Bratt Elementary’s Sanders Named School District Employee Of The Month
March 22, 2017
The Escambia County School District Stellar Employee for March is Chad Sanders.
According to a proclamation issued by the Escambia County School District:
“Mr. Sanders has been employed with the district for 22 years, the last five years in the Maintenance Department as a Maintenance Mechanic l. Mr. Sanders is the Maintenance Crewman assigned to Bratt Elementary School. Mr. Sanders was nominated because of his cooperative and “can-do” attitude. Mr. Sanders completes the work order requests for Bratt Elementary in a timely, efficient manner and maintains a pleasant, professional attitude toward school staff and his co-workers. If a request is out of his realm of expertise, he makes sure it is submitted to the correct person or department to be fulfilled.
“During his assignment to Bratt Elementary, Mr. Sanders has constructed “story stairs” for the school library, benches for the hallways and a reading gazebo, all from school recycled lumber.
“He has repaired numerous light fixtures and even evaluated the roof to determine the problem with the school satellite dish. After Mr. Sanders determined the satellite dish needed replacing, he and his crew replaced it with a new dish. Mr. Sanders has also been involved in the removal and replacement of outdated smart boards, tvs, overhead projectors and projector screens.
“In preparation for the library end of year Reading Celebration for the 2015-16 school year, Mr. Sanders hung ceiling decorations before the event and removed them after the event, saving teachers a great deal of time.
“Bratt Elementary feels they are very fortunate to have such a dedicated, caring, maintenance crewman assigned to their school.
Mr. Sanders personifies the pillars of “People” and “Service”. It is for these reasons that he has been selected as our stellar employee for the Month of March.”
Firefighters Battle Bratt Brush Fire
March 21, 2017
Firefighters battled a brush fire in Bratt Tuesday afternoon. The fire in the 6000 block of Ashcraft Road burned about an acre before firefighters arrived on scene and brought it under control just after 2:30 p.m.. There were no injuries and no structures reported to be involved. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Century Considers 59% Water And Sewer Rate Increase, 36% Garbage Rate Hike
March 21, 2017
The Century Town Council is considering a rate increase for water and sewer customers that would increase the average customer’s bill by 59 percent. And Mayor Henry Hawkins is also proposing a 36 percent increase in residential garbage fees. Additionally, a rate study for the town’s gas department is expected to be forthcoming.
The total rate increases for water, wastewater and garbage, if approved, will cost the average family of four about $300 per year.
GARBAGE
Century’s 545 garbage customers currently pay $16.98 per month. In order to stop financial losses in the garbage department, Hawkins is proposing a 36 percent increase of $6.21 per month, for a total bill of $23.19. The increase will allow the town to continue to collect bulk items such as furniture and appliances and vegetative waste.
WATER AND WASTEWATER
The water and wastewater department had a net income loss of $142,022, according to a Florida Rural Water Association rate study presented to the council Monday night.
The average family of four customer using 5,000 gallons of water per month currently pays $18.65 for water and $13.00 for wastewater, for a total bill of $31.65. The rate study recommends three-year incremental rate increases totaling a 59 percent ($18.59) increase for the average user….$21.27 for 5,000 gallons of water and $27.58 for wastewater.
The study recommended the following water rate increase:
It was recommended that the full water rate increase be spread over a three year period, and incremental tiers be established:
For wastewater, the study found:
It was recommended that the full wastewater rate increase be spread over a three year period, and incremental tiers be established:
For an average family of four, the rate increases would be as folows:
The town is seeking a total legislative appropriation of $60,000 for preliminary engineering reports for the potable water and wastewater systems. These reports will identify the deficiencies in each system, allowing the town to seek funding and make the necessary improvements.
In order to apply for future grants or loans, the water and wastewater systems must be financially viable by implementing the rate increases, according to town officials.
Pictured: The Century Town Council Monday night. Pictured: Century’s water, wastewater and natural gas franchise also serves the Century Correctional Institution. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Northview Majorette Smith Earns Straight Superiors At State
March 21, 2017
Northview High School majorette captain Brianna Smith received straight superior ratings Monday in the Florida Bandmaster’s Association state competition in Jacksonville. She performed to the song “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from the musical Hairspray.
Pictured top: Smith performs during a Friday night football game last season, NorthEscambia.com photo. Pictured inset: Smith in Jacksonville on Monday. Submitted for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Century Names New Gas Superintendent, Gives A Few Employee Raises
March 21, 2017
The Century Town Council voted Monday night promote an employee from within as their new gas superintendent and also handed out a few employee raises.
The council promoted Kim Godwin, former deputy town clerk, to gas department superintendent to replace an employee that recently stepped down from the responsibilities. The council also increased her salary by $5 per hour to $18.26 to cover her new responsibilities as gas superintendent plus upcoming work on the town’s stagnant website.
