Lookout Walton and Bay Counties. If this doesn't bring folks and attention to our area, I don't know what can.
Southwest Airlines chooses new Panama City airport
October 21, 2009 11:09 AM
Pat Kelly
Florida Freedom News
WEST BAY — Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly officially announced Wednesday the low-cost carrier will come to the new Northwest Florida-Panama City International Airport when it opens in May.
Kelly’s announcement came shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday live via “streaming video” as part of Southwest’s media day from Dallas, about 15 minutes after the start of the a Panama City briefing attended by local business leaders and government officials.
The local leaders were meeting at the airport for the expressed purpose of hearing an update on construction progress and airline marketing efforts, but Southwest’s announcement had been anticipated.
The new airport is set to open in May, and Kelly’s confirmation answers one of several questions still remaining, such as whether a low-cost carrier like Southwest Airlines is coming to the West Bay location.
Officials and business leaders in Pensacola, Okaloosa County and Panama City have been courting the coveted carrier for months, citing lower fares that can bring in more tourists and businesses.
“The Panhandle has so much to recommend it,” said U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. and a leading advocate of the new airport serving the region. “I know that as more and more people and businesses learn about the area, we’ll attract even more jobs and opportunities.”
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
OKALOOSA COUNTY ASKS FOR $299 MILLION IN STIMULUS MONEY - HWY 85 EXPANSION
Okay folks. If you don't think Okaloosa County has it eyes on moving people to the North, you haven't been keeping your eyes on the ball. If part of this comes to be, it will put Crestview in the bulleye for more growth beyond what is planned.
Okaloosa asks for $299 million in stimulus money for SR 85 expansion
By KARI C. BARLOW Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4438 kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com
Okaloosa County has applied for a $299 million chunk of federal stimulus money to overhaul infrastructure in the north end of the county. The prize being sought is the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER discretionary grant, which is funded from a national pot of $1.5 billion being distributed to projects across the country. The county’s application is centered on the expansion of the State Road 85 corridor from Mid-Bay Bridge to north of the Shoal River bridge in Crestview. “That’s never been laid out in one piece before,” said Jim Breitenfeld, president of Breitenfeld Development Services, who helped prepare the grant application. “That’s the map for going forward.” The county’s proposal lays out a plan of action for the future growth headed to north Okaloosa County in the next 20 years because of changing military missions, said Danielle Slaterpryce, director of public works for the county. Among the major projects included in the grant application are: Widening SR 85 to six lanes; Widening State Road 123 to four lanes; Extending the Mid-Bay Bridge connector to SR 85; Creating a SR 85 interchange at Duke Field; Establishing a park-andride program between Crestview and Niceville, with possible solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations; Studying alternative corridors from Shoal River to U.S. Highway 90; Studying the expansion and renovation of P.J. Adams Parkway. Slaterpryce said the economic impact of the proposed projects would be significant. As early as 2012, 6,645 jobs are projected to be created, with 631 of those jobs in construction, bringing in an average wage of $45,558. By 2030, a decade after the proposed projects would be completed, nearly 44,000 jobs would be created in the region that otherwise would not have existed, according to the county’s grant application and data from the Haas Center for Business and Economic Development at the University of West Florida. Slaterpryce said federal officials will notify winners of the grant between January and mid-February 2010. “We could win the whole thing; we could win parts of it,” she said. “I think we’re a strong contender simply because this is a huge support to our military. Because of Eglin, I think we should stand out.” Widening the SR 85 corridor directly supports the base’s mission, Breitenfeld said. “It’s critical for the (military) to get the 20,000 people who work on the base … to work, to move supplies … to function.” The special forces units bound for Eglin will be operating on both sides of SR 85 near Duke Field, he added. Slaterpryce and Breitenfeld say the expansion of the corridor would be a crucial milestone for the county. “If we don’t expand SR 85, the economic impact will be tremendous,” Breitenfeld said. “It would effectively keep the northern part of the county from developing further.” The economic impact of the projects would be felt in a number of ways but particularly in construction jobs.
