Ken Wright

NEW DOLLAR GENERAL STORE COMING TO LAUREL HILL ON HWY 85

The sleeping little town about 10 miles north of Crestview on Hwy 85, is opening their eyes. This is just one step in the growth from Crestview north to Laurel Hill. With the largest civilian employer located on the Northside of Crestview at the Bob Sikes Industrial Airpark, I can see the area from Crestview to Laurel Hill on Hwy 85 North growing quite rapidly as the result of the expansion of the Airpark and the Defense Contractors in the Airpark expanding their business.

Dollar General coming to Laurel Hill residents
Residents say it will cut down on trips to Crestview and Florala, Ala.
By BRIAN HUGHES
Florida Freedom Newspapers

LAUREL HILL - Residents here are excited Dollar General is coming to town.
Older folks still recall when Laurel Hill was a busy railroad community and boasted several stores, a bank and a movie house. Now, apart from grabbing snacks at Tom Thumb, residants grocery shop in Crestview or in Florala, Ala. "I tell you, it'll do all right here," Bessie Green said as she lunched with her friends Morris and Martha Rogers at Laurel Hill Grill, the city's only restaurant. "People are tired of driving so far to shop. If we run out of something, we can pick it up there (at Dollar General). Then we won't have to run to Crestview." The new store is planned for property just north of the former Hobo Video store on State Road 85 south of town. Laurel Hill City Clerk Harold Jones presented site plans to the city council recently that depicts a 9,014-square-foot store with 34 parking spaces. It will be the same size and layout as Dollar General built last year in Baker. The Baker store has proven very popular, said its manager, Gail Castonguay. "This is a busy store," Castonguay said. "We do really good here. I think it will do good in Laurel Hill. It is a small town like Baker." Jones said the Northwest Florida Water Management District and the state Department of Transportation are reviewing the store's applications and are expected to approve them within weeks. He expects the Laurel Hill Dollar General to rise rapidly after final approval is given. "So it looks like it'll be ready for Christmas," Councilman Johnny James said. At City Hall, water clerk Anita Miller and Assistant City Clerk Barbara Bottoms said Dollar General will be popular. "People are excited that it's coming," Bottoms said. "Laurel Hill doesn't have a grocery store." "It'll save a lot of time because I won't have to go to Crestview unless I have to," Miller added. "I go to Florala before I go to Crestview. The kids are always saying, ‘When are we going to Walmart?' I spend too much money at Walmart." Miller said Dollar General will be especially popular with families with school-age children. "My kids are constantly needing snacks and stuff for school," she said. "It's a lot more expensive to shop at Tom Thumb. I can't wait for the Dollar General to open."

EMERALD BREEZE RESORT ON OKALOOSA ISLAND MOVING FORWARD

This unique Enhanced Use Leasing with the government has allowed for this 17-acre parcel on the Gulf of Mexico to be developed into a Resort for the public with special military discounts built in. This resort will bring a number of military personnel (Active and Retired)from around the country. There is presently only 3 similar projects for the military, which are located in Germany, Orlando, and Hawaii. Look out Fort Walton Beach, are you ready?

Developer, military negotiating hotel
By MONA MOORE
Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4443 | mmoore@nwfdailynews.com  

