Century’s Splash Pad Is Now Repaired And Open Thanks To Neighborly Help
June 7, 2025
Sometimes you just need a little help from your friends and neighbors.
“Guess what?” Century Mayor Ben Boutwell texted NorthEscambai.com Friday afternoon, followed by a short video and a few photos of the town’s splash pad now up and running after around a year of downtime.
As we have reported a couple of times in the past few weeks, the splash pad was left non-functional without electricity following a small fire in an electrical control panel at a nearby softball left the town unable to make repairs to the water feature.
But Friday, two Town of Flomaton employees — on their day off — worked to restore the power, diagnose and repair the splash pad.
“We have a mutual aid agreement with Flomaton where we can help each other out with equipment and other needs,” Boutwell said. “Shaun Moye and Chris Barrow from Flomaton were able to help us today, and the splash pad is running thanks to their hard work.”
At their last council meeting, the town council decided to hire a contractor to fix the splash pad, but Century was able to avoid the expense with Flomaton’s help.
The splash pad was also cleaned and disinfected on Friday afternoon.
The Century splash pad, located at Showalter Park on Kelly Field Road, is open from sunrise to sunset. The park also features a playground.
Pictured: After about a year, the Century splash pad was repaired on Friday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Olmstead Homers Late And Dashes Home for Wild Walk-Off Wahoos Win
June 7, 2025
With a 5-4 walk-off win in the tenth inning, Friday night’s game between the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and the Columbus Clingstones turned out to be the Johnny Olmstead show.
With runners on second and third with no one out in the bottom of the tenth, Clingstones right-hander Luis Vargas sailed a pitch that ran inside to Wahoos newcomer Grant Richardson, getting by catcher Chandler Seagle and allowing Olmstead to score the winning run.
“We’re just counting on Grant (Richardson), our new guy who we just got today, to do his job,” Olmstead said. “Once I saw it hit the backstop, I just took off and won the game.”
Olmstead’s heroics didn’t start there for the Blue Wahoos, who were donning their red Pensacola Pok-Ta-Pok jerseys inspired by the Copa series.
Trailing the Clingstones 3-1 in the seventh, Olmstead came to the plate with runners on first and second as the first batter to face right-handed reliever Blane Abeyta.
Abeyta entered after starting pitcher Blake Berhalter went six shutout innings, before allowing three hits in a row in the seventh, one of which was an RBI single from catcher Ryan Ignoffo for his first Double-A hit.
On the second pitch Olmstead saw from the Clingstones’ new arm, he sent a ball around the left field foul pole to vault the Wahoos to a 4-3 lead.
“When you can put together some team at-bats and come through for the boys, there’s nothing better,” Olmstead said.
This was the third three-run homerun in June for the Blue Wahoos, after hitting only one in the season’s first two months.
Prior to the Wahoos’ four-run frame in the seventh, the game had been all Clingstones. They got on the board in the fourth against Pensacola starter Adam Laskey, as Stephen Paolini hit a two-run home run to left to open the scoring. The longball was the first Laskey had allowed in 2025.
After a scoreless fifth from Laskey, the Clingstones struck once again against left-hander Luis Palacios. Third baseman David McCabe reached on a double to left-center after Mark Coley II missed a diving attempt, and was driven in by Geraldo Quintero.
After the RBIs from Olmstead and Ignoffo in the seventh, the Clingstones knotted it up at four in the top of the eighth on a sacrifice fly from Drew Compton to right field, scoring Cody Milligan after he reached on a leadoff double.
Pensacola’s Dale Stanavich navigated the ninth and tenth, providing two scoreless innings of relief while tight-roping a bases-loaded situation in the extra frame.
“Those kinds of games are the ones you want to win,” Olmstead said. “Just trying to keep the good vibes going now and keep on rolling.”
With a 3-1 series lead, the Blue Wahoos will send lefty Dax Fulton to the mound tomorrow night, taking on JR Ritchie for the Clingstones.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Columbus Clingstones vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Saturday and Sunday.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.
