Dennis - official notices and info

that was a stupid question
thanks

Hurricane Dennis News Release 23

Update
Food and Water
Ice and water distribution sites in Paxton and Freeport will be
discontinued at noon today, Tuesday, July 12th.
The distribution site in DeFuniak Springs will close at 7 pm today.
The site at the South Walton Courthouse Annex will remain open until
further notice.

The Council on Aging will resume serving meals at all meal site
locations and will make home delivery for "Meals on Wheels" customers
starting today.

Schools and Summer Programs
Tri County Head Start Summer Program resumes at the OWC Chautauqua
Center today.
The Walton County Summer Recreation Program will resume at all sites on
Wednesday, July 13, 2005.

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson will hold office hours in DeFuniak Springs on
Friday, July 15 from 9 to 10:30 am at the Walton County Courthouse, 571
Highway 90 East in DeFuniak Springs.

The Emergency Operations Center is responding to inquiries from citizens
at 892-8392 or 892-8394. Emergency calls should be made to 911 only.
Residents should stay tuned to local media for current news and
developments on the aftermath of Hurricane Dennis. Information is also
being posted to the Walton County web site at www.co.walton.fl.us.
To report power outages:
Gulf Power: 1-800-GU-POWER (487-6937)
Chelco: 1-800 342-0990, locally 892-2111 or 892-506

CHELCO reports 985 outages remaining in south Walton County and 390 in north Walton County. The number of consumers out in South Walton has increased slightly as people who evacuated return home and report their power out. Members who still do not have power need to call in. The numbers to call are 800-342-0990 or 892-2111. CHELCO offices have reopened for regular business today.

Gulf Power reports Walton County outages at 7,697 as of Tuesday morning, July 12. This is considerably different from the 385 previously reported on this site. The difference was included in the Okaloosa County outages due to Gulf Power?s service areas. South Walton County is covered by the Fort Walton Beach area?s office. Customers in the Inlet Beach area are covered by the Panama City office. Northern parts of Walton County are the responsibility of the Crestview and DeFuniak Springs offices. All customers remaining without power are encouraged to report power outages to (800) GU-POWER (487-6937) if they have not already done so.

A brief update from the BCC Meeting last night. The Agenda Items were postponed to provide an Update on Hurricane Dennis.


EMERGENCY SERVICES

CHELCO and Gulf Power still working to get power to residents. Anticipate 3 weeks but should be less than that.

Scenic Gulf Drive is only road closed in the County.



TDC

Request to get Beach Survey and update Design products for Beach Re-nourishment.

Currently 11.3 miles of beach critically eroded after last storm and DEP will re-evaluate after this storm

The County won the Judgment to continue the Beach Re-nourishment but will have to file for eminent domain to obtain easements to cross private property on the 5 persons who opposed.



PLANNING

DEP has issued n Emergency Order Authorizing work to repair, replace, restore, and certain other measures made necessary by Hurricane Dennis.

Walton County Building Dept is open 7 am to 7 pm in both North and South Annex?s for Building Permits. Fees are waived for 120 days for damage from the Hurricane.

Walton County is trying to get DEP to collocate with them possibly in the SWA to issue permits needed.

Beach restoration via bringing in sand is authorized except scraping of sand per the permit currently. The Walton County BCC is requesting beach scraping of the DEP and possibly Gov Bush.

If bringing in sand on the beach a sample will need to be provided for approval prior to bringing in the sand. A request with the parcel ID number, address, description of work to be performed (i.e. restore dune w 50 cy of sand), and sample of sand.

Flood Insurance will need a letter from the County for claims just coordinate with Building Dept and they will inspect and issue a letter.



PUBLIC WORKS

Approved to do the following

Eastern Lake - shift the outfall back onto the County Easement

Oyster Lake - clear debris from the outfall

All Coastal Dune Lakes review for needed debris removal (Camp Creek Lake was mentioned and appears to be a log jam at the outfall)

-----Original Message-----
From: Sara Comander
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 9:52 AM
Subject: FW: Hurricane Dennis News Release 25 Please note correction

Correction: The beaches are reopening on Thursday, July 14, 2005


-----Original Message-----
From: Sara Comander
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 10:45 AM
Subject: Hurricane Dennis News Release 25

For Immediate Release

The Walton County Board of Commissioners will hold a Special Meeting on
Thursday July 14, 2005 beginning at 11:00 AM at the South Walton
Courthouse Annex located at 31 Coastal Centre Blvd, Santa Rosa Beach,
Florida.
The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the issue of sand
coloration on the beach.

