August 24, 2021 – The Flagler County Bunnell Branch Library is moving – but not too far. It will be closed from August 28 through September 6, and will reopen on September 7 at its new location in the Marvin’s Garden Plaza, 4601 E. Moody Boulevard, Suite F1.
“We are relocating the Bunnell Branch while our future facility is being designed and constructed,” said Library Director Holly Albanese. “This is an exciting, small step for the big things that are to come for the Flagler County Public Library.”
The Palm Coast Main Branch Library will close early on Monday, August 30 – at 6 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. – as some staff members from that location will be assisting with the Bunnell relocation.
Upon reopening, the library hours at the Bunnell Branch will remain the same: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and the phone number will stay 386-437-7390.
The regular hours at the Palm Coast Main Branch are as follows: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday; and, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The phone number is 386-446-6763.
“We apologize for the inconvenience while we move,” Albanese said. “Thank you for your understanding, and continued support for the Flagler County Public Library.”
Palm Coast, FL – Hosting a ‘listening session’ on Tuesday evening in the Buddy Taylor Middle School cafeteria, it was a respectful yet passionate gathering of community members who are once again taking up the mantle to see the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club become all that it can be.
It’s Dr. Doug Courtney’s fourth time over two decades speaking out and helping to lead the charge for the aging facility that serves both seniors and students alike, and while he’s had his hopes dashed in the past, after hearing from Paul Peacock, Chief Operating Officer for Flagler Schools and Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt during the meeting, he’s cautiously optimistic.
“It provides health benefits, social benefits, psychological benefits, and it’s a beautiful place,” said Courtney. “I would hope that the school board and the community would start to look at it as the asset it is. Yes, it’s aged but at the same time it’s aged gracefully in a lot of ways.”
Engaging elected officials in the past, he’s suggested funds from the county’s senior services help the facility by including a commercial kitchen on the 11 acres and handling the Meals on Wheels program, serving a dual purpose of supplementing the facility and serving the community.
“I would like to see it get to the point where we don’t have to have any of these meetings,” he said. “I feel hopeful. I’ve heard a lot of this four times before. They move the goal post quite a lot. Hopeful, yes. Encouraged, not quite yet.”
Dr. Karyn Phillips, a six year member of the club isn’t ready to put the cart before the horse just yet, and stressed the need to engage grant writers, some of whom were present, to begin shoring up the facility with capital improvements.
“They’re not pursing grants, and there are so many grants out there that would help with schools, with senior citizens, with exercise, with everything, and I didn’t hear that throughout today,” she said. “That’s something I will bring up again and again.”
“I thought it was a good start and I like the fact that there’s one person designed to hear what the community is saying,” said Phillips. “I think to get the community and the school board on the same team would be a wonderful idea. Right now, it’s keeping the pool open, keeping it viable, financially successful and refurbishing it, and then go forward with the rest.”
Calling it a lifeblood for many seniors in the community, Pam Richardson provided a ride to an 88-year old member who frequents the swim club. It’s a staple in her life and Richardson attended to help advocate for her friend.
“This keeps so many people alive and nobody appreciates it that has the authority to make the difference,” said Richardson.
Paul Peacock, COO for the Flagler School District listens as residents share their concerns and ideas for the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club on Tuesday, Augsut 24, 2021.
Taking copious notes, Flagler County School Board member Colleen Conklin was also on hand, and Mr. Peacock, who’s been tasked with collecting public feedback about the future of the facility will deliver his report and public comments to the Flagler County School Board on September 21st, for the board’s consideration.
“I really wanted to have an opportunity to hear. I really wanted people to have an opportunity to voice their ideas and concerns. I think we absolutely accomplished that,” said Peacock. “I think because of the aging facility, we can’t continue. We’re now at this point where we can’t keep just putting it off, and wait for somebody else to kick the can down the road. We have to address it because we can’t continue to sustain it in the way that it’s going.”
With three pages of notes, Peacock buoyed by the engagement throughout the evening’s listening session.
“I learned several things – some of the ideas that the community members have are phenomenal,” he said. “In looking for solutions I was never able to hear through just somebody being upset. I feel like we had some really good dialogue and several of the ideas that were put forward, whether it was for funding, for assistance working together, I learned a lot.”
Drawing applause, Superintendent Mittelstadt closed the meeting with calming words couching a dose of reality as she reflected on the district’s deep dive into financial review during her first year as superintendent.
