ECUA Sanitation Christmas Holiday Changes
December 22, 2012
ECUA residential sanitation collections scheduled for Tuesday will be made one day early, on Monday, December 24. The change includes garbage, recycling and yard trash collection across most of the North Escambia area.
Dumpster service collections for commercial customers will be made on Wednesday, December 26 instead of Tuesday, December 25.
For more information, click here.
State Lawmaker Call For Armed Officers At Elementary Schools
December 22, 2012
Rep. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, on Friday called on Gov. Rick Scott and fellow lawmakers to place an armed school resource officer in every Florida elementary school as a way to prevent a repeat of the tragic mass shootings are Sandy Hook Elementary School last week.
Echoing a proposal floated Friday morning by the National Rifle Association, Fasano said the mere presence of an armed law enforcement officer may be enough to prevent a repeat of the recent shooting the Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school that claimed the lives of 20 children.
“While this no doubt will be an expensive proposition, no price tag can be placed on the lives of the precious children our public schools are entrusted with each and every day of the school year,” Fasano wrote.
Escambia County currently has armed school resource officers at middle and high schools, but not elementary schools.
Santa Rosa Bus Systems Ending
December 22, 2012
The last day of service for Santa Rosa Transit will be next Friday, December 28.
Santa Rosa Transit was a pilot public transportation program mainly along U.S. Hwy. 90, from the Santa Rosa Industrial Park to a connection to the Escambia County Area Transit system at Nine Mile Road and University Parkway. In October, a majority of the commission voted to no longer fund the county’s portion of the program due to insufficient ridership.
The public transportation service began on December 7, 2010, with approximately 14,000 one-way tickets purchased over two years. Ridership increased from 167 in December 2010 to a peak of 841 passengers in October 2012. Operating costs for the program for December 2010 to November 2012 were $269,309. The county was responsible for funding 18 percent with federal grants funding 77 percent and ticket sales accounting for only five percent of operating costs.
Santa Rosa Transit service was provided through the cooperation of the Santa Rosa Board of County Commissioners, Pensacola Bay Transportation LLC, the Florida – Alabama Transportation Planning Organization, and the Federal Transit Administration. Santa Rosa County was the project manager, the Florida – Alabama Transportation Planning Organization procured the buses and was the federal grant recipient, and Pensacola Bay Transportation LLC was the operator.
Spirit Of Giving: Tate, McArthur Students Help Ronald McDonald House
December 22, 2012
The kindergarten classes at MrArthur Elementary School collected wish list items for the Ronald McDonald House instead of exchanging Christmas gifts with each other.
And the Tate High School National Honor Society stopped by to volunteer during the week (pictured below).
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
One Injury In Multi-Car Wreck On Highway 29
December 21, 2012
One person was injured in a multiple vehicle crash Friday afternoon near Molino.
Initial reports indicated that as many as a half dozen vehicles were involved in the accident about 2:30 on Highway 29 at Barrineau Park Road. The injured person was transported by ambulance to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola.
All traffic lanes were reported to be open by 3:15 p.m.
The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol. Names and other details surrounding the crash have not yet been released.
New Photo Of Person Of Interest In Pen Air Robbery
December 21, 2012
Escambia County Sheriff’s investigators are hoping you will recognize two men seen in a surveillance photo released Friday morning.
Investigators said the men are believed to have information about the November 27 robbery of the Pen Air Federal Credit Union in Century. They were driving a dark colored Chevrolet extended cab pickup truck with a silver toolbox. The photos were were obtained from a car wash in West Pensacola on November 27.
If you have any information about the men pictured, call the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 436-9620 or Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers at (850) 433-STOP.
First Day Of Winter: Cold And Very Windy
December 21, 2012
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast on this, the first day of winter:
- Tonight: Clear, with a low around 27. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 59. Wind chill values between 25 and 35 early. North wind around 5 mph.
- Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33. Calm wind.
- Sunday: Partly sunny, with a high near 64. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon.
- Sunday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. South wind around 5 mph.
- Monday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 71. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
- Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 53. South wind around 5 mph.
- Christmas Day: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Cloudy, with a high near 69. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Tuesday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a low around 50.
- Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 58.
- Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 34.
- Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 54.
Escambia Moves Forward With Leave Buyback, Floating Holiday
December 21, 2012
The Escambia County Commission moved forward Thursday with a plan to allow employees to sell back accrued leave time and added a floating holiday.
The floating holiday for 2012 will be New Year’s Eve, and employees will be allowed to sell back up to 80 hours of accrued annual leave time. The buybacks and floating holiday will replace a 3-percent cost of living raise for employees, which was dumped after commissioners said there simply was not enough money. The raises were passed weeks ago with the understanding that the commission would be required to find a way to save the money elsewhere in the budget to pay up to employees.
If every employee cashed in their available leave under the plan, it will cost the county $1.4 million, compared to $3 million for across the board raises. The funds will come from $2.3 million in rebates from the county’s health insurance policy received for meeting cost reduction plans. The remaining $900,000 will be placed into a health insurance reserve.
The leave buyback program will cover Board of County Commission employees, the Supervisor of Elections Office, Property Appraiser’s Office, the Tax Collector and the Sheriff’s Office.
About half of the county’s employees have very few, if any, accumulated leave hours.
New Chumuckla Springs Boat Ramp Set To Open
December 21, 2012
The new Chumuckla Springs Boat Ramp located at 10501 Chumuckla Springs Boat Ramp Road will open to the public on Monday, December 31 at 1 p.m.. The new facility replaces the current Sandy Landing Boat Ramp, which is privately owned but maintained by the county and open to the public through a license agreement. A ribbon cutting will be scheduled at a later date.
The project took approximately 10 months to complete and included over nine acres of clearing and grubbing, one-half mile of new paved road construction, over one-half mile of paved ditches, four stormwater retention ponds, over 7,000 square yards of compacted rock parking and driving areas and extensive erosion controls. The project was completed entirely in-house with Santa Rosa County engineering and public works staff.
In addition to being open year round, the new location, often referred to as Mineral Springs by locals, will have several advantages over the Sandy Landing Boat Ramp including more favorable currents for launching or loading small fishing boats and the ability to launch boats during low river tides. Features of the Chumuckla Springs Boat Ramp include a large gravel parking area which will accommodate up to 30 trucks with trailers and 20 cars or pick-ups.
The boat ramp allows for the launching of two boats side by side with appropriate loading and staging areas. Construction activities will continue into January to complete a few remaining work items. The completed project cost will be approximately $300,000 which is being funded by boater registration funds and includes the purchase of 19 acres.
Photos: Santa Visits Century Branch Library
December 21, 2012
Santa Claus made a special stop by the Century Branch Library Thursday afternoon. Children were able to join Santa and his helpers as they celebrated Christmas with a story, crafts, lots of fun and a little one-on-one time for the kids to tell Santa their wish lists.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.