The beaches are reopening on Thursday, July 14, 2005, but double red
flags are flying and water activities are prohibited until the water
clears.

Representatives from U. S. Senator Bill Nelson will hold office hours on
Friday, July 15, 2005 from 9 to 10:30 am at the Walton County
Courthouse, 571 Highway 90 East in DeFuniak Springs.

End of release



Sara Comander
Public Information Coordinator
Events Coordinator
312 College Avenue, Unit B
DeFuniak Springs, Fl 32435
(850) 892-8065, ext 262 (EOC)
Fax: (850) 892-8069 (EOC)
Email: comsara@co.walton.fl.us
Office phone: 850-892-8530

We have completed our assessment of beach damage due to Hurricane Dennis. All 56 dune walkovers are damaged and we?ve suffered severe beach erosion. Current estimates show we lost 1.5 ? 2 million cubic yards of sand, which is comparable to 75,000-100,000 dump truck loads. We lost approximately 3-5 feet of beach in vertical erosion and the lost dune width up to 35 feet in some places. On-going dune erosion should be expected as the cliffs begin to form a gradual incline. The dunes become a blessing and a curse as they did their job in protecting the upland infrastructure but now are steep cliffs and limit visitor?s and resident?s ability to access the beach.

Our beaches are open effective 7 am, Thursday, July 14. A double red flag condition remains in effect to advise beachgoers to stay out of the water due to floating storm debris that may still be washing ashore. The beaches will re-open for swimming when conditions permit. The flag poles that advise on water conditions were destroyed by the storm, so we must advise beachgoers about beach conditions through other means including the local media and visiting http://www.swfd.org/.

WHAT NOW?
Access to the beach:

Since one of the biggest concerns is access to the beach, the TDC is approaching an existing contractor to expedite repairs to dune walkovers. Regional beach accesses will be repaired first. Repairs will be limited to stairs only. ADA ramps can not be repaired at this time due to the extensive vertical erosion, which prohibits construction. Miramar Beach Access will not be rebuilt until after the upcoming renourishment project slated to begin this fall.

In the meantime, we will be directing visitors and residents to accesses that do no require a walkover to reach the beach including Grayton, Ed Walline, Dune Allen, and Walton Lake Shore Drive at Eastern Lake.

We understand this is not an ideal scenario, however, living in a coastal community we must be prepared for the impacts of Mother Nature. We ask for your support in guiding visitors to appropriate beach accesses, while we work diligently to repair walkovers.

Repairing the Beach:
For individual restoration efforts, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has issued an emergency order regarding which repairs are permissible, which includes bringing in sand from inland quarries. A DEP field agent will be at the Walton County Planning office in the South Walton Annex this Thursday ? Saturday (July 14-16) to answer specific questions. All projects require DEP and Walton County permits. For permits and additional questions, please contact the Walton County Planning Office at 850-267-1955.

The county met with FEMA and DEP to determine what restoration activities will be permitted on a county wide basis. Walton County has requested permission to conduct beach scrapping once beach levels begin to restore. At this time, it is not permissible.

Sand will be replaced along Scenic Gulf Drive to protect the road from future storms. The TDC continues to work with the state for the large scale renourishment project for a 4.8 mile stretch of critically-eroded beach in Western Walton County. Since Hurricane Ivan and recent storms, new DEP-recognized, critically eroded areas have been identified and the TDC continues to explore options for additional large scale renourishment projects throughout the county.

Debris Removal:

A debris contractor has been hired by the County to remove beach and roadside debris. Debris removal will begin at regional accesses and will then proceed from the west to the east end of the County. The contractor will be conducting three passes through Walton County beaches within 30 days.

Quote: Walton County has requested permission to conduct beach scrapping once beach levels begin to restore. At this time, it is not permissible.