“One of the things that came forward with a big bullseye on it was – this is a jewel of a facility. We’re going to embrace that but most importantly, it’s an aging facility and right now, the way that the financial model exists, the school district is not able to infuse capital expenses to the degree to stand up a quality area for everybody to access,” explained Mittelstadt, who engaged Peacock to lead the data gathering and listening session.
“There’s not a school district across the state that has a site like this, where our community comes to the facility during the day, in the night and on the weekend and stands up all the various programs that we mentioned,” she said. “So our goal is to preserve an opportunity and you to continue to access that building, at the same time make sure our board is aware of any financial opportunities we have to make sure capitally we can stand this facility up to be the top notch facility it deserves to be.”
Among the audience members, Per Berg, an educator at Flagler Palm Coast High School says the sauna and pool help relieve stress on the body from playing basketball while younger. After many years of serving the school district, he’s edging closer to retirement, and looking forward to having the facility as a place to go not just now, but in his own golden years.
“It’s a fantastic facility for me and the hours are great because I can actually get there at 6 o’clock in the morning when the sauna’s open and still be at school by 7:15,” said Berg. “I’m approaching retirement and that’s why I’m here tonight. I want to have this facility here when I retire.”
To provide feedback on the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club, residents can download the “Let’s Talk” app in the Google Play Store or App Store or via website.
Flagler Schools is hosting two Rezoning Listening Sessions this week, which are open to the public.
The first will be held this Wednesday, August 25th at 6:30 pm inside the Buddy Taylor Middle School cafeteria. That is located at 4500 Belle Terre Parkway in Palm Coast.
The second will be held this Thursday, August 26th at 6:30 pm inside the Indian Trails Middle School cafeteria. That is located at 5505 Belle Terre Parkway in Palm Coast.
District personnel will give the audience the same presentation as the School Board received last week. There will then be an opportunity for members of the public to offer their comments. Each person will be limited to 3 minutes.
There will also be comment cards on-site, as well as links to submit comments and questions virtually.
Lexington, Kentucky (August 23, 2021) A partnership among the City, the University of Kentucky, Commerce Lexington, and Coastal Cloud focused on the creation of a new UK Salesforce Consultancy Incubator Program was announced today.
As part of the new program, Coastal Cloud will train students, recent college graduates, and new or aspiring Salesforce administrators to become effective Salesforce Consultants. The company is a Salesforce Expert Partner that consults with clients to implement customized digital platforms for customer relationship management, marketing, sales, commerce, service, and IT support.
“Businesses around the world utilize the Salesforce platform, and this partnership will provide the valuable training to become a salesforce consultant,” Mayor Linda Gorton said.
The University of Kentucky has a strong partnership with Salesforce. Recently, the university turned to Salesforce to aid in response to COVID-19, leveraging the Health Cloud to serve the campus community with daily screening, testing, and contact tracing operations. This effort resulted in a nomination of an Excellence in Institutional Efficiency award.
UK also has a Salesforce Student Organization, which brings together over 60 students dedicated to professional development and skills training in preparation for entering the workforce.
“Through partnerships like this, UK students will have the opportunity to discover what’s possible when technology and innovation converge,” said Kirsten Turner, vice president for student success at UK. “They will gain invaluable experiences that will propel them to be successful and productive members of our community and economy.”
Participants in the program will gain experience in client discovery sessions, documenting requirements and business processes, and proposing out-of-the-box custom Salesforce solutions. Experience will progress to levels of design and development within the Salesforce software platform.
Commerce Lexington Inc. President and CEO, Bob Quick, said, “The key to success in business often starts with building relationships. There is an art to connecting with people, and this partnership will provide valuable training to students, recent college graduates and others to do just that. The Salesforce company is well-known in the business world for its CRM digital platforms, and through this initiative and new space, Coastal Cloud will help build our future workforce in cloud-based careers.”
In addition to sponsoring the Incubator Program, Coastal Cloud has opened a location in the Ashland Plaza on High Street that will promote economic activity in Lexington and throughout the State, and create job opportunities for recent graduates, as well as experienced Salesforce professionals.
Sara Hale, Coastal Cloud Co-Founder and Managing Partner
“We are so excited to expand Coastal Cloud’s presence in Kentucky, bringing high paying jobs to the Lexington area,” said Sara Hale, Coastal Cloud Co-Founder and Managing Partner. “This new space allows us to continue to grow our partnership with the University of Kentucky, connecting students to jobs in technology and helping to build a cloud-based career pipeline for graduates.”
Palm Coast – The City of Palm Coast’s Utility Department would like to inform utility customers of a planned upgrade to a pipeline at Water Treatment Plant #1.
The completion of this upgrade of the line will occur on August 31, 2021 from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., weather permitting.
