Over 5,000 Massive Steel Pipes Being Unloaded In Walnut Hill, Trucked North
February 1, 2010
Over 5,000 pieces of 80-foot long steel pipe are being unloaded from railroad cars in Walnut Hill and transported through Atmore and surrounding communities by truck.
It’s all part of a $2.46 billion Florida Gas Transmission Company project to expand its natural gas pipe system to meet the growing energy needs of the Gulf Coast and Florida. The current portion of the project involves about 483 miles of pipeline being installed in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida with about 365 miles parallel to existing pipeline.
In the North Escambia area, the pipeline runs from Baldwin County into Escambia County north of Atmore, skirts Flomaton and crosses into a small portion of the very northeastern corner of Escambia County (Fla.) near Century and into the northern part of Santa Rosa County.
“It’s a massive project,” said John P. Barnett, public information director for Florida Gas Transmission Company. “In terms of dollars and scope, it really is big.”
The massive pipes are manufactured at Berg Steel Pipe Corporation in Panama City and transported by train. The pipe is being unloaded from an Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway line near the intersection of Arthur Brown Road and Corley Road in Walnut Hill. From there, it is being trucked north of Atmore by Dun Transportation of Sherman, Texas. As the project progresses, the pipe will be trucked to other portions of the pipeline in the three county area.
The numbers are impressive. Unloaded in Walnut Hill over a six month period will be a total of:
- Over 5,000 sections of 80-foot long, 36-inch diameter pipe
- Over 600 railroad cars
- Over 2,000 truckloads
Barnett said all of the pipe is being installed adjacent to existing pipeline on existing right of ways in Escambia County in Alabama and Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida.
“There will not be any surprises for landowners,” he said. “The pipeline is being installed next to the existing pipeline, and all of the landowners were notified last year.”
Another interesting fact: The machine being used to unload the pipes from the railroad cars to the trucks uses a powerful suction to life the pipe — no ropes, no cables, no magnets.
Pictured above: Over 5,000 80-foot sections of steel natural gas pipeline are being unloaded from over 600 railroad cars in Walnut Hill. Pictured below: Sections of pipe are then transported by truck north through Atmore. NorthEscambia.com and submitted photos, click to enlarge.
Railroad buff Larry Seale of Cantonment contributed some of the photos for this story.
Two Century Correctional Officers Fired
February 1, 2010
Two Century Correctional Institution officers have been terminated for bringing forbidden items into the facility.
One correctional officer was terminated for bringing a Bic lighter to work for the second time, according to Gretl Plessinger, Department of Corrections spokesperson. Another, she said, was terminated for attempting to bring an MP3 player into the facility.
The lighter and MP3 player are among items not allowed on the CCI compound, Plessinger said. It was the second time the officer with the Bic lighter had attempted to bring one into the facility, she said.
Both corrections officers were still within their two year probationary period — the officer with the lighter was hired in late 2009, and the officer with the MP3 player was hired in late 2008.
Neither officer was charged with any crime.
Move Over: Alabama To Enforce New Law
February 1, 2010
Monday, Alabama joined Florida in enforcing a “Move Over” law that requires motorists to move over when approaching emergency vehicles that are stopped on the side of the road with their emergency lights activated.
Alabama’s law formerly applied just to law enforcement vehicles and was dubbed the “Blue Light” law. But now the law has been expanded to include all emergency vehicles with flashing lights, including wreckers.
The law is effective now, and Alabama State Troopers began full enforcement with warning tickets on January 1. Costly traffic citations will be issued on and after February 1.
The law requires drivers to move over one lane on a four lane highway when approaching emergency vehicles. If it is unsafe to move over, drivers should slow at least 15 mph below the speed limit. On a two lane highway, drivers are required to move over as far as possible without leaving their lane and slow down to a speed at least 15 mph below the posted speed limit. If the posted speed limit is 20 mph or less, drivers should slow to 10 mph.
Florida’s move over laws is a little bit different:
- On a two-lane roadway, you are required to slow to a speed that is 20 miles per hour less than the posted speed limit.
- If the speed limit is 20 miles per hour or less, you must slow down to five miles per hour.
- If you are driving on an interstate or roadway with multiple lanes of travel in the same direction, and you approach an emergency or law enforcement vehicle parked along the roadway, you must vacate the lane closest to that vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. If you are not able to safely move over, you must slow down to a speed of 20 MPH below the posted speed limit unless directed otherwise by a law enforcement officer.
Pictured above: An Alabama State Trooper in Dallas County was seriously injured in this crash last year. Courtesy photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Students Of The Month Named
February 1, 2010
Escambia County Students of the Month for January have been named by the Escambia Association for Administrators in Education. The awards are presented monthly to two students from participating schools.
The following students were named from North Escambia area schools:
- Bratt Elementary: Devon L. Cohen, second grade; Mallory O. Gibson, fifth grade.
- Jim Allen Elementary: Haleigh V. Dove, first grade; Amanda P. Mills, first grade.
- Molino Park Elementary: Leia M. Grantham, first grade; Nathaniel B. Mickel, first grade.
- Ernest Ward Middle: Penny N. Banda, seventh grade; Cheyenne R. Gray, sixth grade.
- Ransom Middle: Jon W. Walker, eighth grade; Forrest R. Biddle, seventh grade.
- Northview High: Dakota W. Stuckey, 12th grade; Hillary K. Byrd, 11th grade.
- Tate High: Stephanie A. Evans, 12th grade; Eric D. Cook, 11th grade.
Pictured top: Hillary Byrd and Dakota Stuckey, Northview High School’s Students of the Month for January. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Escambia, Santa Rosa Declared Disaster Areas
January 31, 2010
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated Escambia (Fla.) and Santa Rosa counties as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by Tropical Storm Ida and associated heavy rains that occurred from November 9 through November 10, 2009.
