OKEECHOBEE -- Before A.J. Mayernik arrived in Okeechobee in July of 2006, I never really saw anyone out for a “run.” Since he came to Okeechobee, A.J. has gotten many young students to run, and run, and run.

Okeechobee now is known for its cross country team and distance runners during track and field season, all because A.J. wanted to share his love of running with our kids.

On April 17, A.J. Mayernik ran in the first wave of runners in the 121st running of the Boston Marathon. The first wave of runners are considered among the elite runners in the 30,000 plus runners assembled for this iconic race. A.J. finished 1027th, and bested his own father’s self-proclaimed “Mayernik Marathon Record” of 2:57:56, by running the marathon in 2:56:24. I cannot imagine running 26 miles, much less in under three hours!

Call the paramedics now!

Just a bit about A.J. though that makes this story inspiring as told by mom, Lynne and dad, Jerry: “At the age of three, little A.J. had already made it known that he wanted to be a teacher and a runner. Dad was both, and A.J. wanted to grow up to be just like his father. Who sets goals at three and achieves them? Well, A.J. did and stuck with his dream until he fulfilled both.

It was not an easy path to take.”

A.J. was born seven weeks premature, after his parents had experienced the loss of five previous children through miscarriage. Dad Jerry continues, “A.J. was carried the longest and had the best chance at survival. His hospital pediatrician sat down with OKEECHOBEE -- Renovation, additions or replacement of some county buildings was a topic of discussion at the April 25 meeting of the Okeechobee County Commission.

C. Scott Driver pavilion

The commissioners approved a plan to build an addition to the C. Scott Driver pavilion for a warming kitchen.

Facilities Director Donnie Oden said they did not want to take space away from the 3,600 sq. ft. enclosed area.

When some of the bigger bass tournaments have a meeting down there, they fill up that room, he said.

The proposed project consists of the addition of a warming kitchen addition to the existing metal building, finishing the interior walls of the existing metal building with metal studs and gypsum board up to a height of 12 feet and modifying the electrical to accommodate the changes.

The money for the project is already in the budget.

Commissioner Kelly Owens asked if they could look at the wiring in the open air area to see if they could add some fans there.

“In the open air area where people gather for weigh-ins on really hot days, I have seen people get overheated,” she said.

Commissioner Owens said she realized they have already gone out for bids so that it could not be part of the current project. She asked that they consider adding overhead fans in the future.

The commissioners voted to accept the low bid of $82,137.60 from Abney Building & Consulting, Inc. for the project.

Airport terminal

The board also awarded a bid for expansion of the county building that houses the Landing Strip Cafe at the Okeechobee County Airport to Platinum Performance Group, Inc. in the amount of $217,900.

According to the staff report, the proposed project consists of providing additional restaurant storage and food prep area, including improvements to the existing restaurant area by replacing and reconfiguring the storefront windows. The new configuration will transform the patio area into air-conditioned space, therefore allowing the area to be used more often through the year for the patrons.

With the changes, the restaurant traffic will come and go through the terminal building, which will improve security.

“Nobody will be walking out of the restaurant directly onto the tarmac,” said Mr. Oden.

County jail

Commissioners debated whether to rehabilitate or replace the jail and how to find the funding for the massive project.

Mr. Oden said jail renovation and expansion were considered in 2008. Using the information on that study, updated with current costs, the project was estimated at $28 million.

“We know that is going to be a big chunk to bite off,” said Mr. Oden.

The original plan included administrative space and the jail pods, said Commission Chairman Terry Burroughs. He suggested they start with building an additional jail pod, and then transfer prisoners into that pod, leaving a pod open for renovation.

“We can focus on the pods first, and then figure out what we want to do with the rest of the issues,” he suggested.

“It’s going to be a phased project because we can’t shut down,” said Sheriff Noel Stephen.

“We have to hold what we have and build around what we have,” he said, adding that the regional jail concept is no longer an option due to increase in federal prisoners in the Glades County jail.

Commissioner David Hazellief said he is concerned about the cost of rehabilitating the 30-year-old building because it is a jail.

“I would like to see the cost of building a new jail,” he said.

Commission Chairman Terry Burroughs said they could find out how much the new Highlands County jail cost.

“Much as I dislike bond issues, I think that is something we need to look at,” he said.

“I am concerned about the safety of the employees,” said Kelly Owens. She said when they toured the jail, she was concerned about the outdated security system.

The sheriff said the new pod would need a different system of mechanics, and the security system in the other areas would also have to be upgraded.

“In this particular case, I think the residents would understand some things you have to bond,” said Commissioner Bryant Culpepper.

The sheriff said he believes rehabilitation of the building will cost less than building a new facility.

The sheriff said the jail has 232 beds, and on average they have 280 inmates.

He said they have 24 beds in the section for females, but on average they have 40 female inmates.

“We had to take females and put them in a section of a pod in a male dorm,” he said.

The sheriff said on the administration side the priority for an upgrade would be the evidence room.

“We’re just busting out the seams to maintain the integrity and level of that stuff,” he said.

The sheriff said there is not enough room to build a new jail on the current site.

“It would take more to manage two different facilities than one,” he said, explaining that he would like to keep the sheriff’s office and the county jail under the same roof.

County staff was asked to gather more information on the cost of building a new jail vs. renovating the current jail.

Alderman Building

The commissioners also considered the Alderman building, which houses the Property Appraiser’s Office and the Tax Collector’s Office.

The building was originally built as a jail in 1964, said Mr. Oden. He said there are a lot of hairline cracks in the building and a lot of larger cracks.

