SCHOOL

Okaloosa School District to host fourth annual ‘College and Career Fair’

The Okaloosa County School District and the Okaloosa Public Schools Foundation will host two college and career fairs on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.

• The purpose is to provide students in attendance with information on post-graduation employment opportunities, higher education and military service.

Juniors and seniors from Choctawhatchee, Fort Walton Beach and Niceville high schools can register and attend at Beachside Community Church at 200 Racetrack Rd. NW, Fort Walton Beach. Students can register through links provided by their schools.

Sessions:

• 8 am – 10 am: Fort Walton Beach and Niceville Students (Breakfast Provided)
• 11 am – 1 pm: Choctawhatchee Students (Lunch Provided)

The OPSF College and Career Fair is not designed to be a ‘drop-in style’ event this year. Students should plan to stay for the entire free Session. Attendees will have the chance to win prizes and gift cards. Students are responsible for their own transportation and registration is required.

• Choctawhatchee’s Registration Form
• Fort Walton Beach’s Registration Form
• Niceville’s Registration Form

Students from Baker School, Crestview High School and Laurel Hill School can attend Crestview High School’s “Choose the View” Student Job Fair from 9 a.m. to noon at Crestview High School’s gymnasium.

Vendors wishing to participate in the Beachside Community Church fair can click here for more details. Vendors for the Crestview High event may contact haydenv@okaloosaschools.com or searsk@okaloosaschools.com.

PARKS+REC

Progress being made on new Lincoln Park Boat Ramp improvements

Progress is being made on the Lincoln Park Boat Ramp in Valparaiso. The Valparaiso City Commission approved spending nearly $1 million to improve the boat ramp and docks.

• During a Nov. 13 meeting, commissioners awarded a $996,585 bid to Loftis Marine LLC of Pensacola to replace the deteriorating boat ramp facilities.
• According to the city, the current ramp and docks are in poor condition and need extensive repairs in order to remain usable.

The project is partially funded through a $414,000 grant from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission that was awarded in January 2022. 

• The city plans to make up the nearly $583,000 funding gap through other available sources like American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, county boating improvement grants, the city’s parks reserve fund, and potentially its half-cent sales tax revenue.

As part of the grant, the city will have to dedicate the boat ramp as a “boat access facility” for the benefit and use of the public for no less than 20 years.

With the pouring of all new concrete, the boat ramp will go from a single lane to a 27ft double lane allowing two boats to launch at once. There will also be new boat parking.

According to the city, they have a deadline to finish by June 30, 2024 due to grant requirements.

A MESSAGE FROM ERA AMERICAN

ERA American Real Estate to host “Super Open House” Weekend featuring 50 homes

Get ready to find your dream home as ERA American Real Estate is hosting its highly anticipated “Super Open House” event from Thursday, March 7 through Sunday, March 10, 2024. 

• The event is aimed at generating excitement around the housing market and showcasing ERA American Real Estate’s footprint along the Emerald Coast and beyond. 

According to ERA American Realtor Catherine Gauthier, the event will feature over 50 ERA American listings available for viewing throughout the weekend. Homes will be available in every area where ERA American operates, from Pensacola to 30A, and as north as DeFuniak, Crestview, and Milton. 

“Last year we hosted 3 Super Open House Events and each one was more successful than the last,” said Gauthier. “ERA American Real Estate held a record number of homes open reaching over 75 homes open at one of our 3 day events.”

To help visitors navigate the event with ease, ERA American Real Estate has created a map available at erareal.com/super. The map outlines each home that is part of this year’s Super Open House, making it easy to quickly map out your weekend. 

• “The map includes the agent that’s going to be at the home, along with the times that it’ll be open,” explained Gauthier. “So it gives people an idea of where things are located and the times that the homes are going to be open so that they can plan out the routes accordingly.”

One of the best things about this event is that visitors do not need to make an appointment. They can simply show up during the open times, which are also listed on the map. This provides visitors with a hassle-free way to explore a wide range of properties on their own schedule.

Gauthier added, “It’s a great opportunity for our customers to showcase their homes for sale and for buyers – especially those who have recently relocated to the area – to view different neighborhoods and styles of properties that might interest them.”

