Fuel Tanks At Old School Being Removed; Groundwater Monitoring Well To Be Installed
August 9, 2019
A groundwater monitoring well will be installed and two old fuel tanks removed from the site of a former school bus fueling area in Century using grant dollars.
The property, about one-third of an acre in size, is located directly off Hecker Road, at the southeastern entrance to the former Century High School. The small parcel is still owned by the Escambia County School District.
Ground penetrating radar has been used to locate the underground fuel tanks. A small building on the site will be demolished. A diesel pump located inside the building will be removed and donated to the Alger Sullivan Historical Society
A groundwater monitoring well will be installed in the right of way along Hecker Road just outside the property.
“We have residents that still have well water,” said town council member Ben Boutwell, who said the monitoring well is an important step.
Town Planner Debbie Nickeles said all of the testing on the property so far has come back clean, and monitoring well will make sure no contaminants are outside the property.
The environmental site assessment is being funded with a 2016 EPA Brownfields Assessment grant the town received in 2016.
NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia Selects OLF-8 Master Plan Design Firm
August 9, 2019
The Escambia County Commission on Thursday chose a design firm to create the master plan for the OLF-8 site on Nine Mile Road.
The commission voted to select DPZ CoDESIGN of Miami from a list of three previously ranked firms.
DPZ CoDESIGN’s accomplishments include the Perdido Key Corridor Master Plan, Pensacola Community Redevelopment Area Form Based Code, the Orange County Code and Comprehensive Plan, Reinvent Phoenix (AZ), Seaside in Fort Walton, and the Southtowne Apartments in Pensacola.
Escambia County has advertised an associated project manager position for the project that is expected to be on board in about a month.
In January Escambia County acquired the 636 acre OLF-8 in a land swap with the U.S. Navy for property in Santa Rosa County. The land exchange provided Escambia County with property that can accommodate a wide variety of residential and light industrial development options.
The other two design firm finalists were Associated Space Design dba ASD|SKY of Atlanta and the Pensacola office of Atkins North America.
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Tate Aggies Hold Chowdown; Announce Crimson And Blue Bowl
August 9, 2019
Over 300 people attended the Tate Football Chowdown Thursday night.
Football players and their families enjoyed a meal provided by the Church of Christ at Milestone as head coach Jay Lindsey previewed the upcoming season.
The Crimson and Blue Bowl was announced for October 5. It will be a big rivalry game between the Cantonment Cowboys and the Ensley Chiefs in Pete Gindl Stadium.
It was also announced that “53″ Aggie Strong shirts honoring Sean Banks will be sold in the Aggie Shack during games. Proceeds will benefit a football scholarship.
Pictures: Scenes from the Tate Aggie Chowdown Thursday night. Photos by Jennifer Repine for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Sex Offender Compliance Operation Conducted In Escambia County, AL
August 9, 2019
Federal, state and local law enforcement teamed up this week for “Operation Summer Sweep” — compliance checks on registered sex offenders in Escambia County, Alabama
Operation Summer Sweep was a joint operation conducted by the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office to verify all registered sex offenders within the county.
Over a three-day period beginning Monday, about 30 law enforcement officers checked the compliance of 97 sex offenders identified as living in Escambia County, Alabama, with the Sex Offender Registration Act, and officers assessed each offender’s possibility of becoming a reoffender. There were no arrests, according to Sheriff Heath Jackson.
The Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office was joined by the U.S. Marshals Southern District of Alabama, Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, Atmore Police Department, Brewton Police Department, East Brewton Police Department, Flomaton Police Department and Escambia County (AL) Community Corrections.
To search the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency sex offender database, click here.
NOAA Increases Chance For Above Normal Hurricane Season
August 9, 2019
NOAA says conditions are now more favorable for above-normal hurricane activity since El Nino has now ended. Two named storms have formed so far this year and the peak months of the hurricane season, August through October, are now underway.
