By Cindy Jackson
Reporter
December 21, 2018 8:15 a.m.
Tis the season. Tis the season for long meetings of the Board of County Commissioners. The meeting that commenced at 9am on December 19, 2018 was no different, adjourning after 11am.
Each month, one department head appears before the Board to present a summary of activities. Fire Chief Brady Rigdon presented this month. Come year end, the Department of Fire and Rescue will have responded to roughly the same amount of calls as last year – approximately 10,000. The number of hospital transports have accounted for 4,303 calls thus far this year.
For the month of November 2018, Fire and Rescue received 565 calls for medical service and 100 calls were received reporting fire emergencies.
Commissioner Aaron Bell took the opportunity to praise Chief Rigdon and his department as he recalled time spent with the fire and rescue personnel to learn more about their daily operations. To underscore the need for adequate public safety infrastructure, equipment and personnel, he recounted an incident when a mobile home completely burned for lack of water to fight the fire. Rural parts of the county lack public water access so firefighters are limited to the amount of water a tanker can hold One tanker is located at Station 40 in Hilliard and another is housed at Station 70 in Yulee. The station 70 tanker will take up permanent residence at Station 71, once that facility is constructed on Chester Rd. near the intersection of Heron Isles Parkway (Yulee). A new tanker will be put into service at Station 60 in Bryceville in the spring of 2019. “We need water in the county to put out fires,” stated Rigdon.
The “Daily Nassau County Fire and Rescue Workforce” as Rigdon described it, currently consists of seven engine companies, eight rescue units, one ladder company, two battalion chiefs and two tankers.
Planning and Economic Opportunity
Taco Pope, Director of Planning and Economic Opportunity (PEO) and Assistant Director Adrienne Burke also briefed commissioners on two important projects – the work of the Western Nassau Heritage Preservation Committee and the William Burgess Context and Connectivity Blueprint.
Commissioners were united in their praise of PEO, specifically the amount of public engagement that has been involved. The department has hosted a number of workshops and other outreach events resulting in 7,000 points of data. Pope described the process as being an “asset based” model wherein residents are asked to place a value on what they like, what they want to protect – questions like how important is it to be in close proximity to grocery stores, shopping and public schools, having access to recreational opportunities and preserving local history. Adequate flood plain management and protecting natural resources were among the highest ranked items of concern.
Beach Community Group Formation
Also on the agenda was discussion of the formation of a Beach Community Group. City Commissioner Chip Ross spoke at the podium to express his desire that someone from the city be appointed to that group. Other suggestions for committee members included a representative from the Sheriff’s Office, from the Department of Planning and Economic Opportunity, the Amelia Island Tourism Development Council and community activists Mark Morris and Lowell Hall. While the formal construct of the committee was not finalized, once organized, the committee will hold public hearings to garner input.
Commissioners did approve three appointments to the Amelia Island Tourism Development Council – Arlene Filkoff, Executive Director of Main Street, Len Kreger, Vice Mayor, City of Fernandina and Olivia Hoblit, General Manager at Seaside Amelia Inn.
In addition, Commissioner Tom Ford was appointed to the Florida Association of Counties Board of Directors and the St. Mary’s River Management Committee.
Before adjourning, Commissioner Pat Edwards made a point of recognizing and thanking departing Director of Public Works, Becky Bray for her service to the county and County Attorney and acting County Manager Mike Mullin introduced Megan K. Diehl as the acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
The next meeting of the Board of County Commissioners will take place on January 14, 2019 at 6PM.
Editor’s Note: Born in Hagerstown, Maryland, Cindy received her BA in Political Science from Dickinson College. Upon graduation, Cindy began her career on Capitol Hill working as a legislative aide and director. She later became a part of the public relations and lobbying team of the American Iron and Steel Institute and served as director of the office of state legislative affairs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Cindy was involved in economic development with the state of Maryland, and served as executive director of Leadership Washington County. As a community volunteer, Cindy participates in numerous volunteer activities serving as a member of Sunrise Rotary, and as board member of Cummer Amelia Board of Directors.