As a result of the work, City officials do not anticipate any real impact on services, however, some customers could notice minor pressure and flow changes. That change would be due to the redistribution of water from our other two water treatment plants in order to accommodate all customers with continued water services.
Water Treatment Plant #1, which was commissioned in the early 1970’s, still contains much of the original piping that was part of the original two million gallon-per-day system. The plant’s current capacity is six million gallons per day. This project is part of the City’s continued ongoing capital improvement plan to keep our systems in good order and capable of supplying clean drinking water safely to our citizens and customers.
Residents can contact the City for questions through Palm Coast Connect at palmcoastconnect.com or by calling 386-986-2360.
Media Release: City of Palm Coast. Brittany Kershaw. Director Public information & Engagement.
Owner of Winchester Computers Mike Eddy is pleased to announce that the company has recently opened a new satellite office in Ormond Beach, FL. The office is located at 1457 North US Highway 1, Suite 21 in the Garden Business Center.
Winchester Computers has ten employees, two of whom will work in the new location. The Ormond Beach office is managed by staffer John Wilkins. The public is invited to stop by any time Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Winchester Computers builds custom computers for individuals and businesses of every size. They specialize in Virtual Reality machines including flying and racing. They also sell new laptop computers from manufactures such as Lenovo, Acer, MSI and more.
Winchester Computers has been in business since 1989 and can be found on the web at www.winchestercomputers.com. The company’s Daytona Beach store is located at 1325 Beville Rd., Daytona Beach and can be reached at 386-760-7701. The company’s new Ormond Beach store is located at 1457 North US Highway 1, Suite 21 and can be reached at 386-659-3240. The company is a member of the Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach and the South Daytona, and Port Orange Chamber.
Bunnell, FL — The Florida Department of Health in Flagler County (DOH-Flagler) is moving its COVID-19 testing operations to the Flagler County Fairgrounds, 150 Sawgrass Rd. in Bunnell. The site will be open weekdays between 8AM and 12 noon to accommodate testing for:
Students, faculty and school staff. No appointments are necessary.
The general public (those not employed by or attending local schools) by appointment only. Reservations can be made by calling 386-437-7350 ext. 0.
The last day of testing at 120 Airport Road is August 20.
Several factors influenced the decision for earlier testing hours and the return to Cattleman’s Hall, including afternoon heat, increased demand for testing and adjustments requested by the department’s case investigation and contact tracing team.
The testing schedule for August 21 through August 29 follows:
Saturday, August 21
& Sunday, August 22 3 to 5PM 301 Dr. Carter Blvd in Bunnell.
Monday, August 23 8AM to 12 noon Flagler County Fairgrounds
Tuesday, August 24 8AM to 12 noon Flagler County Fairgrounds
Wednesday, August 25 8AM to 12 noon Flagler County Fairgrounds
Thursday, August 26 8AM to 12 noon Flagler County Fairgrounds
Friday, August 27 8AM to 12 noon 301 Dr. Carter Blvd in Bunnell*
(One week only, due to previously scheduled event at Fairgrounds)
As a reminder, the health department does not offer testing for travel verification.
Vaccinations will continue to be offered at the main health department location, 301 Dr. Carter Blvd. in Bunnell. The Pfizer clinic will be open three afternoons a week —Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 3:30 to 6:00PM for the rest of August, and into September. Appointments are preferred; Walk-ins are welcome.
Please note that the health department is awaiting additional guidance for the administration of Pfizer and Moderna booster doses. CVS, Walgreens, Publix and Walmart are currently administering boosters to immuno-compromised individuals. DOH-Flagler will add these vaccinations to its operation at the Flagler County Fairgrounds next month. Details will be shared after plans are finalized.
For more information about COVID-19 vaccination and testing locally, please visit flagler.floridahealth.gov. For testing and vaccination appointments, please call 386-437-7350 ext. 0 weekdays between 8AM and 4:30PM.
About the Florida Department of Health
The Florida Department of Health, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.
For information about the local health department, go to flagler.floridahealth.gov, call 386-437-7350, or visit 301 Dr. Carter Blvd. in Bunnell. You can also listen to our weekly talk radio show “Flagler Health Matters,” Saturdays at 11:30AM, airing on WNZF News Radio 94.9FM or streaming at https://www.flaglerbroadcasting.com/wnzf.
Flagler Health Department. Gretchen Smith
Communications Manager & Public Information Officer
From organizing the Flagler Adopt-a-Senior effort for the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 to hosting the VIProm in May 2021 for seniors in Flagler and Volusia counties at the historic Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Melodye Lewis has been a busy mom. Embarking on the next chapter of her journey, she shares a little insight into becoming an ’empty nester’.
