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CRESTVIEW — With the new year right around the corner, city manager Tim Bolduc is preparing for more growth.
“I’m very excited and optimistic,” Bolduc said of the new year.
While looking to the future, Bolduc came up with five big initiatives the city will focus on in 2020.
Transportation from a long-range planning perspective
“Everybody recognizes that we need to do something (about traffic),” Bolduc said. “The first thing we have to do is own the problem.”
Bolduc said he is aware the city’s transportation issues won’t be solved overnight, but focusing on current issues can halt any degrade in transportation.
One way the city will be working toward this goal is through a partnership with Okaloosa County on the bypass project. The first stages of construction are set to begin in 2020.
The city would like to hear from citizens who have ideas on how to better transportation in the future. A transportation outreach meeting will be held at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 11.
The meeting will be held at Crestview Community Center located at 1446 Commerce Drive.
Addressing the water/sewer/storm water utility department issues
The city will also look at the impact combining storm water utilities with sewer and water has on the city.
“The rate of growth in Crestview is so fast that it’s important we stay ahead of it,” Bolduc said. “Part of us having a good solid future is by building a good solid foundation.”
According to the Bolduc, the city will hold workshops throughout 2020 to assess the affect of the combined utilities on city residents’ property taxes. In addition, looking at the combination will allow the city to address any maintenance needs as they arise.
“If we don’t have an adequate budget to maintain our pumps, then we have to replace them,” Bolduc said. “You take a 10-year item and you wear it into the ground over five years rather than maintaining as you go.”
Enhance recreation programs
The city has already begun steps to enhance recreation in 2020.
First, Bolduc is making an offer on the Foxwood Country Club property shortly after Christmas. The property will be used for recreational programs.
Second, during the Dec. 16 City Council meeting, the council voted to reorganize the Parks and Recreation department.
The departments’s name was changed to the Community Recreation & Enrichment Services Department and will be comprised of three primary divisions: library services, athletics services and programs & special events.
Bolduc said the city will also begin to partner with the community and Okaloosa County in order to enhance the footprint and quality of programs.
“So many of the people that are participating in our programs are county residents,” Bolduc said. “We want to come up with ways to provide them with the great quality of programs they deserve.”
Enhance partnerships
While the city will continue to grow its partnerships with the county and the state, Bolduc would also like to see partnerships between the city and local businesses, as well as a partnership between fire districts.
“In this area we have eight districts that at any time can be responding to a call,” Bolduc said. “As we continue to grow, we want to make sure they’re getting equally trained.”
According to Bolduc, many of the districts are volunteer-based, so it’s important to make sure they all have the same resources.
“Our first focus is on our city residents, but we recognize that if you get in an accident on a county piece of the road, it doesn’t make any difference to you whether you're in the city or not,” Bolduc said. “We want to make sure everything around us is of the highest quality. We’re going to strive for excellence in all of it and try to help those around us to reach it as well.”
Improve overall efficiency
According to Bolduc, the city’s overall goal for next year and beyond is to be as efficient as possible.
“I’m sure things will come up in the upcoming year that may slow us down and that’s really going to define the strength of this organization,“ Bolduc said. ”The big thing is to be transparent, making sure the public knows what is going on and continuing to press forward toward the overall good of the community.“
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: City of Crestview looks toward 2020