News Cast for June 18th:
T-Mobile, the Okeechobee Kiwanis Club, Okeechobee Main Street, and local government leaders combined efforts to provide another upgrade to Kiwanis Park.
T-Mobile announced a $50,000 hometown grant to Okeechobee to provide wheelchair accessibility to the playground.
The program is designed to help small towns thrive. The company is spending $25 million over the next five years to invest in real communities across the country.
Okeechobee scored very high in the grant rankings.
The Kiwanis Club will provide $20,000 to the costs of the improvements.
Mayor Dowling Watford said it is a great park that is used a lot by the community.
“It will be a great addition to the park especially because it’s a handicapped feature.”
Don Hanna said they had hoped to install the equipment earlier but COVID hit and then inflation.
“I hoped it would happen several years ago. Even now, it will take time. We couldn’t order the equipment until we got the money. Now we’ll be able to follow through and get it done.”
The Okeechobee County Planning Board approved special exceptions to allow a new concrete plant and a new convenience store truck stop.
J&J Ag Products plans to build a concrete plant at 2205 NW 9th Street. The company plans to hire 10 employees. They will replace an agriculture operation on a five acre parcel.
A Circle K convenience store and truck stop is planned on 13 acres at 2943 State Road 710. Some nearby residents in a small trailer park and in single family homes objected to additional noise and traffic, gasoline odors and more foot traffic in the neighborhood.
The board did approve some more buffering and screening to help the neighbors.
Gretta Wheeler said her 92 year old mother’s life will be impacted.
“She has to live the rest of her life with people coming into her yard, the lights, the smells, the garbage. You don’t see turtles and bobcats in her yard anymore.”
The Glades Electric Cooperative announced Chief Operating Officer Michael Roberge will succeed Jeff Brewington as Company Chief Executive Officer.
Brewington is retiring this year.
The cooperative annual meeting held this spring featured a report on growth. They now have a record amount of meters, 18,532, and members, 14,269.
Board Chairman Lee Henderson said they have made great progress on tying on customers to high speed internet.
He said they have also seen positive impacts from the Brighton-Seminole Reservation casino.
Brewington said the cooperative recently saved $15 million on the costs of new transmission lines in the Fort Basinger area.