Okaloosa asks for $299 million in stimulus money for SR 85 expansion
By KARI C. BARLOW Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4438 kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com
Okaloosa County has applied for a $299 million chunk of federal stimulus money to overhaul infrastructure in the north end of the county. The prize being sought is the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER discretionary grant, which is funded from a national pot of $1.5 billion being distributed to projects across the country. The county’s application is centered on the expansion of the State Road 85 corridor from Mid-Bay Bridge to north of the Shoal River bridge in Crestview. “That’s never been laid out in one piece before,” said Jim Breitenfeld, president of Breitenfeld Development Services, who helped prepare the grant application. “That’s the map for going forward.” The county’s proposal lays out a plan of action for the future growth headed to north Okaloosa County in the next 20 years because of changing military missions, said Danielle Slaterpryce, director of public works for the county. Among the major projects included in the grant application are: Widening SR 85 to six lanes; Widening State Road 123 to four lanes; Extending the Mid-Bay Bridge connector to SR 85; Creating a SR 85 interchange at Duke Field; Establishing a park-andride program between Crestview and Niceville, with possible solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations; Studying alternative corridors from Shoal River to U.S. Highway 90; Studying the expansion and renovation of P.J. Adams Parkway. Slaterpryce said the economic impact of the proposed projects would be significant. As early as 2012, 6,645 jobs are projected to be created, with 631 of those jobs in construction, bringing in an average wage of $45,558. By 2030, a decade after the proposed projects would be completed, nearly 44,000 jobs would be created in the region that otherwise would not have existed, according to the county’s grant application and data from the Haas Center for Business and Economic Development at the University of West Florida. Slaterpryce said federal officials will notify winners of the grant between January and mid-February 2010. “We could win the whole thing; we could win parts of it,” she said. “I think we’re a strong contender simply because this is a huge support to our military. Because of Eglin, I think we should stand out.” Widening the SR 85 corridor directly supports the base’s mission, Breitenfeld said. “It’s critical for the (military) to get the 20,000 people who work on the base … to work, to move supplies … to function.” The special forces units bound for Eglin will be operating on both sides of SR 85 near Duke Field, he added. Slaterpryce and Breitenfeld say the expansion of the corridor would be a crucial milestone for the county. “If we don’t expand SR 85, the economic impact will be tremendous,” Breitenfeld said. “It would effectively keep the northern part of the county from developing further.” The economic impact of the projects would be felt in a number of ways but particularly in construction jobs.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
CRESTVIEW AIR PARK BEING PROMOTED AT ORLANDO BUSINESS CONFERENCE
If you have been following my updates on the growth of this area and the focus on the aerospace industry, you will understand Crestview Industrial Air Park is something which should draw a large number of new businesses to our area. The State of Florida has made Crestview Airpark a target of growth with millions of dollars given to improve the infrastructure at this location. Many in the Aerospace Industry see this as a bedrock for military weapons testing and overhaul of aircraft for many years to come. READ ON -
Okaloosa County team promoting Crestview Air Park in Orlando
Dusty Ricketts
2009-10-14 16:54:19
A delegation supporting Okaloosa County will attend the world’s largest aviation business conference in Orlando next week to try to lure companies to Bob Sikes Airport’s industrial park.
The National Business Aviation Association is holding its annual convention Oct. 20-23 to promote all facets of the commercial aerospace industry. Among the 30,000 people from around the world expected to attend will be more than a dozen county and business leaders to promote the Crestview Air Park at Bob Sikes Airport.
“If we do get someone to come over here as a tenant of the industrial park, a manufacturer, an aerospace company, what ever it may be, that will bring opportunity for lenders, for banks, for Realtors, for everyone in the community to be involved with somehow,” said Derek Lott, vice president of First National Bank of Crestview and chairman of the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce’s airport committee. “Especially if it’s a big home run like L3, NEW or Segers Aerospace. Those guys came here and they brought high-paying jobs and they brought a lot of jobs.”
All 950,000 square feet of the Orange County Convention Center’s North/South Building will be filled with exhibitors from the aerospace industry.
Lott said Bob Sikes Airport makes an attractive location for prospective businesses because of its 8,000-foot runway and its proximity to highways, the Gulf of Mexico and military bases. The local delegation also will try to sell Bob Sikes based on its location away from freezing winters of the north and far enough from the coast to be protected from most hurricane damage.
