[email protected] The voice of Niceville, Bluewater Bay and Valparaiso since 1992 (850) 678-1080 TThhee Police Blotter BBaayy BBeeaaccoonn , page A-3 6 Pages, 1 Section, 5 Inserts Wednesday, October 9, 2019 50¢ The Springhill landfill in Garbage in, power out Jackson County is des- tination for Okaloosa County’s garbage and, Company makes electricity from landfill gas at least for now, its recyclables. Inset, one By Mike Griffith than continue sending the trash location would have cost resi- of 186 pumps that draw Beacon Correspondent and recyclables to a landfill near dential trash customers about an methane gas from rot- Where do your household Pensacola operated by the extra $1 a month, as the ECUA ting waste and send it trash and recyclable materials Emerald Coast Utility Authority lately has not been able to find a to a power plant. go after your yellow- or green- (ECUA), where recyclables market for selling much of its Beacon photos by Mike Griffith topped trash bins are dumped were being separated from regu- recyclable materials such as into the big Waste Management lar garbage. paper, aluminum, glass, and truck and hauled away? The county commission’s plastic, to offset operating costs. The Beacon recently visited decision will be revisited, how- Such materials were formerly Waste Management’s Springhill ever, at a public workshop sold mostly to China and some landfill in Jackson County, some scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Oct. other Asian countries, but those 87 miles northeast of Niceville, 10, at the county administration customers are no longer buying where the Okaloosa County building in Shalimar. nearly as much such material as commission recently decided to The county’s contract with previously. send all of the county’s trash ECUA expired Sept. 30. Houston-based Waste and recyclable materials, rather Continuing to send waste to that Please see GArBAGe, page A-2 Niceville High School marks Homecoming 3 seek post as schools boss Beacon Staff Two men from Niceville and one from Fort Walton Beach have so far announced plans to run for Okaloosa County super- intendent of schools in 2020. Last week, Marcus Chambers, Niceville, the current superintendent, became the third candidate to “prefile” campaign papers with the county elections supervisor. Previously filing such papers were Ray Sansom, Niceville, and Christopher Tillis, Fort Walton Beach. Prefiling allows a candidate to raise and spend campaign money. Candidate qualifying for next year’s ballot will take place in June 2020. Of the three, Sansom, who announced early this year, has collected the largest campaign war chest—$76,450 as of Aug. 31, according to county records. All three of the announced candidates are Republicans. Assuming all qualify for the bal- lot, they will face one another in the Aug. 18 GOP primary elec- tion. If no non-Republican qual- ifies for the ballot, the primary will be open to all voters and will decide the outcome. Otherwise, the primary winner will face at least one other candidate in the Nov. 3, 2020, general election. Chambers, 44, was appointed Niceville High School celebrated Homecoming last Friday. A host of activities at eagle Stadium preceded the home team’s 35-14 rout of West Florida. Center: Over 25 superintendent earlier this year clubs took part in the parade. Clockwise from top left: The NHS majorettes prepare for the Homecoming parade. Homecoming Court freshman class representatives by Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill the lawton Brown and Alex Nachia. Niceville cheerleaders. Homecoming Court ladies Alex Nacchia, Marleigh Moore, Amy erickson, Jenna Skalicky, Peyton Chambers, Tori vacancy created by the gover- Thorson, Taylor Flint, and Tanollie Henry. Principal Charlie Marello. Niceville High School AFJrOTC. The freshman float. Superintendent of Schools Marcus Chambers. nor’s removal from office of Homecoming Queen Peyton Chambers and King Kobe Babin. The football team. The Junior Classical league. Michael Dye leads past and present members of Niceville's Mary Beth Jackson following a Opus One chorus in the National Anthem. Head drum major Amy erickson directs the eagle Pride band. This Friday, unbeaten Niceville will host Tate in a district game at 7 p.m. Beacon photos by Paula Mims Please see SCHOOlS, page A-6 County boosts D-Day veteran transit fares is honored Dist. 1 Congressman Matt Gaetz pres- By Mike Griffith The system’s 10 fixed routes ents WWII veteran Phil Hooper, Beacon Correspondent carried some 120,000 passen- Niceville, with wartime medals Friday Bus fares will soon rise for gers in the fiscal year ended at the Army 7th Special Forces Group Sept. 30, 2018. Paratransit rides (Airborne) camp. The decorations, passengers on the Okaloosa including a Bronze Star and a Purple County transit system. The were 97,000. Heart, replace those Hooper had mis- county