[B]Hello all. This press release is in regard to the ongoing beach project in western Walton County, not the 30-A communities. We will send out more specific information regarding timing of the restart as it is provided by the contractor.[/B] [B]Brad[/B] [SIZE=2]THE WALTON COUNTY COMMISSION APPROVES CONTRACT CHANGES AND THE IMMEDIATE RESTART OF THE BEACH RESTORATION PROJECT [/SIZE] [SIZE=2]WALTON COUNTY, Fla.[/SIZE][FONT=Courier New][SIZE=2]?[/SIZE][/FONT][SIZE=2]Nov. 8, 2006[/SIZE][FONT=Courier New][SIZE=2]?[/SIZE][/FONT][SIZE=2]The Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) approved contract language changes and cost proposal from Great Lakes Dredge and Dock for the immediate restart of the Western Walton County Beach Restoration Project. [/SIZE] [SIZE=2]The Walton County Tourist Development Council as directed by the BCC late last month approached City of Destin and Great Lakes Dredge and Dock to negotiate the immediate restart of the project. Negotiations progressed rapidly with all parties agreeing on the common goal to complete the project as quickly as possible and prior to turtle nesting season and storm season. On Monday, the Destin City Council unanimously approved the contract changes and to move forward immediately with the project. [/SIZE] [SIZE=2]An initial conversation with Great Lakes Dredge and Dock earlier this week indicated that once they receive notification of acceptance of contract changes they would begin mobilizing the project immediately, and equipment should begin arriving on the beach before Thanksgiving. Weather permitting, construction of the remaining 6,500 feet of beach in Walton County is expected to take approximately 45-50 days to complete and an additional 45-50 days to complete the two miles in the City of Destin. [/SIZE] [SIZE=2]The overall cost of the project is proposed at $27,733,399 of which Walton County?s responsibility is $19,136,045. Walton County has paid $11,673,921 to date, and the remaining balance will be $7,462,124. Walton County is underwriting its portion of the project through bed tax collections, state grants, and a loan that is pledged against future bed tax revenue. Bed tax is paid solely by the visitors to South Walton County. No monies have been derived from Walton County Ad Valorem taxes.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]The public is invited to learn more about the status of the project by visiting [/SIZE][URL="http://www.sowal.com/bb/www.protectwaltoncountybeaches.com"][U][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]www.protectwaltoncountybeaches.com[/COLOR][/SIZE][/U][/URL][SIZE=2]. The Web site was specifically created as an informational tool regarding beach updates. [/SIZE]