EGLIN AFB - The Emerald Breeze Resort might be years away from booking its first guest, but the base's hotel project is closer to sealing a 50-year lease with developers. Representatives from Innisfree Development and contractor DCK Corp. have met with Eglin officials to negotiate the terms of the 50-year lease for a parcel of land on Okaloosa Island. "Which allows them to begin their design and permitting process and also to go out and start working on financing," said Glenn Wagner, Eglin's Enhanced Use Leasing program manager. The Air Force presented its Emerald Breeze Resort proposal in January 2009 as the best use for Test Site A-5 next to the Sheraton Four Points hotel. Wagner said construction of the proposed 17-acre military resort, which will also be open to the public, will begin once the lease agreement is signed. The agreement might be as long as a year away. The process was delayed by scheduling conflicts between Eglin and the developers. Also, the two parties have been treading carefully through the Enhanced Use Leasing, or EUL, process. "This is a new process, so we're going fairly deliberately and carefully as we do it," Wagner said. "Of course, the financing situation and the economy, right now, (are) not great. So it did not hurt anything that we were going a little slower." The entire EUL process involves a concept opportunity study, a business case analysis, selecting the highest-ranked offer from a commercial business, negotiating and signing a lease and then construction. In addition to negotiating the cost of leasing the land, the base included generous military discounts in the proposed agreement. Since this EUL process is at the lease negotiation stage, Wagner did not have the final price tag of the lease agreement. "They're (Innisfree and DCK) doing a lot of recalculations based on what they are going to get for financing, so it's not really set yet," he said. Under the EUL agreement, Innisfree will deposit lease payments into a third-party escrow account. Funds in the account will pay for maintenance projects on base and any expenses beyond the budget. "It's called payment in kind," Wagner said. Instead of paying Eglin cash, Innisfree will advertise for bids on the maintenance or construction projects and pay for them from the account. If previous projects are any indication, the system will provide more work to local companies. Though Emerald Breeze is Eglin's first true EUL project, the base has made similar agreements with Okaloosa County and the Mid-Bay Bridge Authority. The Northwest Florida Regional Airport expansion is one example. Had the deal involved a regular lease agreement, the money would have gone directly to the Air Force. With the EUL process, the funds stay here and benefit Eglin and the local community. "Local people gain business from this," Wagner said. "I would say, almost without exception, every time we request one of those two agencies to do some work on Eglin, that work is bid on and won by local firms right here." So far, the resort's plans have not changed. The first phase of the resort will still feature a beachfront pool, 150 rooms and two commercial spaces that will be available for lease. Future phases include at least 100 additional rooms. With 600 feet on the Gulf of Mexico, the resort will offer direct beach access. Alternative energy and other green features would be required "wherever feasible," according to the Air Force's plan. Once completed, Innisfree Hotels will manage the hotel. Innisfree owns the Holiday Inn Express and Hilton Garden Inn in Orange Beach, Ala., and the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front and Hampton Inn on Pensacola Beach.

MORE IMPROVMENTS BEING MADE TO CRESTVIEW'S BOB SIKES AIRPORT

As I have noted time and time again, the Army's 7th Special Forces is coming, however, the Crestview's Bob Sikes Airport is fast becoming a major employment center piece for Okaloosa County and it has the potential to bring as much if not more, new residents in the area as the Army. I have brief a number of folks about this economic engine for the county and the future is very bright because of the high tech and aerospace needs of our region. If you didn't know where the Airport is, it is located on the Northside of Crestview, across the street from the only High School, new Shopping Center and Cinema, and much more.

Improvements planned for Bob Sikes Airport
Brian Hughes/brianh@crestviewbulletin.com
2010-08-31 08:52:58

There should be no question that Crestview's Bob Sikes Airport is one of the community's biggest economic generators.

As the county's General Aviation Airports Manager Scott Musser told members of the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce Airport Committee at an Aug. 26 meeting, the facility provides a nearly $4 million payroll and total annual economic impact of $13.8 million.

With more than $23 million in recent upgrades, including improved lighting and a completed runway resurfacing over the last two years, the airport is on the cusp of even greater benefits for the area, said Okaloosa County Airports project manager Tracy Stage.

And, Stage assured the packed chamber conference room, "That's not coming out of your pockets or your tax dollars." Funding comes from users of the airport and the national Aviation Trust Fund, he said.

The next planned improvements will include widening taxiways up to 75 feet, which will ready the airport for FAA "Group IV" classified aircraft with wingspans between 118 and 170 feet, such as the DC-10, Boeing 757, 767-200 or Airbus A-300.

The improvements will also provide an integrated storm drainage system that will include a "massive" storm water pond east of the runway.

"This is important for both existing tenants and companies to come," Stage said.

In order to request bids for the proposed improvements, Stage and his team worked closely and at length with the Northwest Florida Water Management District, an integral partner because some of the airport property consists of wetlands.