GAMETIMES: The game on Saturday starts at 6:05 p.m. Sunday’s game starts at 4:05 p.m.
Boil Water Notice Lifted For Central Customers Along Portion Of West Highway 4
June 6, 2025
A boil water notice was lifted Friday afternoon for Central Water Works customers along and near West Highway 4 in and near Century.
Water service in the area was interrupted on Wednesday for a water main repair.
Friday, Central said the repairs are complete, and two consecutive days of satisfactory test results that show the water is safe to drink.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Escambia County Finally Approves Sale Of OLF-8 For $42.5 Million
June 6, 2025
Thursday night, the Escambia County Commission unanimously approved the sale of the OLF-8 property in Beulah for $42.5 million. The sale comes after nearly a dozen offers and years of discussion, public input, and negotiations.
Tri-W Development and Chad Henderson Enterprises of Pensacola II are purchasing the entire 540.89 acres of the property on Nine Mile Road. Tri-W is a partnership between Jim Wilson & Associates (JWA), a Montgomery, Alabama, based commercial real estate developer, Chad Henderson, CEO and founder of Pensacola-based Catalyst Healthcare Real Estate, and former Pensacola mayor Ashton Hayward, now a real estate developer.
“I’m excited. I think we’ve got the right partner in place for what will be a transformational and generational long-term project,” Commissioner Steven Barry said.
“I am impressed, and I believe that you will do a fantastic jog out there,” District Commissioner Steve Stroberger.
“I am truly excited for this tonight,” added District 2 Commissioner Mike Kohler. “I didn’t honestly think we were going to get here…it’s a big deal for the board, but it’s bigger deal for the community.”
“Not everything can happen downtown” Kohler said.
The motion to approve the sale was made by Stroberger and seconded by Barry before the unanimous vote and a round of applause from the audience.
“All of confidence (the commission) and the community has put in us is not lost,” Henderson said “It’s a great honor to try to move this project forward…We don’t take the confidence that you have placed in us and how important this is lightly.”
Following a six-month inspection period for engineering testing, title searches and the like, Tri-W will make a single $42.5 million payment.
Under the agreement, the OLF-8 Master Plan (DPZ Design Code), as it may be amended before closing, will be included as a restrictive covenant on the deed.
The final DPZ master plan approved in July 2021 is a combination of commerce, residential and amenities. It allocates 271 acres to commerce and industrial; 61 acres to residential including duplexes, townhomes and multifamily; 47 acres to a mixed-use center such as residential over retail and office over retail; and 45 acres to trails and public amenities such as a post office, school, day care and community garden.
In January 2019, Escambia County acquired OLF-8 in a land swap with the U.S. Navy for property in Santa Rosa County. The county hired DPZ CoDesign to develop the best plan for OLF-8, and the firm presented four plans ranging from a commerce park-based concept to designs with a mix of commerce, residential and green space on the 500 plus acre site along Nine Mile Road in Beulah.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Suspect Fleeing From Deputies Struck by Vehicle After Pursuit
June 6, 2025
A suspect wanted on multiple felony domestic violence charges was struck by a civilian vehicle after attempting to flee from deputies on Thursday.
Cody Gaines, who was being pursued by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, reportedly exited the backseat of a vehicle near the I-10/Davis Highway interchange. While attempting to escape, Gaines was hit by a civilian’s car.
Despite being struck, Gaines continued to flee on foot but was quickly apprehended by deputies who had been in pursuit. He was transported to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries before being booked into jail.
Gaines was wanted for false imprisonment, battery by strangulation, felony battery, and domestic violence. He was also charged with resisting an office and obstructing justice. He remained in the Escambia County Jail Friday morning without bond.
FDLE Charges Escambia County Man With Possession Of Child Porn
June 6, 2025
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has chard an Escambia County man with possession of child pornography.
