Councilman Votes Against $900 For $1.1 Million Grant; Votes For $550 Ad
March 18, 2010
At their last meeting, the Town of Century voted 3-1 to spend $900 so a $1.1 million grant project could move forward and voted 4-0 to spend $550 for a newspaper ad.
The town is in the middle of a Federal Emergency Management Agency review to receive $1.1 million to improve drainage off Highway 29 in the north part of town. The project includes purchasing all or part of five parcels of property. In order to receive the grant, the town must provide FEMA with a fair estimate of the cost to purchase the property.
Engineer Dale Long recommended to the town council that an appraiser be hired for $900 to determine how much should be offered to each property owner.
“We are doing things without counting our costs,” Councilman Henry Hawkins said before voting against spending the $900. “I’m tired of acting like we’ve got tons of money we don’t have.”
Later in the same meeting, the council — including Hawkins — voted 4-0 to spend $550 to purchase a full page ad in an upcoming “Progress Edition” of the Tri-City Ledger.
North Dakota Jogger Hit By Jeep Was Visiting, Volunteering On Spring Break
March 18, 2010
The young North Dakota college student killed Tuesday night in a vehicle-pedestrian accident on Highway 95A was in Escambia County with about 40 other youth taking part in a college service trip during her spring break.
The Florida Highway Patrol says Sarah D. Martinsen, 21, of Minot, North Dakota, was jogging southbound on the grassy shoulder of 95A with traffic. She entered the paved portion of the road and was struck by a 1995 Jeep driven by Melissa D. Arnold, 40, of Cantonment. Martinsen was pronounced dead at the scene by Escambia County EMS. Arnold and her passenger, 15-year old James D. Arnold, were not injured. No charges have been filed in the accident.
Martinsen was a junior majoring in sociology at North Dakota State University.
A native of Minot, N.D., she was in Escambia County as part of a service trip involving the NDSU chapter of Students Today Leaders Forever. The group, which included 40 members from NDSU and two from Minnesota State University Moorhead, was on a six-city “Pay It Forward Tour.” During the tours, students participate in service and leadership activities, learn about social issues, build relationships and make a commitment to continued action when they return home.
Earlier during the day of the accident, the students were in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where Martinsen worked with children with learning disabilities, cleaned the facility and participated in a dance party. A friend said Martinsen had called the experience the best day of her life.
“Sarah was such a great role model,” Megan Piper, a first-year student majoring in family and consumer sciences education from Casselton, N.D., who met Martinsen on the trip. “I want to live my life the way she lived hers. She inspired me from the very first time I spoke to her to the last time I saw her.
“I’m so happy she was part of my life, and that she got to have the best day of her life the day she left us. I can’t wait to see her again in heaven,” Piper said.
In Martinsen’s honor, the group cleaned a church in Pensacola Wednesday morning. The group also decided to continue on to New Orleans, the last stop of the tour, where they were scheduled to meet six other Pay It Forward Tour buses to participate in a joint service project and celebration.
Martinsen was membership chair of the Phi Eta Sigma national honor society and a member of NDSU Sociology Club. She was the daughter of Wayne Martinsen and Debra DeWitz, Minot, ND.
“Our heart goes out to family and friends of Sarah Martinson, she was a model student and clearly a person who cared about others as evidenced by her participation in this program. Our university has suffered a great loss,” said NDSU university spokeswoman, Najla Amundson.
Pictured: North Dakota State University student Sarah Martinsen who was killed when she was struck by a Jeep Tuesday night on Highway 95A. Below, she is pictured at the campus radio station. Photos courtesy WEAR Pensacola and KXMC TV Minot, ND for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Preschoolers Celebrate 100 Years Of Camp Fire USA
March 18, 2010
The preschoolers at the Camp Fire USA Child Development Center in Century kicked off their celebration of 100th birthday of the Camp Fire program on Wednesday. They formed the number “100″ (pictured above) and celebrated with birthday cupcakes (below). They also learned to count all the way to 100. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Council To Prioritize Road Projects Without Engineer
March 18, 2010
The Century Town Council will not rely on their engineer to prioritize street resurfacing projects. Instead, council members will create their own list — a process the mayor thinks might be too political.
Town Engineer Dale Long presented a $10,200 proposal to survey 21 miles of streets for road condition, width and drainage issues. From the survey, the engineering company would create the list of streets that should be resurfaced first.
“I want to take the politics out of prioritizing these roads,” Mayor Freddie McCall said.
Council member Henry Hawkins said spending over $10,000 to create the priority list made no sense to him when the council could create the list.
“We have our own people riding these roads every day, and they know,” Council member Gary Riley said.
Long said that with the engineer survey, the town could make educated decisions and be ready to apply for any potential future grants.
Council President Ann Brooks said the council would discuss a road resurfacing priority list at their next meeting.
Couple Robs Brewton Bank
March 17, 2010
Authorities are on the lookout for a couple after the robbery of a bank in East Brewton around noon Wednesday
A white male and white female held up the BankTrust branch on Forest Avenue. Both were described by witnesses at wearing dark hoodies. They presented a holdup note to a teller before fleeing with an undetermined amount of money. They reportedly did not display a weapon during the robbery.
They fled the scene in a vehicle that was waiting behind the bank. Differing descriptions of the getaway vehicle have been given. The most current description is an older model pewter or gold Pontiac Sunfire with a spoiler and a Florida tag. The tag number is not known. The car may have been seen headed in the direction of Santa Rosa County and was last seen in the area of Jay Road.
It was not known if this robbery is connected to the recent bank robberies in Flomaton and Florala that also involved man and woman.