As a result, the entire airfield has been essentially pre-permitted, so any construction permits needed can be issued quickly, rather than waiting for the normal 120-day permitting process for each component of a project.

"A lot of work is going into that," Stage said.

While Stage's department broke up the improvements into a series of components prioritized based on available funding, the hope is to be able to save money by doing the entire project at one time. A request for bids went out early this summer toward that end.

The winning $10.3 million bid was returned by Anderson Columbia, an Old Town firm that has done previous projects at Bob Sikes Airport, "which is good news for us," Stage said. "They know the airport and how everything operates. It's very beneficial."

With extraneous expenses, including design and engineering, the total cost will be about $11.5 million, Stage said. To obtain funding county airport authorities are actively pursuing both federal and state funds, including the FAA and the Florida Department of Transportation. Stage is optimistic they will be successful.

"I expect some great news about the money coming down from both the agencies that fund it," Stage said. "We're just waiting to find out what participation levels the state and the feds will be at."

If successful in obtaining the funds, construction could begin as early as October, Stage said.

In other airport matters:

· Musser reported that 23 sets of plans for the planned Quest Aviation facility have been sent out for bids. The company buys and dismantles primarily passenger aircraft and resells the parts.

· Emerald Coast Aviation, the airport's fixed base operator providing general aviation services, has submitted plans to the county for its two-story 8,000-10,000 square-foot terminal, which will include a full-service public restaurant, conference space and an outdoor terrace. Emerald Coast hopes construction can begin within six months, with completion within 18 months.

· Musser reported the county airports partners, including private and county officials, will attend the National Business Aviation Association conference in Atlanta in October. "When we market the airport, it's a team effort," said county airports Director Greg Donovan.

"We are constantly lobbying to bring employment and jobs to bolster the economy out here," Donovan told the audience.

CONSTRUCTION ON NEW HEADQUARTERS ON FORT BRAGG MAKING PROGRESS - WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR US

What does this mean for us? Well let me tell you. I have been trying to explain to the local folks in government, media, and more, this is a connect the dots kind of thing. One of the issues I have heard was, "The newly assigned 7th Special Forces Group might have trouble selling their homes before they move here. NOT. As you will read, there is going to be as many, if not more coming to Fort Bragg during the same time period. WHY? Reorganization and preparing for more troops stationed outside the United States to come stateside. Warfare is different today than it was yesterday. Rapid Deployment and high tech weapontry and other things make bringing back troops to the US possible, now more than ever. In conclusion, we are sitting pretty good for many years to come in the Panhandle of Florida and the reason why, "Our National Defense requires it", period.

The five-story future home of the Army's largest command - and the symbol of Fort Bragg's BRAC growth - is progressing on schedule.

Looming above the Main Post Polo Field is the centerpiece of southeastern North Carolina's hopes for an economic boost from military growth because of base realignment.

Ground was broken in December 2008, and there is less than a year until the building is supposed to be finished.

Construction is about 70 percent complete on the headquarters building for Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command at Knox and Randolph streets.

Plans call for the $297 million, 631,000-square-foot building to be ready for occupation June 21, said Dan Davis, resident engineer for the Savannah District of the Army Corps of Engineers.

The 2005 BRAC law directs that the two commands relocate to Fort Bragg from Fort McPherson in south Atlanta no later than Sept. 15, 2011.

That leaves little more than a year to move the four-star command that oversees the readiness of most of the Army's combat troops based in the United States and the three-star headquarters in charge of the Army Reserve.

The building
Because of its nearness to Fort Bragg's main post historic district, the building's colors had to comply with requirements from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office.

"Our roof has to match the existing roofs from the 1930s, 1940s construction," said Ted Kientz, the Forscom liaison officer team leader. "The facades are all brick to match it. It has to visually look similar."

The exterior is concrete precast panels with a thin brick veneer manufactured in Oxford, Kientz said.

"We got a much better quality product doing it this way," he said.

