Century Can’t Pay Some Bills After Councilman’s Decision
August 3, 2010
Some of Century’s bills will go unpaid because one council member would not vote to approve the town’s bill list.
Council member Henry Hawkins said Monday night that he was not satisfied with bills presented by Fabre Engineering, the town’s primary engineer firm. He would not second a motion to pay the bills on the town’s “bill list”. With council members Sharon Scott and Nadine McCaw absent, the body was unable to get the quorum needed for approval.
According to Council President Ann Brooks, budgeted items such as the town’s power bills will be paid. Other bills will be tabled for approval until the council’s next meeting on August 16.
Work Begins On Century’s Budget
August 3, 2010
The town of Century’s budget process got underway Monday morning, with department heads instructed how to present their “wish lists” to the town council for possible inclusion in the upcoming 2010-2011 budget.
The Town of Century’s current 2009-2010 budget is $4,587,744 — a $1.4 million increase over the previous year’s $3,154,355 budget. The increase this year was due to $1.83 million for a water infrastructure project funded by a grant.
Escambia Tax Collector Unveils New Website
August 3, 2010
Escambia County Tax Collector Janet Holley has released an updated and expanded version of her department’s www.EscambiaTaxCollector.com web website.
First launched in the early 1990’s to expand the reach of the tax collector’s office by featuring a wide array of services and information online, the site now includes several new features.
The redesigned and enhanced site features improvements in appearance, navigation, functionality, and accessibility to online public records. The “Latest News” section provides current information on changes to property taxes, driver licenses, motorist services, business tax receipts, hunting and fishing licensing, office closings and more.
The home page features a slide show of eye-catching images of local historical sites, introducing online visitors to Escambia County’s amazing beauty and rich heritage. Other new aspects include a “Featured Items” section and an RSS feed to put important tax collector information at users’ fingertips. Future improvements will include an online appointment calendar and a YouTube page where video content will be posted, according to Holley.
Lightning Causes Local Problems; Including Strikes At Two Schools
August 2, 2010
Heavy lightning from afternoon storms caused problems across North Escambia Monday afternoon.
Several strikes at or near Ernest Ward Middle School activated the school’s fire alarm. The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded. No fire was found.
A lightning strike also activated the fire alarm at Byrneville Elementary School. The Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded. No fire was found, however a problem was reported with the school’s emergency lighting
On North Highway 99 near Highway 97, lightning sparked a brush fire and also set a part of a fence on fire. The fire was quickly extinguished by the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue with the help of heavy rain.
At the NorthEscambia.com offices, lightning led to a power failure and telephone and Internet problems. Frontier Communications and Escambia River Electric were able to restore the services in a short period of time. The NorthEscambia.com website, which is hosted a server in the Northeast, was not impacted by the outages.
Numerous power outages were reported across the area. Some customers with without power for several hours.
Escambia Tries Again For Half Million State Dollars For Molino Library
August 2, 2010
For the fourth year running, Escambia County is hoping to receive a half million dollar grant from the state towards the construction of a new public library in a portion of the Molino Elementary School.
Escambia County has applied for a $500,000 grant for the past four years but no library construction funding was provided by the Florida Legislature. The county has already committed $513,500 in matching local option sales tax funds toward the $1,013,500 total library cost.
In March 2007, the commission authorized the submission of an application for a state library construction grant to provide $500,000 towards the construction of a public library in a 4,930 square foot portion of the old Molino Elementary. That 2007 application was ranked number two for funding among 23 applicants, but the state did not provide any funding.
The same application was again re-submitted in 2008 and ranked number three, but due to funding constraints, the Legislature did not fund any projects
Again, in 2009, Escambia County applied for the half million grant. Again, the Legislature provided no funding for the library construction program.
The State Library has requested that if Escambia County intends to continue to pursue this project, the existing approved grant application on file with the state be updated for consideration and re-submission to the next session of the State Legislature for funding consideration in 2011. The Escambia County Commission is expected to approved that resubmission at their Thursday night meeting.
In addition to a library, plans call for the old Molino school to become a community hub, possibly including a museum highlighting Molino history, a small health clinic, a business incubator, renovation of the cafeteria and one additional building for community events and private party rental along with other uses. The school campus includes four buildings — the largest of which is 16,630 square feet.
Pictured top: District 5 Escambia County Commissioner Kevin White and Escambia County Tax Collector Janet Holley discuss potential plans for the old Molino School in the auditorium of the facility in early 2010. Pictured bottom inset: This end of the old school will be converted into a library. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Still Hope For Railroad Tie Facility, Jobs For Century
August 2, 2010
Century’s mayor still has high hopes that a new industrial plant will locate in the town’s former Alger-Sullivan Lumberyard, eventually bringing a couple of hundred of jobs to the area.
Plans for the railroad crosstie treatment facility were first announced back in March, when Mayor Freddie McCall told the Century Town Council that there was “something on the horizon” for the old lumber mill, and that he had already expected an announcement. In April, he said the company had experienced “a couple of snags in their paperwork,” but that he was confident that everything was on track for an announcement. In June, McCall reiterated his hopes for a ribbon cutting.
And now — almost five months later — McCall said he is still hold out hope that the plant and the badly needed jobs will become a reality. McCall said recently that the company would initially create 25 jobs, with 200 expected to be employed within a few years.