Scraping: I thought this was part of the problem?

Quote: Walton County has requested permission to conduct beach scrapping once beach levels begin to restore. At this time, it is not permissible.

Scraping: I thought this was part of the problem?

It depends on who you talk to.

Thursday, July 14, 2005

11:00 AM Board of County Commissioners Special Meeting

The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the issue of sand coloration on the beach.

South Walton Courthouse Annex, 31 Coastal Centre Boulevard, Santa Rosa Beach - Dede Hinote, Administrative Assistant, 892-8155
Topic of discussion is relaxing the White Sand Ordinance Standards for Sand on the Beach.

Quote: Walton County has requested permission to conduct beach scrapping once beach levels begin to restore. At this time, it is not permissible.

Scraping: I thought this was part of the problem?

BIG mistake, IMO. There is nothing left to scrape.

i obviously don't get it. how can you scrape hard pack and peat? would it not take years for the sand to replenish itself enough to scrape a dune together? one post just said the DEP says there's "no sand for dregding" ...again, could that be true, didnt it just go offshore just a bit?

what a crazy catch-22 this is. to save gulffront properties from falling, dredging & shoring up the dune may be the only short term option. but in the long run, these measures only seem to promote future erosion. i'd love to be party to an informed debate about this issue. i wonder if the county will be holding any symposiums.

The State reps are here now evaluating the beaches. The county wants to do as it did after Opal, which was to scoop sand from just beyond the water's edge, creating a 3 foot parallel trough and then taking that sand back to the dune line. In the following 24-72 hour period the trough filled back in and was scooped again several times.

The BCC just approved a variance in the white sand ordinance, allowing homeowners to bring in sand that is considerably less white than is normally allowed.

This sand is from intracoastal dredging and is about 1/3 the cost of white sand. There apparently is not enough white sand available for the large need.

Brad Pickel's recommendation was that all the white sand should be used first, rather than use the darker sand.

At the regular board meeting of the Walton County Commissioners on
Tuesday, July 12, 2005, the board approved a contract with Crowder-Gulf
to pickup trash and debris resulting from Hurricane Dennis. The contract
is for sixty days and started on July 12, 2005.

The debris pickup by Crowder-Gulf will be south of the Choctawhatchee
Bay and south of the intercoastal waterway. Four crews will be removing
debris. Two will work east to west and two will work west to east. They
will be picking up debris along county roads and private roads but
cannot enter private driveways.

The contractors can be identified by a white 2x2 sign on the driver's
side of the truck or trailer. The sign will be marked "CG" and a number.
A county truck will also be following the Crowder-Gulf vehicle.
Motorist and pedestrians are urged to use caution when approaching
and/or passing these vehicles.

The crews will make three passes down each road and the public will be
informed again before the second and third passes are made.

Residents living north of the bay can call Walton County Public Works at
892-8108 to have storm debris removed.

To facilitate the removal process residents must place piles of debris
next to the curb but away from electric poles and mailboxes. Trash
should be placed in three separate piles: One for limbs and debris from
trees, another for metal objects such as appliances and another for
shingles, carpet and other construction debris. Debris will be picked up
from along the side of roads only. The trucks cannot come on private
property or private driveways.

Thank you for the info !

Do you have some names and numbers of firms that bring in sand? We need some fast! In another thread I saw someone may have called Sterling Building Specialist but I wasn't clear if they were engineers or sand sellers.

Thanks.


.

Thank you for the info !

Do you have some names and numbers of firms that bring in sand? We need some fast! In another thread I saw someone may have called Sterling Building Specialist but I wasn't clear if they were engineers or sand sellers.

Thanks.


.

I don't have numbers but these guys will:

Building Permits and Construction - Billy Bearden, building official, (850) 892-8157, (866) 892-1955, beabilly@co.walton.fl.us

Planning & Development - Pat Blackshear, Director, (850) 267-1955, (866) 892-1955, blapat@co.walton.fl.us

I posted and they are a building service contractor, managed by Silva's Consolidated Interest, Inc. The man we met with drew out plans and was very knowledgeable about sea walls (what we really need, but as yet Walton County will not allow), so I would imagine they are at least afflilated with engineers. He also told us exactly how much dune we had lost, we are still waiting our firm bid. Hope this is helpful.