Three temporary external elevators, known as "material lifts," help move the ducts, wire, paint, carpet and dry wall up the five floors.

Inside, there's the sound of banging and backup alarms and the whir of screwguns. The air conditioning has been going for two months.

In fact, walls are going up so quickly that a person walking through the building might have to learn new ways to navigate every few days, he said.

Generals and senior civilians will park and come in through the two-story-high entrances on the Knox Street side. This will be the entrance for VIPs, too. The Forces Command entrance is on the south, or Randolph Street side, near Bowley Elementary School. The U.S. Army Reserve Command entrance is on the north, or Scott Street side, near the warehouses.

Most of the 2,773 employees will enter on the other side of the building, where there will be a ceremonial courtyard. As is the case with buildings on Fort Bragg nowadays, access will be tightly controlled.

The building will not have a cafeteria or restaurant, which is standard for four-star headquarters, Kientz said. There will be vending machines and microwave ovens.

The building has more than 800 windows and 1,000 doors.

The floors are raised, with power and communication lines and cables underneath.

"The entire building is designed to be as flexible as possible for future reorganizations within the space of the building," Davis said.

The builders
The contractor is Hensel Phelps, which also is building the 7th Special Forces Group complex at Eglin Air Force Base near Fort Walton Beach, Fla. The 2005 BRAC law also mandates that the 7th Group move from Fort Bragg to Florida.

"The majority of the subcontractors on site are local subcontractors," Davis said. "Those that aren't are hiring local labor."

About 375 people per day are working on the project, Davis said. In three or four months, that number will peak at about 500.

No work days had been lost to accidents through July after more than 819,000 manhours on the Forscom project, Davis said.

An all-veteran security guard force is protecting the building.

View from the top
The fifth-floor terrace overlooks the polo field to the west.

The 18th Airborne Corps helipad for visiting dignitaries is on the far side of the polo field. It's also where the fireworks are set off on the Fourth of July.

"On the Fourth of July, it will be the best place to watch the fireworks," Kientz said.

In the distance, Womack Army Medical Center and the Soldier Support Center, the former Womack, are visible.

The roofing material is recycled plastic, "another one of the green aspects of the building," Davis said.

The white roof reflects heat.

"We have lower requirements for insulation," Davis said. "We also have lower requirements for cooling and heating." On a bright, sunny day, the glare is like a snowfield.

As an energy-saving measure, lights come on and go off when people enter and leave.

Longleaf pines and associated smaller plants are being incorporated into the landscaping to help restore some of the native trees that have been removed in recent years for construction projects.

FUTURE HOUSES WILL LOOK MORE LIKE A HOME

The recent economy has changed the home buying experience. As you can see below, what we thought the consumer wanted is all wrong. However, you will see smaller, better, and smarter homes are on the horizon. However, the local area may cause some variations to this trend.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - July 28, 2010 - The house of the near future could look more like, well, a home.

After the economic recession and collapse of the housing market, "smaller, better, smarter" may win out over grand, oversize showpieces, said Jacksonville architect Michael Dunlap. "That's what I think they'll be." Adds Kermit Baker of the American Institute of Architects: "The era of the McMansion could well be over." Baker, chief economist for the AIA, said the recession and an interest in lowering utility costs has already changed how houses are designed and built.

"As the housing boom has passed, there seems to be a renewed interest in investing in properties to make homes more livable, as opposed to real estate that can be resold quickly for a profit," he wrote in an AIA report. We interviewed architects and builders to try to figure out what new houses -- both mass-production and custom -- might look like in the next decade or so. The consensus was that they might not appear that much different, at first glance. But here's a way to picture the future home: Take a house built during the past 20 years, then start scaling back -- or just plain taking away -- some of the features.

