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Escambia County Awards $1.2 Million Contract For Oversight Of Century Shelter Project
November 7, 2025
Escambia County has awarded a contract for oversight of construction of a multipurpose facility that will also serve as a shelter during hurricane in Century.
The Town of Century was awarded $10 million in a Florida Department of Commerce’s Rebuild Florida grant to turn the old Century High School gym property into a multipurpose facility that will also serve as a shelter during hurricanes or other disasters. Escambia County is administering and managing the project and funds.
Thursday night, the Escambia County Commission approved a $1,182,900 contract with QSC Services, LLC. for the owner’s representative and construction, engineering, and inspection (CEI) Services
“It has good bones,” Century Mayor Ben Boutwell said last month as NorthEscambia.com was along for a tour of the existing building. “With a steel frame and solid brick and concrete construction, it will make a good shelter.”
For more photos from our October tour, click here.
County staff said that the building appears to be structurally sound enough to meet the requirements for a hurricane shelter, and that will be confirmed by a structural engineer. The existing building will be gutted and slightly expanded during construction. It is expected to include a multipurpose area that will have uses including meeting space, shelter space, and indoor sports such as basketball. There will be other amenities including a kitchen and a generator.
The town does not own the old gym, which was constructed in 1960; it belongs to Pensacola State College, though the town had been working to have PSC deed the gym property to Century. Once an environmental study is completed, PSC will deed the property to the county at no cost.
Time and vandals have ravaged the former Blackcats’ gym. The windows have been smashed out of all the doors, and many of the gym windows are broken, with damage to the parquet wood floor—all of which is slated for replacement. Vandals have stripped all of the HVAC units and copper wiring. The Blackcats logo is still visible on the wall over the basketball court.
Behind the gym, remaining bleachers and press box, which was damaged by a tornado in 2016, are currently set to be removed for safety reasons. The football field will remain as a youth sports field.
Pictured: Officials toured the old Century High School gym on on October 23, 2025. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Pictured: Officials toured the old Century High School gym on Thursday. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
2 Responses to “Escambia County Awards $1.2 Million Contract For Oversight Of Century Shelter Project”
That Logo brings back memories. Even if I am getting old enough to not remember all of them.
Please leave the The Blackcats logo’s as a tribute to the school that once was. No need to paint over history!