Here's a status list of properties and agencies with contact info on the TDC site:

http://beachesofsouthwalton.com/Post%20_Storm.asp

Note - if you see a "100%" operational", that doesn't necessarily mean everything is perfect. It is more likely to mean "we are renting 100% of our units". Contact properties directly to get the scoop.

For instance - one condo listed as 100% has 2 pools. One is fine and one is closed. And they have no direct beach access.

The BCC just approved a variance in the white sand ordinance, allowing homeowners to bring in sand that is considerably less white than is normally allowed.

This sand is from intracoastal dredging and is about 1/3 the cost of white sand. There apparently is not enough white sand available for the large need.

What a drag. Destin is already putting out beautiful white sand. I was teasing my friend that lives there that the reason we need to use dark sand is because Destin has hogged up all the white stuff. Have a call out to the Seacrest Beach assoc. to see if they've made a decision yet on what we're gonna be putting out there.

Will also check the Rosemary Walkway today. Should be nearly done.

What a drag. Destin is already putting out beautiful white sand. I was teasing my friend that lives there that the reason we need to use dark sand is because Destin has hogged up all the white stuff. Have a call out to the Seacrest Beach assoc. to see if they've made a decision yet on what we're gonna be putting out there.

Will also check the Rosemary Walkway today. Should be nearly done.

The variance is for shoring up imperiled residential structures only. Hopefully that won't be expanded.

Brad Pickel's recommendation was that all the white sand should be used first, rather than use the darker sand.

Seems to me it should be just the opposite. Use the darker sand to shore up structures along the dune line, then come in with the white sand on top and for re-plenishment of the beach.

I would rather seem them do nothing than to change the color of the beaches.

Seems to me it should be just the opposite. Use the darker sand to shore up structures along the dune line, then come in with the white sand on top and for re-plenishment of the beach.

I would rather seem them do nothing than to change the color of the beaches.

I was unclear. There is a belief that at some point the availability of white sand would get tight. Brad wants them to use only white sand, and knows that if you let people use darker, cheaper sand they will use that instead. So he said it would be foolish to leave available white sand unused. He wanted people to continue using the white sand, and then if it became unavailable, bring in darker samples to get approved.

I was unclear. There is a belief that at some point the availability of white sand would get tight. Brad wants them to use only white sand, and knows that if you let people use darker, cheaper sand they will use that instead. So he said it would be foolish to leave available white sand unused. He wanted people to continue using the white sand, and then if it became unavailable, bring in darker samples to get approved.

*If* there was to be a full-scale dredging project, would this not provide whiter sand than sand taken from inland areas? Sugar-white, powdery beaches are the trademark of the west/central panhandle. It is no doubt among the prettiest beaches in the world. Anything and everything should be be done to to try and keep these beaches looking as they always have. IMO, it's the main allure of the area and what initally attracted people here in the early 20th century.

And again, why not use rip-rap to repair the especially vulnerable areas, then cover with white sand and sea oats on top of that? It would utilize much less sand, provide better stabilzation, and no one would be able to tell the difference once the project was completed.

... And again, why not use rip-rap to repair the especially vulnerable areas, then cover with white sand and sea oats on top of that? It would utilize much less sand, provide better stabilzation, and no one would be able to tell the difference once the project was completed.

That's exactly what the variance is intended to do. There is a big story about it in the NW Fla. Daily News today. Don't know if it is available on line. Basically, the variance to the white sand ordinance was to allow slightly darker sand of 6 or higher on the Munsell color scale (whatever that is) rather than the usual 8 or higher. It is temporary, and to shore up houses that are endangered. And, residents are encouraged to use the white stuff first.

The article also says they are starting beach scraping next week, if DEP approvals can be secured. :?: :?: :?:

The article also says that one of the leading opponents in the on-going legal feud b/w the county and western county residents about that restoration project has "changed his mind" about property owners rights. What a surprise.

The article also says that 90% of beachfront properties have suffered damage from erosion.