the site is to be used to increase water access for seafood products.
      Of the $60,000 approximately $15,000 has been spent clearing the property and rebuilding the existing 160 feet of dock.  The dock is currently being used.  Commissioner Jackel, Mr. Jack Husband, and I have developed a site plan to maximize the use of the property with the funds available.  (Pass out site plan.)
      The main component of the site plan is the construction of an open air pavilion in the center of the property that will allow seafood workers to be able to drive behind the pavilion to access the dock for unloading oysters directly from the dock onto their trucks.  The pavilion will be available for a variety of uses.   The building is 24x48 with a 5 foot wide handicap ramp for access one side.  There will be conventional stairs in the front.  The total cost of the building including handicap ramp is approximately $35,000.
      The Board needs to approve the site plan before staff moves forward with any construction.  All improvements to this site are being paid with state grant funds.

8- Inform the Board that all of 24^th St in Apalachicola is going to be paved under the current county contract with C.W. Roberts.  Commissioner Lockley initially did not have enough funds to pave the entire road but in negotiations with the City the City has agreed to pay the additional $9,000 so the entire road can be re-surfaced.  The entire price for the road is approximately $178,000.

9- As the Board heard at the budget workshop, the State Attorney’s Office has been having a moisture/air conditioning problem.  The Building Official and I have consulted and have sought solutions from different air conditioning contractors in the county.  We have been seeking proposals for over a month and at this time only one local firm has responded.  The Finance Office asks that the Board deal with the State Attorney’s problem this fiscal year so that we can deal with the elevator in the courthouse starting in October.   I recommend the Board declare this a sole source and authorize Gunn Heating and Air to fix the problem.


10 – Board direction on submitting a request for reimbursement to BP for the RiverKeepers.   As the Board is aware the Riverkeepers have been pro-active in monitoring the oil spill, assisting in developing the county boom plan, and in developing additional protective measures.  At this time BP does not have a mechanism for a non-governmental agency to submit for reimbursement of expenses.  The RiverKeepers have not suffered a loss of income so they are not eligible to submit a claim, and they did not have an approved contract through Unified Command so they are not eligible for direct response reimbursement, yet they did provide assistance to the county.
      I have spoken to Mr. Andy Smith, RiverKeeper Executive Director, and he understands that if the Board approves the submission this does not make the county responsible for any expenses the RiverKeepers incurred during this disaster. It is my understanding that if the Board approves the submission it will be done through EM Constellation, which is the state’s emergency management tracking system.

11- Board reminder- The Board must select one project for submission to DOT for funding by August 20.  The Board could select more than one project but DOT is only going to fund the top priority for this cycle.  The central criterion is the improvement should demonstrate that it relieves congestion on the State Highway System.

12- For the record, Pam Brownell, EM Director, renewed the local state of emergency on July 26, and August 2.

13- Mr. Ted Mosteller, Airport Advisory Committee Chairman requests Board support for a project that was previously submitted as a DOT TRIP project in 2007, and was not funded, and now Mr. Mosteller would like to submit the project for funding under TIGER II, which is a Stimulus funding source.  The project would be 100% grant funded if awarded.  The total estimated cost is $14.5M.  The project is described below:

The overall project would construct a loop parallel taxiway for Runway 18/36 to provide access to the Industrial and Commerce park and in particular a planned 40,000 sf Hangar/24,000 sq office complex at the Franklin County/Apalachicola Regional Airport.  The entire project would provide approximately 6,000 feet of new taxiway (including connectors and storm water treatment) on the east side of Runway 18/36.  The taxiway would basically have an asphalt surface and be equipped with medium-intensity taxiway edge lights.  Storm water runoff treatment and piping is also included in this project.  The Hangar will house maintenance facilities for C 130 aircraft and support shops and office complex.  The 300 x 300’ concrete Apron will border the Hangar.  The complex will also contain parking for approximately 50 vehicles for employees, etc., entrance roads, landscaping/storm water management, lighting, 20,000 gal Jet Fuel Farm (a separate project) and FAA regulation security fencing/gates. 

The deadline for submitting the application is August 23. If the Board is interested in submitting the project a Resolution of Support for the project needs to be approved.  There is a prospective tenant for the project- the L3 Corporation whose purpose is to provide contract military training.  The maintenance hanger would be for a C-130 that would be used in military exercise.  Mr. Mosteller is aware that the chance of funding is very slim. 

14- Ranking of proposals for ambulance service from yesterday’s workshop.  The Board heard two presentations – Lifeguard Ambulance Service, and Priority Emergency Medical Services.  The Board must decide on which proposal it ranks first, and then direct staff to negotiate a contract with that firm.  If negotiations fail the Board would then have the option negotiate with the second ranked firm. 

http://www.oysterradio.com e-mail manager@oysterradio.com with comments