commission approved The fare hikes, expected to placed in the ensuing decades. He the fare hikes, the first since boost annual revenue by as served with the 101st Airborne Division 2013, on Oct. 1. much as $150,000, are expected in the Normandy landings June 6, For example, single-ride to take effect on Nov. 4. No 1944, and was wounded later that year fares on fixed bus routes will members of the public spoke at Bastogne. Army photo by Sgt. L'Erin Wynn increase from $1.50 to $2, and during a public hearing on the 31-day passes from $30 to $40.. increases. Co-pays for paratransit pas- In a report to the county com- sengers, usually transportation- mission, transit system Director disadvantaged riders such as Tyrone Parker and County elderly or disabled people need- Administrator John Hofstad Okaloosa County ing dial-a-ride service to and stated, “This increase is due to One of 10 routes served by the growing operational costs to Okaloosa County transit. The from such specific locations as system also operates a dial-a- medical appointments, will rise maintain the day to day and ride service for certain cus- by about $1 a ride. Please see TrANSIT, page A-3 tomers. A+ Professional Painting BHHS PenFed Realty Eglin Federal Credit Union L'Orange Auto Services One Hour A/C & Heating SPF Cleaning LLC. Advanced Home Repair Bluewater Roofing Co. Geico Lighthouse Therapy Publix Summitt II in Hair Ashley Furniture Home Store Carriage Hills Realty Gulf Coast Dental Mattress Depot Purdy Painting Twin Cities Transmission Bayou Book Co. CCB Community Bank Gulf Coast Hearing Center McLaughlin Funeral Home Ritz Salon Winn-Dixie Bayou Tree Service Diamond Works Holiday Inn Express Niceville Family Dental Simpler Carpet Best Buy Carpet E&D Pressure Washing Holt Phillips Services Niceville Insurance Agency Smileology of Niceville Best Western, Niceville Easy Care Walk-In Clinic Immanuel Anglican Ollie's Bargain Outlet Spectrum Painting Page a-2 T HE B AY B EACON Wednesday, october 9, 2019 THe InquIRIng PHoTogRaPHeR —by Mike Griffith Should President Trump be impeached? Locations: Niceville Post Office, Turkey Creek, and The Wharf “I’m really not sure, but “Yes. I think he’s a “absolutely not. He “My first thought is no.” “as someone to get us “The impeachment I wish Pres. Trump racist.” hasn’t done anything Robert Garza, 70, out of debt, he’s the man, process is a waste of would learn to keep his Sandrina Bonner, 43, that is impeachable.” Victoria Texas, but as president, I don’t time. Wait for the election mouth shut.” Niceville, Doreen Hart, 50, retired think he should be there.” and let the people Zelda Hurd, 85, housekeeper Niceville, Sean Collins, 46, decide.” Niceville, homemaker Niceville, Charles Dietzold, 67, retired counter-top installer Green Lane Pennsylvania, retired What should we ask next week? Email your suggested question to: [email protected] Include "Suggested IP question" in the "subject" field. waste and paper, decomposes decomposition gas per minute, Trucks bring waste, includ- Life Tributes gaRBage and produces gas. Plastics, he which, when burned in genera- ing garbage and recyclables, to E-mail items to From page a-1 said, break down slowly, but do tors, produces about 4.8 the Springhill landfill, where it [email protected] Management is Okaloosa not produce gas, and materials megawatts of electricity, enough is all dumped together and cov- County’s contractor for collect- such as aluminum and for 4,000 homes. ered with earth. Each such truck William “Bill” ing and disposing of trash and glass do not decom- The landfill has an usually contains about 23 tons, recyclables. At the Springhill pose. operating “footprint” and the landfill takes in about Porter Merryman landfill, company representa- The gas produced of about 228 acres, 2,400 tons each day, of which 1954-2019 tives Ronnie Bell, Rob Iversen, within the landfill, which is divided into about 400 tons a day come from Bill mowed his last lawn and and Calvin Wilkinson gave a Bell explained, is eight sections, or Okaloosa County. The rest fixed his last mower here on tour and explained how the extracted using “cells.” Before being comes from other Florida coun- earth as he was called to be landfill operates. pumps, similar to filled with trash, each ties, as well as from some com- God's gardener on September Although the landfill does lawn irrigation pumps, cell is lined with multi- munities in Alabama and 22, 2019. William “Bill" not separate recyclables from which then send the ple layers of plastic Georgia. Merryman was born on July 20, ordinary garbage, it does recycle gas to an electric gen- and clay, to prevent Bell said that the amount of Ronnie Bell 1954, in Roswell, N.M. He was the garbage to the extent that it erating plant at the any water that contacts garbage brought daily to the a 1973 graduate of Anderson extracts decomposition gas, landfill.