Representatives of Century Lumber and Land, LLC, a Florida limited liability corporation founded in December, 2008, have said they intend to purchase and rehabilitate the facility, but they have declined to provide further details.
The 38 acre property was last sold in early 2006 to DMT Holdings, LLC in Navarre, according to the Escambia County Property Appraiser’s online records. The facility includes five buildings totaling just over 300,000 square feet, according to the property appraiser. The buildings on the property range in age from 11 to 54 years,with the largest 160,150 square foot building constructed in 1972.
Power Companies Profit Half Billion In Three Months
August 2, 2010
Thanks to an unusually hot spring, the parent company of Gulf Power and Alabama Power recorded over a half billion dollars in profit in the second quarter of 2010.
Southern Company recorded three-month earnings of of $510.2 million, or 62 cents a share, compared with $478.6 million, or 61 cents a share, in the second quarter of 2009. For the six months ended June 30, Southern Company’s earnings were $1.0 billion, or $1.22 a share, compared with $604.3 million, or 77 cents a share, for the same period a year ago.
Weather was a primary factor driving earnings, as the Southeast experienced one of the warmest second quarters in more than a century. The economic recovery contributed positively to earnings. Industrial sales, which were up 13 percent for the second quarter compared to the same period in 2009, reflect improvement in industrial activity in the Southeast.
“We continue to see positive economic trends, particularly among our industrial and manufacturing customers,” said Chairman, President and CEO David M. Ratcliffe. “Our businesses continued to perform well overall in the second quarter, giving us solid results and keeping the company on track to deliver on our financial and operational goals for the year.”
Overall residential power usage increased 6.4 percent during the second quarter of 2010, while commercial use jumped 1.7 percent. Industrial usage was up 17 percent for the period ending June 30.
IRS Extends Deadline: Local Groups Could Lose Nonproft Status
August 2, 2010
The IRS has extended a paperwork deadline for dozens of North Escambia charities in danger of losing their tax exemption status, and the Better Business Bureau is offering some helpful advice for the nonprofits.
The local groups — like two local chambers, fire departments, community centers and social organizations — were among 325,000 named by the Internal Revenue Service that failed to comply with paperwork requirements, risking their nonprofit status. The IRS has extended the filing deadline for the groups to October 15.
To see a list of North Escambia area organizations on the IRS list, click here.
The IRS will automatically revoke the tax-exempt status of charities that do not file a return by October 15 and will publish a list of those organizations in early 2011. Donors who make a donation to those revoked organizations after the list is published may not deduct those contributions on their tax returns, according to information released by the Northwest Florida chapter of the Better Business Bureau.
“I suspect that many of the charities on this list are those that were not required to file a return prior to a change in the law in 2007,” said Norman Wright, president and CEO of the BBB serving Northwest Florida. “However, the IRS has been sending multiple notices to these organizations because this is such a big threat to the smallest charities in our service area.”
In conducting its Charity Review Program, BBB verifies charities are indeed tax-exempt as well as registered to solicit in the state of Florida. The Better Business Bureau offers helpful information for charities at bbb.org/charity.
In addition, groups that do not meet the October 15 deadline will be required to pay taxes like another business, according to the IRS.
Gov. To BP: Where’s The Cash?
August 2, 2010
As Northwest Florida businesses continue to struggle with fears of oil along the Panhandle keep travelers away, Gov. Charlie Crist announced that BP will make a $7 million initial payment on money it promised to help advertise that the beaches are OK.
Crist announced the money would go to the Northwest Florida Travel Council, even as he pressed the company for the rest of the $50 million he requested in June.
“While we are grateful the well has been capped – and pray that a complete seal of the well is achieved as soon as possible – there still remains a very real and constant threat to Florida’s $60-billion-a-year tourism industry,” Crist wrote to BP COO Doug Shuttles. “Unfortunately, images of damage from spill continue to appear in the media, thereby perpetuating the perception that Florida’s pristine beaches are contaminated by oil. For that reason, I must continue to urge BP to recognize that the impact of the oil spill extends far beyond the coastal counties of Northwest Florida. While the $7 million you have committed to the Northwest Florida Travel Council is certainly appreciated, we continue to believe, these funds fall drastically short of the need throughout the Sunshine State.”
By The News Service Florida
Twirlers Place At Nationals
August 2, 2010
Three members of the Santa Rosa and Escambia Twirlers won national honors at the National Baton Twirling Competition in South Bend, Ind.
Winning national honors were Leslie Miller, 14; Hali Horne, 14; and Whitney William, 12.
Miller, a five year member of the group, won third place in the three baton solo division and was ranked in the Top 10 nationally.
Horne, who is the junior fire instructor for the Santa Rosa and Escambia Twirlers, won eighth in the dance division, fifth in the two baton solo division and placed in the Top 10 nationally.
William, a two year twirler for the group, won the national title for one baton solo, seventh in two baton solo and was ranked nationally in the Top 10.
The Santa Rosa and Escambia Twirlers have won 12 state titles, six regional titles and three world titles. The group also won several medals in junior twirling Olympics. The group is led by Melissa Majors, who has twirled for 38 years. Classes are conducted in Century, Pace and Pensacola.