Greg Donovan, the county’s airports director, said $22 million has been spent on upgrading the infrastructure at the park in the past three years.
Donovan said county representatives attended last year’s convention with the Okaloosa County Economic Development Council and Florida’s Great Northwest. This will be the first year the county will have its own booth.
“For us to exhibit is a strong step in the right direction. If you go back a few years we weren’t marketing Crestview at all,” Donovan said.
Okaloosa County team promoting Crestview Air Park in Orlando
Dusty Ricketts
2009-10-14 16:54:19
A delegation supporting Okaloosa County will attend the world’s largest aviation business conference in Orlando next week to try to lure companies to Bob Sikes Airport’s industrial park.
The National Business Aviation Association is holding its annual convention Oct. 20-23 to promote all facets of the commercial aerospace industry. Among the 30,000 people from around the world expected to attend will be more than a dozen county and business leaders to promote the Crestview Air Park at Bob Sikes Airport.
“If we do get someone to come over here as a tenant of the industrial park, a manufacturer, an aerospace company, what ever it may be, that will bring opportunity for lenders, for banks, for Realtors, for everyone in the community to be involved with somehow,” said Derek Lott, vice president of First National Bank of Crestview and chairman of the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce’s airport committee. “Especially if it’s a big home run like L3, NEW or Segers Aerospace. Those guys came here and they brought high-paying jobs and they brought a lot of jobs.”
All 950,000 square feet of the Orange County Convention Center’s North/South Building will be filled with exhibitors from the aerospace industry.
Lott said Bob Sikes Airport makes an attractive location for prospective businesses because of its 8,000-foot runway and its proximity to highways, the Gulf of Mexico and military bases. The local delegation also will try to sell Bob Sikes based on its location away from freezing winters of the north and far enough from the coast to be protected from most hurricane damage.
Greg Donovan, the county’s airports director, said $22 million has been spent on upgrading the infrastructure at the park in the past three years.
Donovan said county representatives attended last year’s convention with the Okaloosa County Economic Development Council and Florida’s Great Northwest. This will be the first year the county will have its own booth.
“For us to exhibit is a strong step in the right direction. If you go back a few years we weren’t marketing Crestview at all,” Donovan said.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
NEW OVERPASS ON HWY 85 FOR ARMY SPECIAL FORCES & DUKE FIELD ON FAST TRACK
As you will see, the Army's 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) Headquarters is getting alot of attention and care. These improvements are just a couple of things being done to help make this the premier Army Base of the United States. As you will see, the dynamics of Eglin Air Forces Base will change and all facets of the military will be met. They are, Operations, Testing, and Training. That will mean, Eglin AFB will be on the minds of many military planners in the future.
Overpass fast-track gaining ground
By MICHAEL STEWART Florida Freedom Newspapers
CRESTVIEW — An attempt to fast-track an overpass across State Road 85 to link Duke Field and the Army’s 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) headquarters is gaining momentum. Rhonda Grice, public involvement coordinator for the Okaloosa-Walton Transportation Planning Organization, said principal players in the project discussed the timeline in a recent telephone conference. They “seemed pretty emphatic they would like people to be able to use it (the overpass) by the summer of 2011,” she said. However, Okaloosa County Public Works Director Danielle Slaterpryce cautioned completion of the project, estimated to cost between $16.5 million and $22.5 million, could be four to five years away. “By the end of the year, we will have a better idea,” Slaterpryce said Thursday at a public meeting in Crestview sponsored by the TPO. The project would include an elevated road at the entrance to Duke Field that would cross over State Road 85. The restricted road, dubbed Special Forces Way, would allow military personnel and equipment to cross busy SR 85 without impeding traffic. “This is going to be a benefit to the community and to the military,” said Lt. Col. Gary Bloomberg, the Special Forces’ integration team chief. “It is a safety issue. With the overpass, residents will be able to safely transverse Highway 85 to get to work every day.” Preliminary plans call for on and off ramps on SR 85 similar to those on an interstate highway. The relocation of the 7th Special Forces Group — the legendary Green Berets — from Fort Bragg, N.C., to Eglin Air Force Base property has prompted the urgency to complete the project. Construction is under way west of SR 85 on a 600,000-square-foot facility the unit will call home. About 5,000 to 6,000 new residents will move to the area when the 7th Special Forces Group’s move is completed in 2011.