“Part of our pressure cleaning got into the stairwell,” he said.

The Tax Collector’s office is low on space, he added. That office is required to maintain some records as documents so they can’t digitize and shed the old documents.

“Maybe what we should take a look at is laying out an overall plan to renovate or replace buildings rather than just patching things,” said Chairman Burroughs.

“When you try to take an old building like that, sometimes you just pour a lot of money into it and five years later you’re pouring more money into it,” said Commissioner Culpepper.

Fire Station 2

“I would like to see us do the fire station and the road department buildings at a reasonable cost,” said Commissioner David Hazellief.

“Let’s get some of those projects started that we already have the funding in there and approved,” he said.

County Fire/Rescue Chief Ralph Franklin said Fire Station 2 in Treasure Island needs renovation.

He said his staff would also like the station to be expanded to add more dormitory rooms and storage. Currently there are four fire/rescue personnel assigned there. In the future, they hope to add staff, he said.

Commissioner Hazellief said he supports renovation, but instead of expanding station 2, they should put money into building more fire stations.
“Having six people there, that’s a dream,” he said. “We’re going to need four people at another station before we will need more people there.”

“It’s all about response times,” said Commissioner Culpepper, a retired firefighter.

“I would prefer to see additional stations placed strategically throughout the county,” he said. “That lowers response time.”

He also suggested housing firefighters in dorms instead of individual rooms.

“That’s just part of fire service; you share that common space,” he said.

“Based on the information I have right now, I think renovation is definitely necessary,” said Commissioner Owens.

Chief Franklin said during the renovation, they will have to put a modular unit on the property to house the staff or else relocate them to another station.

“I definitely want to see a modular unit there,” said Commissioner Hazellief.

“They need to be on site along with their equipment.”

The commissioners agreed that a new public works building is needed, but disagreed on the size.

“The mobile home has got to go,” said Commissioner Hazellief.

He said the concrete building can be renovated.

Public works

Chairman Burroughs suggested budgeting a total of $3 million of capital funding for renovation of fire station 2 and new buildings for the Public Works/Road Department and Property Appraiser/Tax Collector offices.

He suggested allocating $2.3 million to replace the Alderman Building, $600,000 for public works/road department and $100,000 for renovation of fire station 2.

Commissioner Hazellief said he agrees with the priorities but disagrees with the plan for a 3,750 sq. ft. building for road department.

“Let’s go with a reasonable size like 2,000 sq. ft.,” he said.

“We’ve gone from 6,100 sq. ft. to 3,750 sq. ft,” said Mr. Oden. “I really can’t tell you what it is going to need.”

“We know it needs to be a reasonable size and a reasonable price. Cut it down to 2,500 sq. ft. and I’ll support it,” said Commissioner Hazellief.

County staff was asked to bring back estimates for the building at 3,550 sq. ft. and 2,500 sq. ft.

Regina continues, “He will come home after working hard all day and be concerned about a student and how he can help them achieve a goal or grade.

He thinks outside the box on how he can help his students grasp concepts by building roller coaster to rapping in class. Not only does he have a passion for science but for running as well. The dedication A.J. has for coaching cross country and being there for his athletes is contagious. This group of athletes become more than students and competitors. They become a family that supports each other and works together to get to their goals.” While A.J. and Regina were in Boston, they know there were athletes, teachers and others in Okeechobee tracking his progress, to which Regina notes it was just overwhelming to have so much encouragement.

The story would ordinarily end there, but A.J. has a group of students who work hard to mimic his running behaviors and parents that cannot thank coach enough for his efforts. Several of them were glad to contribute their thoughts about Coach Mayernik.

Cross Country parent, Tracy Sills, had this to say about why A.J. inspires her, “When my son decided to join the cross country team at the beginning of his junior year, I was excited for him. He had always been involved in sports and had been on the track team, but he had little experience or training on the area of long distance running. His decision to join cross country turned out to be one of the best decisions of his high school career. He was immediately brought into the cross country ‘family’ and found a place among the group.

He fell in love with the sport and continued to thrive and excel for the next two years. Much of this is due to the influence of Coach Mayernik. Coach is a leader and a role model for the athletes. He often goes on runs with the kids and always offers encouragement and advice. He unselfishly gives up many hours after school each week for practices, and then more time on the weekends to travel to races so the kids have many opportunities to compete and improve. He teaches the kids about eating healthier and making good choices with their food and beverage intake. Not only are they learning and growing as athletes, they are learning lessons that will help them in all areas of their lives. Coach Mayernik inspires the kids to want to push harder to improve and to achieve.”

Hunter Sills, graduating in May said of A.J., “Coach Mayernik has been an inspiration to our team and to me personally. His unrelenting support every practice and every race is what keeps a lot of us going. He’s always there to talk to us and to remind us of what we’re a part of. It’s not just us, but the team as a whole. He gives the team the opportunity to do incredible things and we have. He always finds something good to tell us about our race even after a bad one, and gives us the constructive criticism that we need to improve. Nonetheless Mr. Mayernik has given us the drive to make a name for our school and for ourselves. Records can be broken but memories last forever.”

Graduating senior, Gerardo Saucedo noted that Coach Mayernik is not only a coach but a mentor to him. Gerardo said, “You have showed us how to be confident and taught us not to give up. You give us motivation when you run with us and push us to work harder. Thank you for everything you have done for us, like making us men. Gracias.”

Coach Mayernik, while you did not inspire me to take up long distance running this week, you do inspire me and our community. Thank you for pouring yourself and the love of running into our children and getting them off the couch.