By DOTTY NIST
Test piles have been installed in the water in connection with the U.S. 331 bay bridge expansion project in Walton County, according to the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT).
Piles are postlike supports for structures.
Ian Satter, DOT District Three information director, said that the test piles are being used to evaluate the subsoil for the project in order to determine the depth, spacing and other factors associated with the piles that will be used to support the bridge.
Project contractor Skanska USA Civil Southeast is responsible for the bridge design and placement of pilings on this design-build project.
Satter said that in December motorists can expect to see crews in the water starting construction of the new bridge.
The “sister bridge” that will add two lanes to the existing two-lane structure is to be constructed to the east of the current bridge.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) spokeswoman Brandy Smith commented that DEP had issued two permits for the bridge expansion project, one for the placement of the pilings and one for the bridge construction.
Nakeir Nobles of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (ACOE) corporate communications office recently commented that the ACOE was processing a permit application for approach fills associated with the construction of the new bridge and for the park and boat ramp that will be built as part of the project.
To be constructed under the southern approach of the bridge, the park and boat ramp are to be part of an expanded recreational area that will replace the existing park and boat launch on the north side of the bay.
Nobles explained that the fill material dealt with in the permit will be used mainly to reinforce the causeways on both sides of the bridge and park. He said no other ACOE permits are pending for the project.
Nobles noted that to complete the processing of the permit application the ACOE was waiting for a biological opinion from National Marine Fisheries and additional information from DOT.
“There are certain items that must be addressed to ensure the project is in compliance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act,” he commented. Nobles said the primary species of concern is the Gulf sturgeon.
Fishery biologist David Rydene of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that NOAA is among the agencies that are providing comments for the biological opinion.
He explained that the Gulf sturgeon is an ancient fish that has armored plates on its body. Gulf sturgeon grow to four to eight feet in length and can weigh up to 200 pounds.
After their population declined as a result of overfishing and the use of their eggs for caviar, the Gulf sturgeon was listed in 1991 as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. A harvesting and possession ban for the fish was put in place at that time.
Rydene said Gulf sturgeon have suction mouths and feed on small organisms such as crab and shrimp. Their feeding takes place in brackish and salt waters.
In a similar manner to salmon, Gulf sturgeon migrate to spawn, moving up into the rivers in the spring to do so. In the fall the fish migrate back into the bay and marine waters to eat and spend the winter. They are very hungry after leaving the rivers, as they do not eat while spawning.
Rydene said that pile driving for the bridge project is a concern in connection with the Gulf sturgeon because noise may injure the fish or prevent them from traveling for their migrations.
He said NOAA is requesting two time periods in which there is to be no pile driving for the bridge construction: March/April and October/November. There are the months when the Gulf surgeon are migrating. Rydene said recommendations to reduce noise associated with project construction in the water were also being developed, including the use of air bubble curtains and/or isolation casings.
During the months when no pile installation is recommended, land-based activities on the project would be able to continue.
Satter noted that planning and scheduling for the bridge expansion project took into account requirements associated with the Gulf sturgeon, and that the expansion project is expected to be completed on schedule. The anticipated completion date for the project is July 2016.
Freeport City Council discusses city clerk, personnel policies
By BEN GRAFTON
The city of Freeport scheduled a special Council meeting on October 2, 2014 to discuss the qualifications and hiring of a city clerk to fill the existing vacancy, to discuss the city personnel policies and consider the hiring of a front desk clerk.
City Planner Latilda Hughes-Neel presented a draft resolution which the Council could use to as a working paper for hiring a city clerk. She said, “City Attorney Clay Adkinson advised that state statutes might require retaining applications for a period longer than the six months proposed in the draft and recommended that this be omitted.” Adkinson will review the state’s record retention requirements and inform the Council of his findings.
A very lengthy discussion ensued in which past hiring practices were examined. Included were the points that the city clerk played a significant role in these procedures, and that care must taken to insure no Sunshine Law violation occurs.
The Council worked out the procedure for the city clerk selection process and Hughes-Neel summarized it as follows:
1. Mayor reviews applications for completeness and minimum qualifications.
2. Copies of applications and scoring sheets are distributed to the Council members.
3. A Council meeting will be scheduled. At the meeting the scoring sheets will be tallied, the top four applicants will be identified and a meeting will be set to interview the top four. The mayor will check the references for the top four.
4. At the meeting set for the interviews, the Council members will have their copies of the applications and they will be given copies of the results of the reference checks and interview scoring sheets. Council members will each disperse to a separate room for private interviews with the applicants. At completion of interviews the Council will reconvene and tally up the scores from the interviews.
5. Using the scores the city will make an offer of employment to one of the applicants.
The Council approved the procedure as summarized by Hughes-Neel.
Attention was then turned to the job description and qualifications for the city clerk. Strong support was voiced for finding applicants who had either a college degree in an appropriate major or an equivalent amount of experience in a closely allied field. Experience in a Florida state, county or city office, with knowledge of the Sunshine Law, public records requirements, finance and accounting are all considered very important, as is the ability to deal with the public.
Preferred Credentials would include:
1. Knowledge of state of Florida requirements for public notices and election laws.
2. Possession of certified municipal clerk designation.
3. Knowledge of computer accounting methods.
4. Excellent customer service skills.
5. Supervisory and human resource experience preferred.
Moving on to personnel manual problems Councilwoman Janice McLean made the suggestion, “… that all Council members start looking at the city’s personnel manual and make notes about what they think should be changed. It puts a responsibility on every one of us to make sure that we’ve read it and we know it’s been read.”
Councilwoman Elizabeth Brannon said, “I went to a Florida League of Cities [personnel] work shop…and about half of our policy is not right. I’ll just be honest, it is bad messed up….I think a human resources person should review our manual in accordance with the state law and make recommendations.”
McLean will call the Chamber of Commerce and get the information for contacting a local human resources company.
Mayor Russ Barley said, “There are 33 applications for the [front desk] job. Floyd and I have narrowed it down to 14. We called references, previous employers. We had them [applicants] come in and interviewed them. We narrowed the 14 down to five. I have all the applications here. Ironically, yesterday when he [Floyd] came in I asked if there was someone who stood out in his mind. He said yes. I said, ‘So did I.’ I asked him who his was – and his top candidate was the same as mine. I’m not sure what you want to do at this point since we have had all this discussion tonight.”
Adkinson said that the Council could accept Barley’s recommendation if it wished.
Barley said, “The person we recommend for the job is Barbara Moore. She just stood out.” Barley reported she has all the necessary requirements and experience. Moore has a high school diploma and some college work, but no degree.
The Council accepted the mayor’s recommendation.