Whether you’re looking for a beachfront property, a cozy cottage, or a spacious family home, the Super Open House event has something for everyone. So mark your calendar, bookmark the map, and get ready to discover your dream home during ERA American Real Estate’s Super Open House weekend from March 7th through March 10th, 2024.

Click here to view map and listings

MILITARY

Eglin AFB to conduct ‘readiness exercise’, advises of potential disruptions

Eglin Air Force Base will conduct a readiness exercise from Feb. 19 to March 1 to evaluate the base’s emergency response capabilities.

• The exercise may result in power outages, limited services, and delays entering and exiting the base during the exercise period.

Base officials advise residents on and off base to allow extra time when commuting for appointments and services. They encourage the community to remain alert and immediately report suspicious activities to 96th Security Forces Squadron operations at 882-2000.

The exercise aims to ensure Eglin’s ability to effectively activate crisis response procedures and manage operations under duress.

SCHOOL

Laurel Hill School celebrates 4 new classroom additions, state-of-the-art technology

The Okaloosa County School District held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday at Laurel Hill School to celebrate the addition of four new classrooms, thanks in part to the voter-approved half-cent sales tax revenue.

The school additions feature state-of-the-art technology and new furniture.

• One classroom tailored for exceptional student education contains appliances like a dishwasher and refrigerator to teach life skills.

“We celebrated the amazing Four Classroom Addition at Laurel Hill School with a ribbon cutting alongside Principal Lee Martello,” Superintendent Marcus Chambers said. “Each classroom has new technology and functional furniture.”

Chambers thanked contractors Jacobs-Titan and Lord & Son Construction and Okaloosa County voters for approving the half-cent sales tax to fund such projects.

School Board Member Tim Bryant also attended the ribbon-cutting at the campus.

• “This addition was funded by the citizen approved half-cent sales tax,” Bryant said. “Thank you to all of the dignitaries and special guests who helped celebrate today’s occasion.”

The expansion builds on campus upgrades being seen across the Okaloosa School District since the sales tax was passed in November 2020.

Work continues on a new multipurpose building at the Laurel Hill campus. Nineteen construction projects are planned or underway at 15 different schools in the first phase of the district’s capital improvement plan.

THE WEEKENDER

A few things to do around town

All of the events featured in the newsletter come from our community calendar. It’s free to add your events!

February 17, 2024 – Mixed Media Class with Golden Fluid Acrylics – $25 – View

February 17, 2024 – Bee Portrait in Acrylic – $60 – $65 – View

February 18, 2024 – When Everything’s [Not] Fine – Free – View

February 19, 2024 – Zen Illustration by Loren Boyer – $30 – $35 – View

February 23, 2024 – 35th Annual Sandestin Gumbo Festival Kick-Off Party – $35 – View

February 23, 2024 – Flipped Cup Pour with Lexy Adams – $100 – $120 – View

February 24, 2024 – Florida Artist Blacksmith Association Open House – Free – View

February 24, 2024 – The 35th Annual Sandestin Gumbo Festival – $45 – View

February 24, 2024 – 5th Annual Shrimp and Grits Festival – View

February 25, 2024 – Caring & Sharing Spring Fashion Show Sunday, February 25th at the Hilton Sandestin – $65 – View

February 27, 2024 – Celtic Music Performance with Emily Ann Thompson – Free – View

February 29, 2024 – Unlikely Pairings: A Wine and Culinary Sensory Seminar at Cuvee 30a – $200 – View

March 1, 2024 – First Friday Coffee sponsored by Clean Eatz – View

March 1, 2024 – Crescendo! Vintner Dinners – $500 – View

March 1, 2024 – Planetarium Special Feature: STEAM Wars – $10 – $12 – View

TRAFFIC

Temporary lane shift planned to accommodate ongoing Brooks Bridge construction

Drivers in Fort Walton Beach can expect changes to U.S. Highway 98 near the Brooks Bridge as construction continues on the $171 million replacement project.

• Crews are building new temporary lanes along the eastbound side of the highway to allow for the shift of all U.S. 98 lanes to the south, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
• The lane shift is scheduled to take place later this month.

The move will provide space for construction of a new westbound bridge structure to replace the section that opened in 1966. All four existing travel lanes will remain open during this phase of construction, which is expected to be completed in the summer of 2027.

When finished, the new side-by-side Brooks Bridges will expand capacity from four lanes to six. The replacement project broke ground last year with an estimated price tag of $171 million.