The investigation into the robbery is being handled by the FBI, East Brewton Police and the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office. Tracking dogs from Tracking dogs from Century Correctional Institution were called to assist in the suspect search but were not used since the suspects were seen by multiple witnesses leaving in a vehicle.
Anyone with information should contact their local law enforcement agency. The suspects should be considered armed and dangerous.
Pedestrian Killed
March 17, 2010
A Tuesday night accident claimed the life of a young North Dakota woman.
The accident on Highway 95A just south of West Roberts Road happened about 9:15. The Florida Highway Patrol says Sarah D. Martinsen, 21, of Minot, North Dakota, was jogging southbound on the grassy shoulder of 95A with traffic. She entered the paved portion of the road and was struck by a 1995 Jeep driven by Melissa D. Arnold, 40, of Cantonment.
Martinsen was pronounced dead at the scene by Escambia County EMS. Arnold and her passenger, 15-year old James D. Arnold, were not injured.
The accident is still under investigation.
Census Forms Arriving; Officials Stress Local Importance Of Compliance
March 17, 2010
Census forms are arriving in mailboxes in the North Escambia area, and local officials say it is very important that forms be returned. In Century, the mayor says he is especially hopeful that residents will respond.
Accurate census counts are important to local governments because over $300 billion in federal funding is allocated to communities every year based upon their population data from the census. That funding provides critical services, jobs and economic development.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 46 percent of Century residents bothered to mail their census form back to the government in 2000. That compares to the national average of 67 percent during the last census.
“It’s important to us that we get an accurate count because that affects our federal funding for this town,” Century Mayor Freddie McCall said. “I would like to encourage everybody in Century to fill out these forms and get them back in so we can get a good, true census count.”
McCall acknowledged that if 10 percent of the population in his town were to not be counted, a 10 percent reduction in funding for the town could be detrimental.
“We are not getting a true snapshot or the true count,” Tina Joshua with the Census Bureau recently said. “We want to raise awareness in the community because if we don’t have a good head count we are not going to be able to get the money into the communities where it is needed.”
If you don’t return your census form, Joshua said you can expect a knock at your door. Home visits will be conducte between May and July.
“We will not have people knocking on the door if we can just get people to send it back in,” Joshua said.
Three Century Council Seats Up For Grabs; Election Dates To Be Set
March 17, 2010
It’s an election year in the Town of Century, with three council seats up for a vote, and Escambia County’s top election boss and the town are working to get election dates set.
Council seats three, four and five are on the ballot this year — the positions currently held by Henry Hawkins, Gary Riley and Sharon Scott.
The town must approve various qualifying and election days to be in compliance with changes in state law since the town’s last election.
According to David Stafford, Escambia Supervisor of Elections, Century is being asked to approve a resolution to set election-related dates as follows:
- Per the Town of Century charter, the primary election is scheduled for October 5, 2010. The charter states that the primary election should be 30 days prior to the November election, but that date falls on Sunday, October 10. As a result, the date is moved to October 5. Per Florida statute, registration books will close on September 7, 2010 because September 6th is Labor Day.
- Per the town charter, the general election/runoff is scheduled for November 9, 2010, the second Tuesday in November. Registration books will close on October 11, 2010.
- Per Florida statute and proposed ordinance, qualifying will take place the week of July 26 – July 30, 2010. Qualifying papers can be accepted by the elections supervisor up to 14 days prior, which would begin July 12.
The qualifying fee for a Century Town Council seat is $48 — that’s $33 for one percent of the salary and a $15 qualifying fee. There is no petition qualification method for Century offices that would allow a candidate to qualify with voter signatures.
During portions of the July qualifying week, Stafford’s office will provide staffers at the Century Town Hall to accept registrations.
Stafford has also requested that the town approve by ordinance a provision for candidates to file their campaign finance disclosure statements electronically on the Internet as is done in other races in the county.
After this year’s election, Stafford said his office would conduct a manual audit of one randomly selected race. That audit will take place November 12, the Friday after the general election.
Monday night, the council tabled any action on Stafford’s proposed resolution until a future meeting.
Pictured top: Three Century Town Council member seats — currently held by (L-R) Sharon Scott, Henry Hawkins and Gary Riley — are up for election this year. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Charges To Be Dropped In Atmore Child Abuse Case
March 17, 2010
A settlement has been reached in the case of an Atmore man who was accused of child abuse along with his kindergarten teacher wife.
Terry Desmond Linam will enter a pretrial diversion program, Alabama court officials said this week. He and his wife, Tracy Linam, were indicted by an Escambia County (Ala.) Grand Jury in April, 2009, on three counts of aggravated child abuse and three counts of domestic violence.
All charges against Tracy Linam were already dropped, and charges against Terry Linam will be dropped upon his successful completion of the pretrial diversion program.
Tracy Linam is a kindergarten teacher at Rachel Patterson Elementary School in Atmore, where she was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the case. The children in the case were not her students; they were reportedly Desmond Linam’s from a previous marriage.
The Linam case was handed over to the Alabama Attorney General for prosecution because the local district attorney had a conflict of interest with the case.
Century Town Clerk Retiring
March 17, 2010
Century Town Clerk Dorothy Sims is retiring, according to Mayor Freddie McCall.
McCall said Sims will be on-staff through the end of March and will be available on an on-call basis until a replacement is hired and fully trained.
The mayor and the town’s accountant, Robert Hudson, will work to draft an advertisement for a new town clerk. Once the position ad is drafted and approved, applications will be accepted for the clerk’s job.