Herman Lodge Restoration and Alaqua Funding Headline Freeport Items on BCC's Oct. 13 Agenda
Two requests rooted in Freeport — a funding plea to restore one of the city’s oldest structures and a $5,000 county agreement with the Alaqua Animal Refuge — are on the Walton County Board of County Commissioners’ agenda when it meets Tuesday, Oct. 13.
The board convenes at 1 p.m. at the DeFuniak Springs BCC Boardroom, 571 US Highway 90 East, for its regular meeting. The timing is unusual this month: county offices and City of Freeport offices are both closed Monday, Oct. 12 for Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day, with Freeport reopening at 8 a.m. Tuesday ahead of the afternoon commission session.
The first Freeport item is a citizen request from William Kohnen, of Herman Lodge 108, asking the county to fund exterior rehabilitation of the lodge’s historic building in Freeport. The lodge has been “a standing member of the community since 1903,” Kohnen wrote in his agenda submission, and “the structure is in desperate need of exterior rehabilitation.” The request carries an Oct. 16 deadline, meaning commissioners would need to act quickly if they choose to support it. Kohnen noted the request has been raised with County Commissioner Tony Anderson and the full board.
The second is a $5,000 funding agreement with Alaqua Animal Refuge, the no-kill animal shelter and sanctuary at 155 Dugas Way in Freeport. The agreement, paid from District 4 discretionary funds, would support Alaqua’s work taking in abused, neglected and homeless animals — services the county says have benefited Walton County communities since 2007 by controlling stray populations and rehoming pets.
The meeting also includes a public hearing on the second reading of the county’s Land Development Code text amendments, a package that includes new requirements along the US 331 and US 98 corridors, where new residential developments would be required to build sidewalks on both sides of new residential streets.
Freeport-area residents who want to weigh in on any agenda item can attend in person; public comments are limited to three minutes on agenda items. The full agenda packet is available through the Walton County CivicWeb portal.
Originally reported by the Walton County Board of County Commissioners Agenda. Image: Generated meeting graphic based on Walton County CivicWeb agenda data.