The council also voted to provide $2,930 for Godwin to attend two upcoming educational workshops. The funds were already budgeted for gas department operating supplies.
Godwin has been employed by the town since May 2012.
Also Monday night, the council voted to increase the salary of a window clerk from $8.21 to $9.50 per hour and an administrative assistant from $9.68 to $10.50. Both employees have taken on additional responsibilities to justify their pay increases, according to Mayor Henry Hawkins.
Pictured: Kim Godwin, Century’s new gas superintendent. NorthEscambia.com photo.
The Blue Angels Return Home
March 21, 2017
The Blues are back! The U.S. Navy Blue Angels buzzed downtown Pensacola and Pensacola Beach late Monday afternoon on their way back to their home at NAS Pensacola for the air show season..
The 2017 Pensacola Beach Blue Angels Air Show will be July 9, and the Pensacola Naval Air Station Homecoming Air Show is coming up on November 11 and 12. There are also numerous opportunities to catch a Blue Angels practice aboard NAS Pensacola. Click here for a schedule.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Ditto Gorme, click to enlarge
Learn How To Do Business With ECUA
March 21, 2017
On Wednesday, March 22, 2017, the Florida Small Business Development Center and the University of West Florida’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Program, will offer a free workshop entitled, “How to do Business with the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority” (ECUA).
The informational meeting will educate attendees about the potential of doing business with the ECUA, while increasing participation in obtaining future ECUA contracts. Participants will learn about the bidding process, qualification requirements, future business opportunities, and how the ECUA hiring process is conducted.
The featured speakers will include; Bill Johnson, ECUA director of engineering and Amy Williamson, ECUA senior purchasing agent.
The workshop is free; however, pre-registration is recommended. For additional information contact Laura Subel, PTAC procurement specialist, via email at lsubel@uwf.edu, or by calling (850) 474-2549. The event will be held at the SBDC Office, 9999 University Parkway, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Gulf Power Reaches Rate Increase Settlement
March 21, 2017
A rate hike on the horizon for hundreds of thousands of Gulf Power customers might not be as big as initially proposed.
The Northwest Florida utility agreed Monday to a settlement with the state Office of Public Counsel, which objected to an original proposal to raise base rates by $106.8 million. An announcement of the settlement came just prior to the start of a hearing before the Florida Public Service Commission.
The settlement proposal, which the commission agreed to consider April 4, would add about $7 to the monthly bills of typical residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a month, according to Gulf Power.
“Energy providers can’t just sit and coast,” Gulf Power spokesman Jeff Rogers said. “We have to continue to invest in infrastructure, transmission lines, substations. We’re a 90-year-old company. We’ve got equipment constantly aging and that constantly has to be invested in to ensure the reliability our customers expect.”
If the request is approved, the company projects that starting July 1, the monthly bill for typical residential customers will grow from $144 to $151.
The initial request sought to boost the typical monthly bill to $158.
The state Office of Public Counsel, which represents customers in utility cases, initially argued that base rates should decrease by about $2 million. No objection was raised to the settlement proposal on Monday by other parties involved in the case, which range from Walmart to the Sierra Club.
In the agreement, Gulf Power’s original request for a $106.8 million base-rate increase would fall to $62 million through the end of 2019. However, the company projects the net impact to customers would come to $54.3 million.
The filing before the PSC now says Gulf Power would seek a “return on equity,” a measure of profitability, of 10.25 percent, down from the original proposal of 11 percent. Gulf Power also is also now seeking to take a one-time $32.5 million write down on costs related to a Georgia power plant, known as Plant Scherer.
Gulf Power in the past has sold electricity from the plant on the wholesale market but now uses power from the plant for its retail customers.
The Pensacola-based Gulf Power is one of four major investor-owned utilities in Florida. It serves about 450,000 customers in eight Northwest Florida counties.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Escambia Man Gets Life For 2013 Murder
March 21, 2017
An Escambia County man has been sentenced to life in prison for a 2013 murder.
Taikwan Crosby was sentenced to life in state prison by Circuit Judge John Miller for the murder of James Faucett. On January 19, 2017, Taikwan Crosby was convicted by an Escambia County Jury of second degree murder with a weapon.
The defendant met Faucett at a Kangaroo gas station on April 28, 2013. The two men left the station together and went to Faucett’s home on Wisteria Avenue Later that evening, the victim was stabbed and beaten to death by Crosby. Faucett was pronounced deceased at the scene by EMS.
Molino Road Wildfire Burns Less Than An Acre
March 21, 2017
A wildfire burned less than an acre near Molino Monday afternoon. The fire was reported just before 4:00 p.m. in the 2800 block of Molino Road. There was no property damage, and no injuries were reported. The Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the fire. Photos by Jared Sigler for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