FDLE arrested Sage Madison Obe, 28, on 20 felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse material.
FDLE’s investigation began at the request of the Pensacola Police Department (PPD) after a National Center for Missing and Endangered Children (NCMEC) cybertip alerted law enforcement to a Dropbox user outside of PPD’s jurisdiction uploading files depicting the sexual abuse of children. The investigation identified Obe as the account holder.
On Thursday, June 5, FDLE agents served a search warrant at Obe’s residence where several electronic devices were seized. FDLE said forensic preview of the devices located numerous files of children being sexually abused, some as young as 4 years old.
Obe was arrested without incident and booked into the Escambia County Jail where he is being held without bond. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) assisted in the arrest.
The arrest is the result of FDLE’s statewide initiative to locate and arrest criminals targeting children and sharing files depicting the sexual abuse of children.
FHP Cites Dump Truck Driver After Nine Mile Road Crash
June 6, 2025
Troopers cited a Pensacola man Thursday after he crashed his dump truck in Beulah.
The Florida Highway Patrol said the 32-year-old man was driving a dump truck on Nine Mile Road when he ran a red light at I-10 and hit a tractor-trailer that was making a left turn from the eastbound I-10 off-ramp onto Nine Mile Road.
The loaded dump truck overturned, spilling dirt into the intersection where both vehicles became disabled, blocking the westbound lanes.
The dump truck driver and the 50-year-old male driver of the tractor trailer both sustained minor injuries. A 28-year-old passenger in the dump truck was not injured.
FHP cited the dump truck driver with running a red light, driving with a suspended license, and for operating a commercial motor vehicle without a commercial driver license.
Search Underway For Exotic South American Cat Missing From Molino Animal Sanctuary
June 6, 2025
A Molino animal sanctuary is searching for a missing exotic cat that they believe may have been intentionally released or stolen.
Jack is not just any cat — he’s a Geoffroy’s cat, a small wild cat that is native to the southern and central regions of South America. It’s an ordinary-sized cat; Jack is about seven pounds (about the size of an ordinary cat) and does not have a tail.
“His exhibit was vandalized,” Sunset Wildlife Director Margaret Lynd said Thursday evening. “He was either taken or was purposely released.” She said the top of his exhibit definitely appeared to have been pried open.
“We likely think he was released; there is a possibility that he has been stolen and taken by wildlife traffickers,” Lynd said. “However, we mostly believe it was probably maybe local teenagers or somebody in our area how wanted to just come in and cause havoc.”
Lynd has placed traps and cameras in the area around the sanctuary, which is located at 997 Cotton Lake Road, not far from the Camp o’ the Pines on Highway 29. She’s also reported Jack’s disappearance to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and she’s attempted to contact U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
She stressed that Jack is not dangerous to the public, but he may bite very forcibly if someone tries to capture him. The best thing, she said, is to report a sighting of Jack to Sunset Wildlife Connection at (850) 490-6917 or call the ECSO at (850) 436-9620, or FWC at (850) 488-4647.
Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sawmill Day Festival And Car Show Is Saturday In Century
June 6, 2025
The 35th Anniversary Sawmill Festival and Car Show in Century is this Saturday, June 7. It was rescheduled from May 3 by weather.
Vendor spaces are available for $20. Those interested can contact Christina at (850) 377-6752. Vehicle enthusiasts can register bikes for $15 and classic cars for $25.
Running from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the festival will feature a classic car and bike show. Attendees can look forward to live entertainment, including performances by the Southern Revival Band and Friends in Low Places.
Beyond the music, visitors can enjoy local food, crafts, and a variety of vendors. There will also be contests, museum tours, and exhibits that highlight the rich history of the area.
The free event will be held in the historic district at the corner of 4th Street and Jefferson Avenue.
Pictured: Sawmill Day in 2024. NorthEscambia.comp photos, click to enlarge.