Overpass fast-track gaining ground
By MICHAEL STEWART Florida Freedom Newspapers
CRESTVIEW — An attempt to fast-track an overpass across State Road 85 to link Duke Field and the Army’s 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) headquarters is gaining momentum. Rhonda Grice, public involvement coordinator for the Okaloosa-Walton Transportation Planning Organization, said principal players in the project discussed the timeline in a recent telephone conference. They “seemed pretty emphatic they would like people to be able to use it (the overpass) by the summer of 2011,” she said. However, Okaloosa County Public Works Director Danielle Slaterpryce cautioned completion of the project, estimated to cost between $16.5 million and $22.5 million, could be four to five years away. “By the end of the year, we will have a better idea,” Slaterpryce said Thursday at a public meeting in Crestview sponsored by the TPO. The project would include an elevated road at the entrance to Duke Field that would cross over State Road 85. The restricted road, dubbed Special Forces Way, would allow military personnel and equipment to cross busy SR 85 without impeding traffic. “This is going to be a benefit to the community and to the military,” said Lt. Col. Gary Bloomberg, the Special Forces’ integration team chief. “It is a safety issue. With the overpass, residents will be able to safely transverse Highway 85 to get to work every day.” Preliminary plans call for on and off ramps on SR 85 similar to those on an interstate highway. The relocation of the 7th Special Forces Group — the legendary Green Berets — from Fort Bragg, N.C., to Eglin Air Force Base property has prompted the urgency to complete the project. Construction is under way west of SR 85 on a 600,000-square-foot facility the unit will call home. About 5,000 to 6,000 new residents will move to the area when the 7th Special Forces Group’s move is completed in 2011.
Friday, October 2, 2009
F-35 JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER TRAINING WING BEGIN OPERATIONS AT EGLIN AFB
JSF training wing stands up at Eglin
The Associated PressPosted : Thursday Oct 1, 2009 17:29:38 EDT
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — Eglin Air Force Base is now the official training base for fighter pilots who will fly the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
At a ceremony Thursday, Air Force leaders officially designated the 33rd Fighter Wing as the new training command for the next-generation jet fighters.
About 60 of the F-35 fighter jets will start arriving at Eglin by early 2011. In the meantime, top fighter pilots will study how to maneuver the single-seat fighter jets using some of the world’s most-advanced flight simulators.
The Associated PressPosted : Thursday Oct 1, 2009 17:29:38 EDT
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. — Eglin Air Force Base is now the official training base for fighter pilots who will fly the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
At a ceremony Thursday, Air Force leaders officially designated the 33rd Fighter Wing as the new training command for the next-generation jet fighters.
About 60 of the F-35 fighter jets will start arriving at Eglin by early 2011. In the meantime, top fighter pilots will study how to maneuver the single-seat fighter jets using some of the world’s most-advanced flight simulators.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Crestview's 10 Screen Movie Theatre on Schedule
Okay folks. The south part of Okaloosa county will start hearing some sucking noise. It will be all the money staying in Crestview with all of the commercial development on tap to open early next year. The long awaited movie cinema will make Mr. Jack Jernigan a folk hero in Crestview for a long time. Great Job Mr. Jernigan and CCB Community Bank.
Crestview's Twin Creeks Cinema 10 on track for spring opening
September 16, 2009 8:55 AM
Brian Hughes, Florida Freedom Newspapers
CRESTVIEW, FL - The developer of the Twin Creeks Crossing shopping center and movie theatre rapidly taking shape off Richbourg Lane recently answered the burning question local cinema-goers have been eager to have addressed.
“Several screens will be digital,” confirmed Jack Jernigan, a partner with Nels Offerdahl who will be the Twin Creeks Cinema 10 operator.
Offerdahl owns two other multiple-screen cinemas in the Panhandle, including the Ridge Cinema 8 in Pace and the Gulf Breeze Cinema 4. He also operates several movie theatres in his native Louisiana.
