- April 23, 2024
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(Stock photo)
NEFRC Board President Roxanne Horvath, left, presents the ‘Excellence in Education Award’ to City of Palm Coast Urban Forester Carol Mini and Utility Chief Operator Peter Roussell. (Courtesy photo)
Palm Coast firefighters are monitoring a smoldering hurricane debris pile that accidentally caught fire Monday. Nov. 18 during incineration, according to a city of Palm Coast news release. The fire is under control and poses no threat to nearby properties or the remaining debris.
The site is at the temporary debris storage site on city-owned property just off U.S. 1 between Palm Coast Parkway and Matanzas Woods Parkway.
Palm Coast Fire Chief Michael Beadle said the smallest of three debris piles caught fire Monday morning from embers that escaped the incinerator pit being used to dispose of the debris. Because of the large size of the pile and its vegetative contents (dead branches, leaves and logs), the fire burned quickly and at a very high temperature. Although the fire was quickly contained, it is expected to continue smoldering for several days. Firefighters will stay at the site to ensure it doesn’t spread or create any problems.
Depending on wind direction, nearby residents and motorists in the area may notice smoky conditions. On Tuesday, residents in the B Section and L Section could smell the smoke.
After Monday’s fire, the city decided to discontinue incineration as a means to dispose of the hurricane debris. Instead, the city will chip up the debris and have it removed from the site. The amount of vegetative hurricane debris collected totaled 127,856 cubic yards. Two huge debris piles – each about the size of a football field – will be chipped up and removed.
The city of Palm Coast’s C.H.I.R.P. (Children Helping in Resource Protection) program, which provides free, hands-on, conservation-focused field trips to hundreds of Flagler schoolchildren each year, won the Excellence in Education Award from the Northeast Florida Regional Council on Thursday, according to a city of Palm Coast government news release.
The award was accepted by Palm Coast Urban Forester Carol Mini, who directs the program, and Utility Chief Operator Peter Roussell, one of the many city employees who lead the field trip eco-stations. The awards presentation was held in Jacksonville. NEFRC is a network of local governance serving seven counties and their 27 municipalities.
“The selection committee was quite impressed by the program’s longevity, scope and reach,” said Brian Teeple, CEO of the Northeast Florida Regional Council.
C.H.I.R.P. began in 2008, and since then has educated more than 4,500 Flagler students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The city partners with state and local agencies for the field trips with the mission of providing a fun, interactive, hands-on learning experience that inspires students’ ambitions, curiosity and passion for their environment.
The field trips are based at three city parks: Linear Park, Waterfront Park and Long Creek Nature Preserve. Students rotate between eco-stations focusing on topics such as wetlands vs. upland species, watersheds, pollution, planning, design, native and protected wildlife, invasive vs. native plants, safe boating and wildfire management. Each event is tailored to the visiting grade level and the curriculum in the classroom.
“Our philosophy is that if you teach children when they’re young about the importance of conservation and respect for nature, that’s a lesson they’ll carry with them for a lifetime,” Mini said. “It makes them more responsible adults to protect our natural resources.”
“The C.H.I.R.P. team is honored that our program was selected for the NEFRC award,” she said. “We are proud to play a role in raising children’s environmental awareness; they are the future stewards of Florida’s natural resources.”
The city of Palm Coast has completed its collection of hurricane debris and has resumed normal operations for regular, weekly yard trash pickups, according to a Palm Coast city government news release.
The city has compiled a list of the remaining piles of construction-type debris, such as fence panels, and the hurricane debris contractor will be picking those up from Palm Coast neighborhoods over the next few days.
Aside from the addresses already on that list, no additional hurricane debris pickups will be made – whether for vegetative (branches, leaves) or construction-type debris.
Vegetative debris in the amount of 4 cubic yards or less (bagged, canned or loose debris) is collected by Waste Pro as part of Palm Coast’s regular, weekly yard trash collection service.
For yard trash debris in large piles (greater than 4 cubic yards), Waste Pro will tag the pile with a price for collection. The resident should then call Waste Pro directly at 386-586-0800 to arrange for the pickup service at that cost. Residents can also arrange for private pickup of the large debris pile on their own.
Construction and demolition materials such as fence panels or roof shingles are not picked up by Waste Pro and should not be placed at the curb. Residents who are making repairs should confirm with their contractor that they will be removing all construction debris from the property.
Residents should contact Palm Coast Customer Service at 386-986-2360 with any other questions.
There is a telephone scam currently taking place in the area which involves a fraudulent caller (or an automated call) contacting members of the public and alleging they have an active federal arrest warrant for tax fraud and demanding payment of fines. The phone number associated with this scam is (202) 621-0123, according to a Flagler Beach Police Department news release.
As of Nov. 30 there were no victims in Flagler Beach.
According to a 2014 release from the United States Marshall’s Service, a similar phone scam was active in Dayton, Ohio in 2014 when a fraudster identified himself as a law enforcement officer and informed potential victims they had active federal warrants for their arrest.
The caller then gave the potential victims a contact number and information to pay the fine.
The phony law enforcement officer threatened the potential victims with arrest if the fine was not paid.
The U.S. Marshals Service is a federal law enforcement agency and does not seek payment of fines or fees via the telephone for individuals with outstanding arrest warrants.
Citizens in the community are advised to stay vigilant and maintain a healthy skepticism should they receive any telephone calls of this nature.
Anyone who receives a call of this nature should be cautious, hang up and contact a local law enforcement agency for assistance.
Anyone with any questions regarding this active phone scam may contact Flagler Beach Police Department Chief Doughney at 386-517-2023.
Additional information can be found on the United States Marshall’s Service website at usmarshals.gov/.