Tell readers a bit about yourself and your daughter’s recent accomplishments.
I’m a single mom and now an empty nester. I work as a pharmaceutical rep but also run multiple philanthropic Facebook pages for the community. My latest venture is my Empty Nesters 101 page. My daughter just graduated from FPC, Magna Cum Laude and was dual enrolled so she received her AA degree simultaneously from Daytona State. She is now attending FAU in Boca Raton and will study Film and Digital Communications. She will be rushing next week and will participate in a sorority. I am extremely proud of her.
You put a lot of effort into ensuring that her senior year would be amazing. How do you feel that it brought the two of you closer?
Having her senior year during a pandemic was very difficult and anything but normal, but I knew she would rise above it. I’ve always taught her to see beyond the situation and to look for opportunities to succeed in the face of opposition. Working with her on the Adopt a Senior pages and planning the VIP Prom definitely made us closer. It was so heartwarming to watch her fight for what she believes in and to work alongside her to create an event that she and her friends will never forget. We have always been close, she is my best friend. But working with her and seeing her agility and determination shine through was a really special moment for me. We make a great team.
You’ve now entered the next chapter, commonly known as empty nest. How did you prepare for it?
There’s no way to prepare for the empty nest! I thought I did, but waking up that first morning to an empty house was harder than I even imagined. It’s very sad and lonely and way too quiet. I tried to mentally prepare myself over the last few months by reading articles, chatting with other parents and spending as much time with her as possible. No one can really prepare you for this. It’s hard. It’s heartbreaking and it’s a form of loss. You just have to take one day at a time and try to embrace the new chapter of your life.
What advice would you give to parents who are also experiencing the emotions and changes of being an empty nester?
I can honestly say that I experienced almost every known emotion within the three days of moving her down to college. I was an emotional, crying wreck the night before we left and in the morning while packing our cars and watching her pull out of the driveway. When we got to the school I was surprisingly calm and overwhelmed with pride and happiness for her. Spending a couple of days getting her moved in and settled really helped me feel better in knowing that she was ok and this was the best thing for her to experience to help her succeed in life. The campus was beautiful and she immediately made friends with her dorm mates.
I think the advice I would give is just let yourself feel all the feels, join parent groups, do the orientations at school and don’t let anyone else judge you for how you are feeling. Everyone deals with the empty nest differently. Some are happy, some are heartbroken. Either way, you do you, and give yourself time and grace to get through the process. Empty nest really isn’t a syndrome. It’s more of a journey. It’s a new chapter of self discovery for both you and your child.
Lastly, let your child spread their wings and show you just what a great job you did preparing them for this experience, but also know that they are going to make mistakes along the way and that’s ok. Keep the communication open and be supportive. Let them find their way. You are still their parent, but now instead of being an active participant in their daily lives, you are more of a loving advisor. Embrace this new relationship.
What are you anticipating most as you look to the future for both yourself and your daughter?
I am looking forward to seeing where life takes us both. I know that she is going to live her best life and I’m excited to watch her blossom. I’ll be cheering her on from the sideline. I am really looking forward to our visits and to our evolving relationship. I’ve planned a trip for us at Christmas, so I’m excited for that quality time. As for myself, I’m rediscovering who I am, and redefining myself as an individual. I’ll always be her mom, which has been my favorite role so far, but I’m excited to start a new chapter and getting to know me. I plan to help other empty nesters redefine their lives as well by growing my new FB page, organizing some activities and retreats, and I’ve just started a TikTok where I’m going to document some of my fun travels trying out some new hobbies and challenges! Stay tuned!
Palm Coast – In an effort to provide better alignment with industry trends and an improved recovery model for direct benefit services, the City of Palm Coast is amending the fee structure for Parks and Recreation services and rentals.
A detailed breakdown of the proposed fee changes was presented to the Palm Coast City Council at a workshop meeting on August 10. The fee resolution was adopted by the City Council on Tuesday, August 17.
“They’ve done their homework and this is also a work in progress so the fees will be monitored to be consistent with what is appropriate for the public without being too demanding,” Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin said during Tuesday’s council meeting before the City Council voted unanimously to adopt the new fees.
In April 2021, the Parks and Recreation Department reached out to local user groups to receive feedback on potential fee adjustments. This included in-person, phone calls, and email surveys to previous rental users, Sports Alliance members and pass holders. The overwhelming majority of those surveyed agreed that the nominal fee increase was worthwhile for the quality parks and facilities maintained by the City.