“President Obama and I understand these conditions caused severe damage to the area and serious harm to farms in Florida and we want to help,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “This action will provide help to hundreds of farmers who suffered significant production losses to a wide variety of crops, including upland cotton, forage grasses, pecans, peanuts, and soybeans.”
Farmers and ranchers in Okaloosa County in Florida and Baldwin and Escambia in Alabama also qualify for natural disaster assistance because the counties are contiguous.
All qualified farm operators in the designated areas are eligible for low interest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.
USDA also has made other programs available to assist farmers and ranchers, including the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program (SURE), which was approved as part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008; the Emergency Conservation Program; Federal Crop Insurance; and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at disaster.fsa.usda.gov.
Pictured top: Wet cotton sags to the ground in a Walnut Hill field on November 10, 2009, as the rains ended from Tropical Storm Ida. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Ready, Set, Go: Bratt Church Holds Pinewood Derby
January 31, 2010
There was some small-scale, fast-paced racing action Saturday afternoon in Bratt as the First Baptist Church of Bratt held its “nearly annual” Pinewood Derby.
The cars begin with a block of pinewood that is cut and shaped into a car. Add wheels, paint, weights and other personal touches, and it’s a pinewood derby racer as long as it is under five ounces. During workshops on Wednesday nights in January, the participants sanded, weighed, painted and wheeled their cars.
The cars are 1:25 scale. Reaching about 8 mph on the short wood track equates to a full scale speed of about 200 mph.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the event, click here.
The First Baptist Church of Bratt “nearly annual” Pinewood Derby race winners were:
Mission Friends
- First (tie): Anna Lee, Luke Amerson “Luke Duke”
- Third (tie): Rachael Sanders “Princess Car”, Lizzie Amerson “Lizzie Dizzie”
Girls In Action
- First: Juliana LaBorde
- Second: Mary Sanders
- Third (tie): Annah Amerson “Hanna Montana”, Victoria Amerson “Dorothy’s Tornado”
Royal Ambassadors
- First: Zachary Holland “Black Hawk”
- Zachery Payne “Alexander the Great”
- Colby Morris “The Gator”
Youth/Adults
- First: Greg Wilson
- Second: Dawn Turner “Hildegard”
- Third: Pete Amerson “First Place”
- Fourth: Sidney Amerson “The Tank”
Grand Finals:
- First (tie): Anna Lee, Zachery Payne “Alexander the Great”
- Third: Zachary Holland “Black Hawk”
- Fourth (tie): Trace Presnall “Thunderbold18″, Juliana LaBorde “The Faithmobile”
Pictured top and bottom: Scenes from the Pinewood Derby at the First Baptist Church of Bratt Saturday afternoon. Pictured inset: Anna Lee was one of the grand champions in Saturday’s racing. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Tates Gets Dramatic OT Win Over Navarre
January 31, 2010
Tate 49 Navarre 48 (OT)
It was big shot from Kevin Brown with three seconds remaining that gave the Tate Aggies a 49-48 overtime win over the Navarre Raiders Saturday. The Aggies now have the top seed in the District 1-5A tournament coming up in a couple of weeks at Pine Forest.
The Aggies were up 13-8 at the end of the first quarter, but Navarre rallied on their home court to tie the contest 22-22 at the half. Tate took the lead at the end of the third, 12-7, but the Raiders tied it 44-44 at the end of regulation.
Walden led the Aggies with 15, and Brown added 14.
Tate — Petey Jones 3, Krys Walden 15, Kevin Brown 14, Dylan Anderson 10, Shermonne Jones 7.
Tate 13 8 9 12 7-49 Navarre 8 14 7 13-6
Faithful Pray For Century
January 31, 2010
Saturday evening in Century, community leaders, local pastors and church members gathered at Abundant Life Assembly of God for a community prayer service.
The prayer meeting focused on the future of Century and surrounding areas. The faithful prayed that God will move in a positive manner in the Century area, showing blessing and mercy upon area residents.
The service took place the Abundant Life Assembly of God.
Watch Out: New Traffic Light On Ten Mile Road
January 31, 2010
There’s a new traffic signal on Ten Mile Road at Ashton Brosnaham Drive. The new signal will “flash” through Tuesday, February 2. Beginning on Wednesday, February 3, the signal will be fully operational.
The installation of this signal will aid traffic going to and from McArthur Elementary, Escambia Westgate Center, R.C. Lipscomb Elementary and the Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex, according to Escambia officials.
Campers Rescued After Being Stranded A Week By Flooded Escambia River
January 30, 2010
Two campers cut off by a rising Escambia River near Molino were rescued Saturday morning — a week after they were stranded.
Eugene Beaudry said he and his girlfriend, Sue Lahti had been camping from their Chevrolet S10, stranded at the end of Cotton Lake Road for a week. When the Escambia River rises, the dirt road to the boat launch floods, preventing vehicular access.
“We had been stranded there for seven days. We planned to take off this morning, but she (the river) began to come up fast,” Beaudry said. “That steady rain last night really caused her to come up fast, and we got worried and decided to get help. That rain, she really come down steady last night.”
“We ran out of gas and most of our food last night,” he told NorthEscambia.com just after being rescued Saturday morning.
Beaudry and Lahti did not have a boat, just their Chevy, a small tent and their supplies. “We were prepared and had planned to stay awhile, but that rain, she changed that,” he said.
Members of the Molino and Cantonment stations of Escambia Fire Rescue used a couple of small boats to ferry Beaudry, Lahti and some of the their supplies back to the high and dry side of Cotton Lake Road about noon Saturday. As for the Chevrolet pickup — it will be stuck at the boat launch until the river eventually drops. Family members picked up the two campers, headed for a drier night — indoors.