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-7 BOOK 88 FAE 3 P 4 <br />Director Wright mentioned that Jim Judge, Director of <br />Emergency Medical Services, has won about every award in the State <br />for the exemplary performance of his division. <br />Director Wright concluded by discussing the need for more <br />funds and his hope that the County will be able to provide the <br />necessary funds in future years. He mentioned that grants have <br />helped somewhat, and his staff will continue to look for more grant <br />money. <br />PUBLIC WORKS <br />Director Jim Davis gave a presentation of the Public Works <br />Department. Public Works has the following six divisions: <br />Road and Bridge - Albert VanAuken, Superintendent <br />Petition Paving - Albert VanAuken, Superintendent <br />Engineering - Roger Cain, Superintendent <br />Traffic Engineering - Jim Davis, Acting Superintendent <br />Parks - Rex Hailey, Superintendent <br />Fleet Management - Don Turner, Manager <br />Director Davis gave a brief history of the Public Works <br />Department, which was conceived in 1981. Road and Bridge is the <br />largest division. .There are currently 600 miles of roads in Indian <br />River County, almost half of them paved. The unpaved roads are <br />graded on a regular basis. <br />Commissioner Tippin asked how Road and Bridge decides when a <br />road needs to be graded, and Director Davis explained that each <br />grader has its own route and staff tries to maintain the roads on <br />four- to six-week intervals. The graders often work overtime <br />during the rainy season. <br />Director Davis discussed traffic impact fees, which have <br />generated about $12 million since inception; the 6 -cent local <br />option gas tax that is primarily used for capital projects in <br />unincorporated areas and generates about $2 million a year; and the <br />State Department of Transportation (DOT) fund which allocates funds <br />through a grant program. He mentioned that the Indian River <br />Boulevard project received about a million dollars from DOT. In <br />addition, there is a local option 1 -cent sales tax which should <br />provide funds for right-of-way acquisition in the future. <br />There was discussion about various road widening and paving <br />projects, and Director Davis reported that there are about 17 to 20 <br />projects in progress, He stressed that the goal is to eventually <br />pave all county roads. <br />4 <br />