Zamora’s Big Blast, Rosario’s Defense Lead Wahoos To Win Over Clingstones
June 6, 2025
The Blue Wahoos had their best run production Thursday in three weeks.
On a night with the first home-game rain daily this season – exactly one hour — it proved to be a good time for that to happen.
After scoring a pair of runs without a hit, Pensacola got a 3-run homer from Josh Zamora an inning later in the fourth to further build a lead and hold off the Columbus Clingstones 7-4 to take the team’s first mid-week lead in a series since April at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
A crowd of 3.948 on Mullet Thursday, which settled in seats after the rain ended and a brilliant rainbow was cast over the outfield, saw the team taking on its customary alternate identity as the Pensacola Mullets. The fans watched several pleasing elements.
The Blue Wahoos (26-28) received a shining start from Evan Fitterer, who worked six innings, allowed just two hits, one run and struck out five for his best outing since April 24.
His efforts carried into the offense, which had seven batters reach base on seven hits, plus five stolen bases – one off the team record. It was the kind of complimentary production the Blue Wahoos have strived to seek, after picking up their third win in the last four games.
“There’s nothing like it,” said Zamora in an on-field post game interview. “One through nine it’s phenomenal when we all get going.”
Also phenomenal was a catch made by Blue Wahoos left fielder Dalvy Rosario, who got a late jump on a blast by catcher Adam Zebrowski. As the ball was going over the left field wall, Rosario perfectly timed his leap and came down with the ball in one of the best home-run-robbing catches seen in this ballpark.
Rosario also had a big night at the plate, reaching base three times, scoring two runs and driving in another run.
With none out, two on in the fourth inning, Zamora jumped on a first-pitch fastball from Columbus starter Lucas Braun, one of 10 Clingstone players rated among the Top 30 in the Atlanta Braves organization. He sent it 385 feet over the left field wall with an exit speed of 99.3 mph off the bat.
That home run, his fourth this season, provided a 5-1 lead.
“Just (looking for) something over the plate,” he said. “Trying to be aggressive and score some runs for the boys.”
The lead expanded 7-1 after seven innings, then got shaky.
A rare hiccup from the Blue Wahoos bullpen occurred when reliever Nigel Belgrave gave up three runs in the eighth inning. Columbus then had the tying run at the plate with two-on in the ninth when reliever Jesse Bergin ended the game by getting third baseman Keshawn Ogans to hit into a double-play.
It was the most runs the Blue Wahoos had scored since a 9-6 win May 15 at home against Rocket City.
The runs began in the second with consecutive walks to Johnny Olmstead and Mark Coley. The Blue Wahoos then pulled off a double-steal, including only the ninth home plate steal in club history, to get the first run. Coley then scored when he swiped third base and came home on a throwing error.
In the fourth, Kemp Alderman and Nathan Martorella produced consecutive singles before Zamora’s homer.
In the fifth inning, Alderman’s two-out single scored Rosario for the sixth run. In the seventh, Rosario drove home Coley.
GAME NOTABLES
— The Blue Wahoos honored the Gulf Breeze High beach volleyball team that recently won its second consecutive state championship and finished ranked No. 1 nationally by MaxPreps.com, which is a national outlet devoted to high school sports. For the Dolphins, it’s back-to-back titles and No. 1 rankings. The 17-member team, including six seniors were honored along with head coach Chelsea Kroll and her two assistant coaches. Adding to the school’s feat, the beach volleyball team was started only three years ago without any prior history in the sport.
— The city of Crestview had its own special night Thursday at the game. Crestview mayor JB Whitten threw out a ceremonial first pitch, along with Crestview’s “citizen of the year” award winner. The Crestview chamber of commerce had 60 guests the city of Crestview had more than 200 guests.
— The W.S. Neal baseball team from Brewton, Alabama had its outing.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Columbus Clingstones vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Friday Thru Sunday.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.
GAMETIMES: The games on Friday and Saturday will start at 6:05 p.m. Sunday’s game will be a 4:05 p.m. start time.