All those different roof pitches, scattered over gable after gable? That big two-story vestibule? The formal dining room? Gone. That three-story garage? Down to two. That 3,500-square-foot house? Perhaps you'll have to do with just 2,800. It's hardly deprivation though, say the experts. Instead, they say, think of it as more practical -- and perhaps even more livable. "The formal living room, the formal sitting room, the big grand open entry with huge stairwell and a 28-foot vault to the ceiling?" said Robert Leinenweber, owner of Eastern Shores Construction in Atlantic Beach. "All that's going away." Jacksonville architect Richard Skinner said changes will be dictated by a more uncertain -- and more realistic -- approach to the house in which you live. "It's the ongoing cost of a house that kills you, the mortgage and the utility payments," he said. "So if you can figure a way to cut those, you're on the way to solving the problem."

Baker compiles quarterly reports on home design trends for the AIA, based on information from architectural firms. He's reluctant to predict what will be happening 10 or 15 years from now, but says you can get clues based on what's been happening in the recent past. The smaller house trend has been bubbling for some time. Factors include the influence of Sarah Susanka's "The Not So Big House" books, increasing land and utility costs, and the fact that families aren't as big as they used to be. Last year, USA Today reported that U.S. Census data shows the average size of a new house dropped for the first time in more than a decade. It went from 2,629 feet in the second quarter of the year to 2,343 in the fourth. "It was gaining some traction even before this downturn," Baker said. "We don't really need a 5,000- or 6,000-square-foot home with a big formal dining room, a big formal living room. That doesn't really reflect us." Still, that doesn't mean houses built in the next 10 or 15 years will be anything like the 1,100-square-foot houses put up after World War II. Those were considered just fine by returning G.I.s and their families, but Americans have grown to expect more. Baker said lot sizes have been shrinking for a while, but that entry-level homebuyers often want houses that are as big as they can get -- and that won't change.

"I do believe that when the housing market recovers, those home sizes will begin to inch back up again," he said. But it might take a long time to get back to as big as they were in the go-go years. Andy Chambers has seen the boom and the bust. He's president of both MasterCraft Builder Group and the Northeast Florida Builders Association. "Are people going to build bigger, higher-cost houses for the most part?" he said. "I think not." Rooms that encourage just a single use -- formal living rooms and dining rooms, isolated media rooms --will be the first to go. "People are just looking more carefully at the space that's useful," said Skinner. In coming years, look for multi-use rooms of flexible design, featuring lots of open space. That central living area is more spacious, tied into a kitchen that's functional but not over-the-top. The family area will be focused even more so around the TV screen, which will be even larger, said Skinner: "The TV has taken the spotlight, and people aren't as ashamed of it as they used to be." He also expects kitchens to be more practical than extravagant. And bathrooms? They won't be the "palaces" of past years. They'll be nice, sure. But who really needs a palace for a bathroom? Skinner said there's plenty of room in the future for modern-looking houses, but he expects something of a return to a more traditional look.

"I think there's this sense of what a home looks like," he said. "Proportions will become closer to something that looks classically driven; the scale of homes will be more pleasing to the eye. There's been a lot of movement in the directions of neighborhoods that are more into the Avondale, Riverside, San Marco design." For years, people have been envisioning smart "Jetsons"-style houses packed with centralized high-tech systems that will run the whole building. Those predictions were likely overblown, said Chambers, the builders association president. "The high-tech houses, quite honestly, have never taken off, and I think that's because technology has exceeded the high-tech houses, because of wireless for the most part." And the much-ballyhooed green house? People are slowly moving that way, though Leinenweber points out that most green construction methods remain too expensive for widespread use. Better insulation and more efficient windows, however, have come down in price enough to be popular.

Leinenweber said he's also seeing less reliance on conventional building materials. Instead, there's more cement composite siding and recycled plastic and PVC trim. Where will the houses be? Looking at Northeast Florida, there still seems to be plenty of room and interest in development that keeps sprawling farther and farther from the city center. Jacksonville itself, though, will soon run out of room to expand. That's what William "Bill" Killingsworth, director of the city's Planning and Development Department, has said. He foresees a future in which aging areas of the city are redeveloped into new higher-density developments, ones close to shopping and public transit. Baker said different parts of the country take different approaches to where to build. But trends seem to indicate one thing. "There seems to be more interest in proximity to something else rather than splendid isolation," he said.