Paging Mr. Osborne, paging Mr. Alan Osborne

[Bob]

I had the opportunity to hear Mr. Osborne speak the other night, and I was truly impressed. As he stated, he got into the race when he heard Cindy wasn't running -- not because he was doing business with Walton County or needed the insurance, but because he felt that someone on the board needed to represent the people of Walton County.

He struck me as brave, if not terribly diplomatic. IMHO, a straight talking person without an agenda is preferable to a person who speaks with tons of finesse without really saying anything.

I wrote to Mr. Osbourne, and suggested he post on this site. I asked him a few questions Monday night, and he knew they were hot topics from SoWal when he answered, and let that be known. Clearly, he's aware of the board and if he wants to be commissioner I'm sure he realizes how powerful a tool this board can be. It's up to us -- and here I'm speaking as a user, and I mean all of us -- to make sure we are a fair audience when people put themselves out there to serve.

Only five people were brave enough to step forward, and they all deserve respect for being willing to take on a very difficult job.

tons of finesse....hmmmmm....doesn't really say anything....hmmmmm

 

[4dogs]

I have a question.

What are your thoughts on the Animal Shelter that is to be built next to the new jail?

 

[idlewind]

No, I actually meant 4v1. Everyone has their issues and my list is small and simple. The vast majority of the county's tax dollars come from South Walton and our youth sports league's facilities pale compared to other areas in the county. If this issue is taken care of, I am a pretty happy camper. I attended a mixer to get to know Alan and feel that he is probably more pissed off than I am about this issue. I left without having any doubts that he will go to the mat on this issue and look forward to seeing him do it.

What do you base this statement on? Helen McCall is newly remodeled and has great baseball/softball/soccer facilities. My understanding is that Paxton and Freeport have new facilities as well, however they compare to McCall, they are not that much better. Even if there are areas needing improvement, who is going to pay for them? Do you want your taxes to go up to pay for another ballpark? I think beach parking is a more pressing concern and a better place to spend limited dollars.

 

[Santiago]

What do you base this statement on? Helen McCall is newly remodeled and has great baseball/softball/soccer facilities. My understanding is that Paxton and Freeport have new facilities as well, however they compare to McCall, they are not that much better. Even if there are areas needing improvement, who is going to pay for them? Do you want your taxes to go up to pay for another ballpark? I think beach parking is a more pressing concern and a better place to spend limited dollars.

I base this on having seen the facilites in Freeport and DeFuniak Springs and compared them to South Walton as well as having volunteered to coach for the past 4 years and having dealt with limited practice facilities. Because of the limited field space, we were limited to 1 practice per week during baseball season. On the contrary, one coach that I spoke to from Freeport who coached a younger team practiced 3 to 4 times per week. So to answer your question, that's exactly where I want my taxes to go. I could not care less about having the 50th or so beach access. And to answer your other question, myself and everyone owning property in South Walton is going to pay for them just as we paid for the ballfields and everything else in Paxton.

 

[Smiling JOe]

What do you base this statement on? Helen McCall is newly remodeled and has great baseball/softball/soccer facilities. My understanding is that Paxton and Freeport have new facilities as well, however they compare to McCall, they are not that much better. Even if there are areas needing improvement, who is going to pay for them? Do you want your taxes to go up to pay for another ballpark? I think beach parking is a more pressing concern and a better place to spend limited dollars.

If you think that is true, perhaps you should drive to the new Freeport City Park at Hammock Bay. It is probably 100 times nicer than Helen McCall Park. By the way, the County is working on accepting resumes/applications from engineers for the expansion of Helen McCall Park, so that project is underway, but not even started.

I agree that beach parking/transportation should be given high priority, especially as more inland development continues. I also believe that Community Parks should be fairly high on the list. It is crazy that in order for someone to play tennis around here that they would have to drive to Freeport to play on a public park. Public Swimming Pool? Freeport. Parking and Recreational Parks, both, are candidates for public funding grants.

One observation is that South Walton doesn't have a centralized community, nor a centralized public place for all to gather. The closest idea of a place is the beach, but that is not a centralized place for all. It is spread over the width of South Walton. A recreational park could be a start for a centralized place of community gathering.

 

[idlewind]

I base this on having seen the facilites in Freeport and DeFuniak Springs and compared them to South Walton as well as having volunteered to coach for the past 4 years and having dealt with limited practice facilities. Because of the limited field space, we were limited to 1 practice per week during baseball season. On the contrary, one coach that I spoke to from Freeport who coached a younger team practiced 3 to 4 times per week. So to answer your question, that's exactly where I want my taxes to go. I could not care less about having the 50th or so beach access. And to answer your other question, myself and everyone owning property in South Walton is going to pay for them just as we paid for the ballfields and everything else in Paxton.

Priorities must be taken care of, and the fact is that the 50th beach access has a positive impact on tourism, which is where most of us make our living. The truth is that we are nowhere near 40 accesses, much less 50. Helen McCall looks to me to be compatible to Freeport and Paxton. DeFuniak I understand plays youth sports in a 40+ year old complex, so they may be next in line anyway.
Where revenue comes from should have little to do with spending decisions. Demographics should be the deciding factor. Otherwise, you could have state of the art ballfields in an upscale area with few children and no fields in a lower income area running over with youth.

 

[idlewind]

If you think that is true, perhaps you should drive to the new Freeport City Park at Hammock Bay. It is probably 100 times nicer than Helen McCall Park. By the way, the County is working on accepting resumes/applications from engineers for the expansion of Helen McCall Park, so that project is underway, but not even started.

I agree that beach parking/transportation should be given high priority, especially as more inland development continues. I also believe that Community Parks should be fairly high on the list. It is crazy that in order for someone to play tennis around here that they would have to drive to Freeport to play on a public park. Public Swimming Pool? Freeport. Parking and Recreational Parks, both, are candidates for public funding grants.

One observation is that South Walton doesn't have a centralized community, nor a centralized public place for all to gather. The closest idea of a place is the beach, but that is not a centralized place for all. It is spread over the width of South Walton. A recreational park could be a start for a centralized place of community gathering.

I certainly agree that a quality tennis facility open to the public would be a great investment with raccquetball facilities attached. The pool probably should be a secondary priority but planning for the future should be attended to. Land for future parks should be acquired now when real estate is somewhat depressed. But the question is, with the current budgetary constraints in mind, how do you pay for it? Simply saying SoWal pays all the taxes doesn't answer the question. The fact is that the county funds for next year are already earmarked and there is very few unencumbered pots of money anymore.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Let's see how Mr Osborne responds to the issues addressed. You bring up good questions.

 

[seagrovegirl]

 

[Alan Osborne]

responses from alan osborne

I have a sick child I am dealing with tonight, but promise to answer Road runners questions in a timley manner. I also will be speaking at the ECAR event tuesday evening. Please attend if you are intrested in meeting the candidates face to face.
Alan Osborne

Short answer- Helen Mccall park is not up to standards IMHO. If elected it's one of the things I WILL improve in my district! An investment in our youth is a investment in our future!

Alan Osborne