Volusia County to use ECHO dollars for county projects

The majority of the projects — 30 of them — fall into the outdoor recreation category. The plan also proposes 11 environmental projects and two historic projects.

JARLEENE ALMENAS

EDITOR

SENIOR

Over the next five years, Volusia County plans to fund 43 projects at 32 facilities — a request totaling over $15 million — through its voterapproved Volusia ECHO program.

On Tuesday, March 7, the Volusia County Council unanimously approved an ECHO Direct County Expenditure 5-year plan proposal that the county reported would result in general fund savings. Since 2007, the council has approved 22 projects to be funded by direct county expenditure, at $16.1 million. Regular applications for ECHO, which stands for environmental, cultural, historical and outdoor recreational, would still be open annually for community projects that fit the program’s guidelines.

“It’s a strategic investment plan, informed by the grassroots needs of our community that balances both improvement of current assets, new construction projects and restoration,” said Brad Burbaugh, county director of resource stewardship.

The majority of the projects — 30 of them — fall into the outdoor recreation category. The plan also proposes 11 environmental projects and two historic projects.

“All of these will accomplish the mission of ECHO to improve the quality of life of our residents,” Burbaugh said.

Of the 32 county facilities, five are in unincorporated Volusia County near Ormond Beach and Ormondby-the-Sea, though there are six projects in total. The sites are RivOcean Drive fishing dock, Michael Crotty Bicentennial Park, Briggs Drive fishing dock, San Jose fishing dock and James Ormond Park.

For year one of the proposal, the county has asked to use $110,000 of ECHO funds to replace the fishing dock at Briggs Drive. At Michael Crotty Bicentennial Park, it has proposed using $80,000 to build three pickleball courts.

For the second year of the plan, the county is proposing using $90,000 to replace the San Jose fishing dock.

Then in the third year — no other Ormond projects are proposed for the final two years — the county seeks to use $200,000 to renovate the playground at James Ormond Park, $150,000 to renovate the fishing dock at Bicentennial Park and $250,000 to replace the Riv-Ocean fishing dock.

All of the fishing docks in the plan are located along John Anderson Drive.

County Councilman Don Dempsey asked why many of the projects are on the east side of the county, with only a couple facilities in the northwest side of the county included in the plan.

Burbaugh said that the proposal was based on the county’s needs and that the projects were taken from the divisional budgets.

“It may be worth to look at finding more needs on the west side,” Councilman David Santiago said.

“Balance it off.”

Ormond Beach resident Jack Surrette, a member of the ECHO Advisory Committee, said the five-year program is a “really proactive development for ECHO.”

“In the past, we have dealt with strictly looking at things that come to us and propose a match, where it may be,” Surrette said. “In this case, as a direct county expenditure it will be a more proactive development for the whole ECHO program.”

The five-year proposal came before the council after it had approved two ECHO grant awards totaling $1.098 million — about $498,000 for the expansion of the African American Museum of the Arts in DeLand, and $600,000 for the Daytona Playhouse, which wants to add a permanent workshop, costume prepara-

Project Sites

tion area, dressing room and more rehearsal space.

While both grants were approved, council members expressed concern about using ECHO funds to expand facilities which may not be sustainable in the long term. They asked staff for ways to examine applications to ensure facilities are being highly utilized and are as close as possible to being able to start projects.

Councilman Jake Johannsson said that he wants to make sure the county is leading by example by having “shovel-ready” programs on the five-year proposal.

“I don’t want to sit here and hold people accountable for their ECHO program (grants) year after year and be part of the problem as well,” he said.

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