by Kathy Foster …
Washington County Commissioner Tray Hawkins was guest speaker at Tuesday’s meeting of the Chipley Kiwanis Club and highlighted some of the projects in the works for Washington County, including the following:
- Hawkins said it was important to all of county commissioners that the county have a new structure to serve the community as an emergency shelter in time of need. He said they would prefer not to have the county’s schools tied up for an extended period of time as emergency shelters. He said they were looking at several options, including obtaining and using about 50 acres of property near I-10 as a new location for a facility that could be used as an emergency center and ag center.
- He also said it is important to the Board of County Commissioners to develop a closer relationship with officials in surrounding counties.
- Hawkins also stressed that commissioners are working to bring more businesses into the Industrial Park in Chipley.
- Commenting on bringing business/industry to the area, Hawkins said Washington County and Holmes County are working well together to bring business to the area through the Highway 79 Project that extends into Washington County.
- Additionally, Hawkins said Washington County is in the process of hiring a lobbying firm to lobby on behalf of the county in both Tallahassee and Washington D.C. as necessary.
- Working to better use tax dollars on county projects is another hot topic for commissioners, and Hawkins said they are working closely with the Sheriff’s Department to use county inmates on projects whenever possible.