- November 4, 2024
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The state of the city is good, said Ormond Beach Mayor Bill Partington during the state of the city address held at the Oceanside Country Club on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
The mayor thanked all those in attendance, recognizing a few key individuals such as Volusia County Chair Ed Kelley and Councilwoman Heather Post. He said all the ongoing city projects are following the usual processes set up by former mayors and that everything was going according to plan.
“In order to have a great city, it takes exceptional people—residents, business owners, friends, people who care about Ormond Beach and we’re lucky to have truly exceptional people in this city,” Partington said.
The bulk of the state of the city address was delivered via a video presentation, in which each city commissioner discussed the ongoing and future projects for their corresponding district.
In district one, City Commissioner Dwight Selby talked about the Taxiway Gulf project that was completed this spring at the Ormond Beach Municipal Airport, resulting in safer access to runways. The project cost $4 million. He also touched on the current status of the airport's runway extension project, for which the city conducted an environmental study.
In the video, Selby also brought up the future additions to field seven in the Ormond Beach Sports Complex. Some of the planned improvements include repositioning the field, adding bleachers and more lighting, as well as a concession and restroom building to allow for a girls softball team. The project would cost $800,000 and would begin in the 2018-2019 fiscal year if funding was approved.
City Commissioner Rick Boehm discussed Cassen Park in the video. He mentioned planned upgrades for the park, such as redoing the bathroom, painting the park and the construction of a floating dock to replace the one damaged by Hurricane Irma.
The floating dock is planned to be placed 70 feet south of the fishing pier, with 270 feet of dockage spanning both sides. Boehm said it will allow for 12 boats of approximate 26 feet in length to dock at the same time.
City Commissioner Rob Littleton's segment in the video discussed the Forest Hills Multi-Use Path project, which is a 10-foot-wide path measuring 3,400 feet connecting Forest Hills Boulevard at Scottsdale Drive to Granada Boulevard and Old Tomoka Road. The project costs $500,000 and is funded by the Florida Department of Transportation's Local Agency Program, with the city matching 10% of the funds.
City Commissioner Troy Kent focused on the city's reclaimed water system and pedestrian safety in the video. He said the city was recently awarded $1.5 million by the St. Johns River Water Management District to continue installing reused water lines on streets as part of its water main replacement project. The funding received covers one-third of the project's cost.
Kent said in the video the city is developing a solution to pedestrian safety along State Road A1A, and that Ormond Beach has initiated a project with FDOT to add crossings at Seminole Avenue, Rockefeller Drive and River Beach Drive. The city also plans to add rapid flashing beacons at the crosswalk in front of the Andy Romano Beachfront Park.
