West Florida Regional Planning Council | Feb. 2018

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Local Emergency Planning Committee In Action

The West Florida Regional Planning Council serves as staff to the West Florida Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), which encompasses Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, and Bay counties. The two main goals of the LEPC are: to educate the community on hazardous materials that may exist in their neighborhoods and how to respond to any incidents that may occur; and to assist first responders in preparing for hazmat related emergencies. Recent and upcoming LEPC activities include:

Exercise at Kraton Chemical
The Escambia County Hazmat Team and Kraton Chemical in Pensacola teamed up in December to hold a joint, small-scale exercise at Kraton, focusing on responding to the chemicals on hand at Kraton, including a potential Boron Triflouride leak.

Hazmat Training Stakeholder Meeting
Captain Ken Coulter, Training Subcommittee Chair, facilitated and led a stakeholder’s meeting for Region I’s three hazmat teams and interested parties, including Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola in November. The meeting was hosted by the Ocean City-Wright Fire Control District.

Hazmat Symposium
West Florida LEPC will send a record number of first responders to the 2018 Hazmat Symposium to further the knowledge base of the region. Responders from all three hazmat teams, as well NAS Pensacola and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), will be sponsored by the LEPC. The symposium has proven to be an extremely beneficial resource for the region’s responders.

Hurricane Assistance
Many organizations in the West Florida Regional Planning Council communities volunteered with hurricane preparedness and subsequent clean up and assistance throughout Florida this Fall. Escambia County deployed trucks for assistance in south Florida and many man hours were spent graciously helping those affected by Hurricane Irma. It was clear at local emergency meetings that responders across Florida are not only experts in emergency management, they are selfless community servants as well. The West Florida LEPC is extremely grateful to all of those who assisted in the recent storm and continue to keep the local region safe.

Recent WFRPC Activities

FL-AL TPO Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan
The updated Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan for the

Florida-Alabama TPO is taking shape as a result of continued and extensive public outreach and research. Two public workshops were recently held in Warrington and Perdido Key where staff received valuable information from residents. The plan will take a comprehensive look at existing walking and bicycling conditions in the TPO planning area and recommend a variety of strategies to improve the non-motorized transportation network. The completed plan will serve as a roadmap for organizations and individuals working toward establishing pedestrian and bicycle friendly communities. The plan is scheduled for completion in June of 2018.

The Passing of the Gavel

At the December Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization meeting, TPO Chairman Rob Williamson presented Commissioner Grover Robinson with a plaque in appreciation of his leadership during his tenure as TPO Chairman. WFRPC would like to thank both Commissioner Robinson for his term as Chairman and his many years of dedication to the TPO, and Commissioner Williamson for his dedication in filling the important role of Chairman for the TPO for the new term.

Okaloosa-Walton Community Workshops

In December, the Okaloosa-Walton Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) directed staff to begin the Long Range Transportation Planning amendment process to add projects to the Needs Plan and Cost Feasible Plan as detailed below:

Needs Plan Amendment Projects

Rasberry Road Extension to Arena Road in Crestview
U.S. 98 Realignment Alternative 2B west of Brooks Bridge in Fort Walton Beach

Cost Feasible Plan Amendment Projects (PD&E and Design Phases only being amended)

U.S. 98 at CR 30A Pedestrian Bypass in Santa Rosa Beach
U.S. 98 at U.S. 331 Flyover Interchange
Crestview Bypass (east)
U.S. 98 Realignment Alternative 2B west of Brooks Bridge in Fort Walton Beach

TPO staff, in consultation with FDOT and appropriate project engineers, developed cost estimates and scheduled two public workshops to inform and gather input from the public. The workshops were held at the Northwest Florida State College in Crestview on Jan. 25 and the Fort Walton Beach Public Library on Jan. 29. More than 40 people attended the two workshops to provide valuable input.

Upcoming WFRPC Activities

Rideshare Transportation Solutions Lunch and Learn

Join rideOn and the Bay County Chamber of Commerce for the Rideshare Transportation Solutions Lunch and Learn:
Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Sheraton Bay Point Resort
4114 Jan Cooley Drive, Panama City Beach, Fla.

Meet with representatives from Enterprise Rideshare, Bay Town Trolley, and West Florida Regional Planning Council’s rideOn team and learn how to introduce a commuter rideshare program to a business and the community. Ridesharing is a structured program to support carpooling, vanpooling, and other sustainable transportation options. Used as a simple and innovative HR strategy to improve workforce recruitment, retention and reliability, it produces cost savings that benefit employees and employers alike.

This free Lunch and Learn opportunity, hosted by rideOn Commuter Services and Bay County Chamber of Commerce, will demonstrate how to implement transportation solutions that benefit businesses and the communities they support. It will also provide an opportunity to hear Florida Department of Transportation officials discuss upcoming roadway projects that will impact traffic in the region.Register Now! For questions or concerns, please contact Caitlin Cerame at 850-332-7976, ext. 203.

Bike Rodeo Training Workshop

Florida Traffic & Bicycle Safety Education Program presents:
Bike Rodeo Training Workshop
Feb. 22, 2018
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
West Florida Regional Planning Council
4081 E. Olive Road
Pensacola, Fla.

Learn how to conduct a clinic to teach children the skills and precautions to ride a bike safely.

Contact Caitlin.Cerame@wfrpc.org
for more information.

Calendar

Meetings and Important Dates

Feb. 7, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Rideshare Transportation Solutions Lunch and Learn
Sheraton Bay Point Resort, Panama City Beach

Feb. 12, 8:30 a.m.
Florida-Alabama Technical Coordinating Committee Meeting Pensacola City Hall

Feb. 12, 10:30 a.m.
Florida-Alabama Citizens’ Advisory Committee Meeting
Pensacola City Hall

Feb. 13, 10 a.m.
Holmes/Washington Counties Transportation Disadvantaged Board Meeting
Bonifay City Hall, Council Room

Feb. 13, noon
West Florida Regional Planning Council Meeting
Bogey’s Restaurant, DeFuniak Springs

Feb. 13, 1:30 p.m.
Walton County Transportation Disadvantaged Board Meeting Walton County Extension Office,
Bldg. 20

Feb. 14, 9 a.m.
Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization Meeting
Tiger Point Community Center

Feb. 19
West Florida Regional Planning Council Closed

Feb. 21 – all day
Bay County Transportation Planning Organization Meeting
Bay County Government Center

Feb. 21, 10:30 a.m.
Bay County Transportation Disadvantaged Board Meeting
Bay County Government Center, Room 1030

Feb. 22 – all day
Okaloosa-Walton Transportation Planning Organization Meeting
Walton County Courthouse

Feb. 22, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Safe Routes to School Bike Rodeo Training
West Florida Regional Planning Council Pensacola Office, Large Conference Room

Feb. 27, 10 a.m.
Escambia County Transportation Disadvantaged Board Meeting
Pensacola City Hall Hagler-Mason Room

Feb. 27, 2 p.m.
Santa Rosa County Transportation Disadvantaged Board Meeting
Milton City Hall, Council Chambers

Feb. 28, 10 a.m.
Okaloosa County Transportation Disadvantaged Board Meeting
Okaloosa County Administration Bld., Training Room

Feb. 28, 1:30 p.m.
Bay Area Resource Council (BARC) Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Meeting
Location TBD

Feb. 28, 3:30 p.m.
Bay Area Resource Council (BARC) Board Meeting
Location TBD