“He’s a great (cinema) operator,” Jernigan enthused.
Progress has been rapid at the Twin Creeks Crossing site, which just a few short months ago was a forest off quiet, residential Richbourg Lane. The developers originally planned to use the new street adjacent to the Marquis Self-Storage business as their shopping center’s main entrance, however it is currently unavailable to them.
The new street, which presently dead ends at the Twin Creeks property line, could be used in the future as part of an exit loop from the shopping center, Jernigan said.
“We’re going to widen Richbourg Lane,” Jernigan explained, after utilities serving Twin Creeks Crossing are installed. These include sewer tie-ins to the city of Crestview’s system, which developers were able to negotiate with the city when county services were unavailable. A stoplight will be installed to help control traffic at Richbourg and S.R. 85.
Jernigan said the 10-screen movie theatre is still scheduled for an April 2010 opening, with the retail center planned to open in early summer. He praised area officials who have worked with the developers to realize the project.
“The county really worked hard to help us get started,” Jernigan said. “The city’s been great. They have been super.”
While the cinema has most piqued area movie lovers’ considerable interest, Twin Creeks Crossing will also contain a shopping center.
“We are just a few days away from being in a position to going out and talking to people about pre-leases on the retail center next to the cinema,” Jernigan said. “We want to pick out certain types of businesses that will really synergize with the cinema.”
While more shopping opportunities will be welcomed, it’s the cinema that most grabs the attention of local moviegoers such as recent Crestview High grad Jeremy Mitchell and his friends.
“We have a theatre in Crestview, but we’d rather drive to Destin. It’s nicer,” Mitchell said. “With this new theatre coming, I wouldn’t see the reason to drive that far anymore.”
Crestview's Twin Creeks Cinema 10 on track for spring opening
September 16, 2009 8:55 AM
Brian Hughes, Florida Freedom Newspapers
CRESTVIEW, FL - The developer of the Twin Creeks Crossing shopping center and movie theatre rapidly taking shape off Richbourg Lane recently answered the burning question local cinema-goers have been eager to have addressed.
“Several screens will be digital,” confirmed Jack Jernigan, a partner with Nels Offerdahl who will be the Twin Creeks Cinema 10 operator.
Offerdahl owns two other multiple-screen cinemas in the Panhandle, including the Ridge Cinema 8 in Pace and the Gulf Breeze Cinema 4. He also operates several movie theatres in his native Louisiana.
“He’s a great (cinema) operator,” Jernigan enthused.
Progress has been rapid at the Twin Creeks Crossing site, which just a few short months ago was a forest off quiet, residential Richbourg Lane. The developers originally planned to use the new street adjacent to the Marquis Self-Storage business as their shopping center’s main entrance, however it is currently unavailable to them.
The new street, which presently dead ends at the Twin Creeks property line, could be used in the future as part of an exit loop from the shopping center, Jernigan said.
“We’re going to widen Richbourg Lane,” Jernigan explained, after utilities serving Twin Creeks Crossing are installed. These include sewer tie-ins to the city of Crestview’s system, which developers were able to negotiate with the city when county services were unavailable. A stoplight will be installed to help control traffic at Richbourg and S.R. 85.
Jernigan said the 10-screen movie theatre is still scheduled for an April 2010 opening, with the retail center planned to open in early summer. He praised area officials who have worked with the developers to realize the project.
“The county really worked hard to help us get started,” Jernigan said. “The city’s been great. They have been super.”
While the cinema has most piqued area movie lovers’ considerable interest, Twin Creeks Crossing will also contain a shopping center.
“We are just a few days away from being in a position to going out and talking to people about pre-leases on the retail center next to the cinema,” Jernigan said. “We want to pick out certain types of businesses that will really synergize with the cinema.”
While more shopping opportunities will be welcomed, it’s the cinema that most grabs the attention of local moviegoers such as recent Crestview High grad Jeremy Mitchell and his friends.
“We have a theatre in Crestview, but we’d rather drive to Destin. It’s nicer,” Mitchell said. “With this new theatre coming, I wouldn’t see the reason to drive that far anymore.”
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