- April 25, 2024
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Commissioner Troy Kent wants information from the city's fluoride manufacturer. And until he gets the information, he won't vote to approve the purchase of the chemicals.
BY MATT MENCARINI | STAFF WRITER
During the City Commission meeting on Sept. 4, Commissioner Troy Kent once again raised his concerns regarding the city’s fluoride manufacturer not responding to his questions about their compliance with state law and requests for specific data about the chemicals being purchased.
On May 19, Kent sent a letter to the city’s fluoride manufacturer requesting a 10-day response to his request for information. The request went unfulfilled, and Kent sent the same letter to 47 other fluoride manufacturers seeking the same information and has yet to receive a response.
“They won’t even respond to me, and that right there should raise everyone’s suspicions,” Kent said. “It raises the hair on the back of my neck. I want the facts, and they won’t give them to me.”
Kent said he isn’t for or against the fluoridation of the city’s water supply, but is against any company not turning over the specific data sheets they use to prove to the state that the chemicals they’re providing are what the city is purchasing.
“It’s not good enough,” Kent said of the lack of response. “I refuse to accept it. If we’re spending taxpayer money and an elected official is asking for information, no response is not good enough.
“I will be voting no on purchasing fluoride chemicals unless I can find a fluoride provider that will give me the information.”
The City Commission will continue the discussion Sept. 18.
Airport renovations
The City Commission is expected to approve funds from the Federal Aviation Administration and Florida Department of Transportation, accounting for 98% of the total cost of improvements to the airport during its meeting next Tuesday.
Based on bids the city received, the total cost of the project is $2,555,392. The FAA is providing 90% of the funding, totaling $2,299,853, and a joint participation agreement with FDOT will provide the city with $204,431, 80% of the project cost after the FAA grant, leaving the city only $51,107, or 2% of the cost.
The improvements, which the city is referring to as the Taxiway Alpha Relocation and General Airfield Improvements Project, will include relocating, rehabilitating and re-aligning three taxiways in addition to the construction of a new public-use heliport and a new compass rose.
Halifax Paving, an Ormond Beach company, was the successful bidder of the project and is expected to begin work in October, pending commission approval on Tuesday and the finalizing of agreements. Joe Mannarino, the city’s director of economic development, said the work could take between six and eight months but isn’t expected to disrupt airport traffic.
