MILTON — The new year may see the start of some widely anticipated projects in Santa Rosa County, according to newly seated commission chairman Sam Parker, including the county courthouse and Pea Ridge Connector Road project. Parker also has plans he says will streamline commission meetings.
With support of the other commissioners Parker has moved the public forum section of the meeting usually held at the end of meeting to the beginning. So, the first commissioners meeting for 2019 scheduled for Jan. 7 will start at 8:30 a.m. with the public forum followed by the regular meeting at 9 a.m.
Parker said he did this because some meetings ran long and he did not feel it was fair for residents to have to sit and wait for hours to speak.
"It allows every citizen to have the opportunity to speak with commissioners," Parker said.
Parker has also implemented a 3-minute time limit for speakers to shorten the length of the meetings. Parker said he has received positive feedback on the speaker time limits from both peers and speakers.
Topping the commissioners' agenda is the interviews of the three short listed firms vying for the design build contract for the county courthouse. The interviews, open to the public, begin at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 8 at the Santa Rosa County Administrative Center Board Room. The winning firm will be announced later that same day.
Parker said the courthouse groundbreaking could be as soon as the beginning of the summer.
The Pea Ridge Connector Road project will run north from Santa Villa Drive and Highway 90 until it intersects Hamilton Bridge Road. It could start late summer or early fall according to Parker. Roadwork around the Spencer Field area will start in the spring. Benny Russell Park improvements are also scheduled to start close to spring. Then there are drainage projects in the north and south parts of the county that is underway.
Chairman Parker is also bringing the entire county Land Development Code to the BOCC for review. Parker said the review would give commissioners better guidance and information when confronted with traffic, construction and development issues.
Finally, Parker said he wants to start an outreach program to get county residents, especially those in the north and south parts of the county involved in the governing process. Parker said he would like to use town hall meetings to motivate citizens into action.
For more information on county government go to https://www.santarosa.fl.gov/.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Commission chairman talks county changes