Palm Coast Community Center room rentals: out of 77 respondents; 59 replied “yes” and 18 replied “no”
Palm Coast Tennis Center court reservation fees and pass holder rates: out of 45 respondents; 41 replied “yes” and 4 replied “no”
Palm Coast Aquatics Center pool pavilion fees and pass holder rates: out of 53 respondents; 47 replied “yes” and 6 replied “no”
Palm Harbor Golf Course greens fees and cart fees: out of 219 respondents; 159 replied “yes” and 57 replied “no”
Park pavilion daily rental rates and group rates: out of 82 respondents; 45 replied “yes” and 37 replied “no” (An additional 26 people informed staff that they would have said yes if the rental time increments proposed were increased to 4 hours instead of 3 hours. Staff implemented that feedback immediately.)
Athletic field permit fees: out of 8 respondents; 8 replied “yes” and 0 replied “no”
The Palm Coast Community Center room rentals will vary based on the needs of the non-profit or for-profit organization utilizing the space, including room size, sound equipment, tablecloths, and more.
For the Palm Coast Tennis Center, court reservation fees
For the pass holder rates, increase the Adult Annual Pass monthly payments from $45.84 to $50 and increase the Limited Annual Pass monthly payments from $25 to $30. Additionally, the Junior Annual Pass will increase from $149 to $175 and will accompanied by a name change to Student Annual Pass.
For the Palm Coast Aquatics Center pool pavilion fees the increase recommended is a $10 increase per day, from $15 to $25. For the pass holder rates, the family rate for two adults and their dependents is $250. The proposed change is that the base rate stays the same for two adults and three dependents or less. There would be a $10 charge for each additional child.
For the Palm Harbor Golf Course greens fees, the 18-hold rate increases by $1 to $7 depending on type of player and time of day and season. The 9-hole rate increases by $1 to $6 depending on type of player and time of day and season. A $2 fee for golf carts is also being implemented as a means to fund the golf cart maintenance and replacement fund. This fee has already been incorporated into the increases mentioned above.
For the park pavilion daily rental rates, the Holland Park playground pavilions will have offerings two times per day: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The rental fees for small and medium pavilions will increase to $45 daily and the large pavilions will increase to $75 daily. For the group rates at the Holland Park Splash Pad, groups are defined as over 25 participants. Groups would be required to rent out the Play Pavilion inside the playground area. This includes a $50 deposit and $75 rental fee for four hours. The second time block could be reserved for an additional $75. An admission fee of $1.50 per child and adult would also be applied.
The athletic field permit fees are currently set at $25 per field per day. The new fee structure will be $15 per hour for residents and $20 per hour for non-residents. If lights are required, the fee increases by $5 per hour. There will be a tiered approach for Sports Alliance for-profit members. For one field, the fee would be $250 per season. For two to three fields, the fee would be $350 per season. For four or more fields, the fee would be $500 per season. Sports Alliance non-profit members will not be charged.
The new fee structure goes into effect immediately after adoption. All pre-existing rental agreements will be honored.
Media Release: City of Palm Coast. Brittany Kershaw. Director Public Information & Engagement.
PALM COAST, FL (July 16, 2021) –Flagler County job growth got back on track in July 2021, as 555 jobs were created, resulting in the unemployment rate dropping from 6% to 5.3% month over-month. According to today’s data release from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity:
Flagler County’s labor force continued its strong growth in July by adding 216 additional residents,
In the past three months, Flagler County’s labor force has grown by 1,388 residents, an indicator the CareerSource/Chamber-led “Return to Work” initiative continues to be effective, and
The number of residents on unemployment dropped by 339.
“The July 2021 employment report is encouraging and shows job growth is back on track in Flagler County. The good news doesn’t stop there, as our workforce continues to grow and for the first time in several months, we have fewer Flagler County residents on unemployment,” said Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber President & CEO Greg Blosé.
Flagler County employment grew from 45,910 in June 2021 to 46,465, an increase of 555 new jobs. Meanwhile, the labor force grew from 48,838 in June 2021 to 49,054, an increase of 216 Flagler County residents.
Blosé concluded, “Looking ahead, the Chamber will monitor the impacts of the COVID-19 delta variant on job growth. It’s important to remember that the unemployment and job growth data is a lagging indicator, so the impacts of recent COVID spikes may not be fully realized in this report.”
For more information, contact Greg Blosé, President and CEO of the Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber, at 386-846-1864 or via email at Greg@PalmCoastFlaglerRegionalChamber.com.