Seasonal forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center have increased the likelihood of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season to 45% (up from 30% from the outlook issued in May). The likelihood of near-normal activity is now at 35%, and the chance of below-normal activity has dropped to 20%.
The number of predicted storms is also greater with NOAA now expecting 10-17 named storms (winds of 39 mph or greater), of which 5-9 will become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or greater), including 2-4 major hurricanes (winds of 111 mph or greater). This updated outlook is for the entire six-month hurricane season, which ends Nov. 30.
NOAA is also announcing today that the current El Nino in the Pacific Ocean has ended and neutral conditions have returned. “El Nino typically suppresses Atlantic hurricane activity but now that it’s gone, we could see a busier season ahead,” said Gerry Bell, Ph.D., lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “This evolution, combined with the more conducive conditions associated with the ongoing high-activity era for Atlantic hurricanes that began in 1995, increases the likelihood of above-normal activity this year.”
On average, the Atlantic hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes. NOAA’s hurricane season outlook is for overall seasonal activity and is not a landfall forecast. Landfalls are largely determined by short-term weather patterns, which are only predictable within about a week of a storm potentially reaching a coastline.
Hiring Event Next Week For ST Engineering
August 9, 2019
CareerSource Escarosa and ST Engineering are partnering for a hiring event on Thursday, August 15.
This no-cost event is open to the public. Job-seekers will have the opportunity to network with ST Engineering employers seeking individuals to fill their open positions as aircraft technicians and mechanics.
Employers will be recruiting for positions in the aerospace industry. Job seekers are urged to dress professionally and bring plenty of resumes.
The even will be held from 9 a.m. until noon at CareerSource Escarosa, 3670 North L Street in Pensacola.
Back To School Bash Events, Free School Supplies Saturday In Cantonment, Quintette
August 9, 2019
Back to school bashes with free school supplies and more will be held Saturday in Quintette and Cantonment.
Carver Park, Cantonment
A back to school bash will be held Saturday at noon at Carver Park, 208 Webb Street. There will be free book bags for school aged children, free haircuts, free nail polishing, and a free hotdogs and hamburgers. The event is sponsored by the Cantonment Improvement Committee.
Quintette Community Center
Quintette Community Center will be having a back to school bash Saturday at 11 a.m. Children must be present to receive supplies. There will be food and prizes. The center is located at 5490 Quintette Lane.
Pictured: Last year’s back to school bash at Carver Park in Cantonment. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Sacred Heart To Build New Emergency Room On Nine Mile Road
August 8, 2019
Sacred Heart Hospital plans to be build a new $11 million emergency center at the intersection of Nine Mile Road and Stefani Road. Construction on the 14,700 square-foot facility is expected to begin this fall, and the facility’s opening is planned for late 2020.
The emergency center will include 13 treatment rooms and two trauma rooms staffed by emergency medicine physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists. The facility will also will include a lab, pharmacy, CT scanner and x-ray imaging.
“Like all of our emergency rooms, we’ll be open all day, every day. We’ll also have separate areas to care for children and adults,” said Tom VanOsdol, president and CEO of Ascension Florida. “Across the Gulf Coast and North Florida, we want to continue to make it easier for patients to receive the care they need, when and where they need it.”
The new ER will be located within a mile of the new Ascension Sacred Heart Health Center at Milestone, an outpatient medical facility that opened in March of this year. It will be supported by Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola, which provides the region’s only Trauma Center to treat both adults and children.
Two other projects are currently under construction in Pensacola: a health center off Summit Boulevard and a physical therapy and rehabilitation center near Bayou Boulevard. Both of those facilities will open next year.
Century Declares Emergency, Approves $4,750 No Bid Proposal To Replace Four Gas Meters
August 8, 2019
The Century Town Council has declared that an emergency exists and approved a no-bid proposal presented by their new consultant to replace gas meters at four businesses.
