Niceville’s Council met on Tuesday to discuss a delay in construction due to rising costs for the park designed especially for children with special needs, and to provide a progress update on reclaimed water piping to the east side of town.
City employees brought news that the Field of Dreams special needs park upgrades for Meigs Park will cost significantly more than initially thought.
City Manager David Deitch told the council he believes the additional construction costs will require an estimated $700,000 in contributions from the city’s and county’s coffers.
“The construction bid came in way over budget,” Deitch said, “So, [the project] is moving slowly as we try and find the money.”
Deitch noted that the Deputy County Administrator in charge of the project will also appear before the commission to request additional funding to complete it.
Lawn-waterers in Deer Moss Creek and the rest of the east side of Nicevile can expect reclaimed water pipes to finish up and hook up around the third quarter of 2026 or sooner, a Niceville official said at Tuesday’s city council meeting.
“Hopefully we’ll be pumping online to deer mouse roughly end of third quarter, maybe first of April, just depending on back teeth, pressure testing, everything else we gotta do after we lay the pipeline.”
Public Works Director Jonathon Laird gave the council an update on the reclaimed water use project, colloquially known as ‘purple piping’ because of the pipes’ distinctive color.
Laird noted this week that the Okaloosa County-paid crew will cross SR 285 and begin laying the pipe to the east of the road. He credited Niceville City Manager David Deitch for getting required permits to allow the reclaimed water pipe to go into a retention pond on Eglin Air Force Base property so that they could continue on with the project.
“So, we are headed in the right direction,” Laird concluded.
According to the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, reclaimed water can cut homeowners water costs roughly in half. It also saves drinkable water, which could be more important to the city’s ability to expand in the long term. City leaders have noted in multiple town hall meetings that city residents are at the limits of what the Northwest Florida Water Management District has allotted.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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