The town will spend $4,750 plus $35 an hour for a consultant to replace the meters with an internal bypass and pressure test ports at the Century Coin Laundry and Self Storage, the Southern Panhandle Cafe, Food Giant and the Sunrise Donut Shop. Eddy handed the proposal to the council just minutes before their vote.
“The laundromat’s meter is not reading at all. It’s flowing gas, but it’s not reading. So that is an emergency,” said consultant Buz Eddy. “The same with the others, because I took them personally to these locations cause there were questions concerning these. Once we redo them, it’s going to increase that revenue in those areas significantly.” He said the $1,440 replacement of the laundromat meter would result in a financial return for the town in 2-3 months.
Mayor Henry Hawkins said the laundromat’s last two gas bills have been $400.
NorthEscambia.com made a public records request for the laundromat’s 2019 natural gas billing and usage history on Tuesday, but that request had not been fulfilled by the close of business Wednesday.
Eddy requested the town council declare that an emergency existed “in an abundance of caution” and “if any bid procedures are applicable to waive those bidding procedures” for the purpose awarding the contract to G.P.’s Gas Appliance Repair and Piping, LLC in Baker and $35 an hour to Vernon Prather for an unspecified number of hours. Prather is the former assistant city manager in Gulf Breeze and also served as Gulf Breeze public service director.
Eddy said no quotes or bids were obtained from any other company.
“We found that the prices, just evaluating the prices against what other utilities have paid for similar efforts are comparable and to take the time to bid out or even inquire about quotes, we would have those meters inoperable for that period of time. It’s just one of those things that having an expert come in and tell you I’ve contact someone that’s competent, they can do the work, they are available immediately, time is of the essence.
Eddy said the job is beyond the capabilities of the current town staff because it requires complete rebuilding of the “gas meter set”.
“Why is the gas superintendent that is being paid to do it not doing it? He was not doing it fast enough. So basically we as a council, as a governing body, we have to rectify this problem,” council member Luis Gomez (pictured left) said.
“This is the first opportunity we’ve had all the facts together and the meter readings assembled and the diagnosis has been done on the problem. Previously I was not here. I don’t know what the facts were. Nobody knows that the facts were. Now we know, and we’re ready to move forward and this is the right action to take,” Eddy said.
Council President Ann Brooks said the four problematic meters were first brought to the council’s attention at a budget workshop on August 1 “and that’s when the council decided to get a bid”.
“I think the bidding law is something we need to pay attention to, so the next step is that we were going to look at prices for having the other meters installed. We need to make sure, because that won’t be an emergency,” Brooks said.
The motion to declare an emergency, bypass any bidding procedure and award the contract passed the council unanimously.
The contract did not include the actual meters because the town has had the new meters needed in stock since February. The town purchased 500 new residential natural gas meters and 52 new commercial meters months ago in an effort to increase billing accuracy and revenue.
Gas Superintendent Wally Kellett said in mid-July that only 40 of the residential meters had been installed, and none of the commercial meters were installed.
The council has required Kellett to attend all of their meetings and update the status of his department, but he’s missed numerous meetings with no public explanation. At Monday night’s council meeting, no reason was given for Kellett’s absence, and Hawkins could only say “40-plus” meters had been installed because he did not know the actual number since Kellett’s last update to the council on July 15.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
See A Helicopter With A Strange Pole Hanging Underneath? Here’s What It Is
August 8, 2019
Have you seen a helicopter with a long rod or pole hanging from it? Several readers contacted us asking about it, and here’s what we found.
PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, which generates and supplies power to Escambia River Electric Cooperative, is is conducting right-of-way clearance on transmission power lines in the North Escambia area over the next couple of weeks.
They are using a Hughes 369D helicopter with a suspended aerial power saw to accomplish this task. The saw has ten, 24-inch blades that swing back and forth trimming trees and other foliage in close proximity of the high voltage lines. Periodic right-of-way service is necessary to keep power lines clear of tree brush so they will not cause harm to people or a disruption in electrical service.
Photos courtesy EREC for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
