Pensacola Delays Decision On Consolidation Vote Support
January 12, 2010
The City of Pensacola will not decide until January 25 if they support a vote on government consolidation in Escambia County — ten days after the final document is presented to the Northwest Florida Legislative delegation.
Councilwoman Diane Mack introduced a motion at a council committee meeting Monday afternoon to ask the Florida legislature to delay play a consolidation referendum on the ballot until at least 2012, similar to a move taken last week by the Escambia County Commission. Mayor Mike Wiggins introduced a substitute motion to delay any council action until January 25. The mayor’s motion passed 7-3
The Escambia County Consolidation Committee’s final proposal is due by this Friday, January 15, to the legislative delegation. As of Monday, the group had only produced a draft document and had not approved a final consolidation plan. The Pensacola council had the opportunity to review the draft document only hours prior to their Monday meeting.
“As a council, we have not really had time to discuss it,” Pensacola Deputy Mayor Jewel Cannada-Wynn said. “There are some inherent things I have concerns with.”
Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Bell, who heads the consolidation committee, Escambia Consolidation Study Committee member Rick Finch, and Escambia All For One leaders Jason Crawford and Scott Remington pushed for the Mayor’s requested delay.
At one point, Remington even scolded the council for not becoming more involved in the process, asking for a show of hands from council members that attended one of about 50 consolidation committee and subcommittee meetings. Mayor Wiggins refused to have the council comply.
Once the consolidation document is presented to the legislative delegation, Remington said, only the legislators could make changes. He told the council that if they were unhappy with the plan, they could lobby the legislators.
Last week, the Escambia County Commission voted to ask legislative delegation to delay putting consolidation on the ballot until at least 2012.
Pictured: Scott Remington of Escambia All for One lobbies the Pensacola City Council Monday afternoon.
Cold Weather Leaves 651 EREC Customers In The Dark
January 12, 2010
For three consecutive mornings, some Escambia River Electric Cooperative customers in north Escambia lost power.
Only a handful in the Walnut Hill area were without power Saturday morning for up to four hours. By Sunday and Monday mornings, EREC reported up to 651 customers without power, mostly in an area from Oak Grove to Walnut Hill and along South Highway 99 to Enon, Bay Springs to Crabtree Church Road to Barrineau Park.
“EREC takes necessary steps to make certain its power system is prepared for whatever weather may come our way. EREC ensures adequate energy for system peaks is available for high demand in cold weather snaps. However, ice and frigid temperatures can cause power outages for a variety of reasons,” said Sabrina Owens, EREC spokesperson. “For example, power lines contract in cold weather and can sometimes break resulting in a power outage. Temperature drops can cause an extraordinary load on equipment which can, in turn, result in equipment inefficiencies or failure. In addition, wind and ice on tree limbs can cause branches to break and hit power lines which will cause an interruption in power.”
EREC will immediately respond to any power outage on its system 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Owens said, adding that power crews will work non-stop to ensure any disruption in power is restored as quickly and efficiently as possible.
EREC offers the following safety tips to follow during extreme cold temperatures:
- Never touch a fallen power line, and assume all wires on the ground are electrically charged. Call EREC at 1-877-OUT-EREC or 1-877-688-3732 to report it immediately.
- In the event of an outage, use an alternate heating source—such as a fireplace, propane space heater, or wood stove. Extreme caution should be taken.
- Stay in an area of the home where the alternate heat source is located.
- Fuel- and wood-burning heating sources should be vented. Be sure to follow manufacturer’s directions.
- Make sure carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors are working properly.
- Do not use a gas-powered oven for heating. A gas oven may go out or burn inefficiently, leading to carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Do not use a gas or charcoal grill inside the home. Do not use charcoal briquettes in the fireplace.
- If you use a portable generator to power a heating source, be sure the generator is located outside your house for proper ventilation. Do not use a generator in an attached garage. Follow manufacturer’s directions for operating the generator.
- Take special care not to overload a generator. Use appropriately sized extension cords to carry the electric load. Make sure the cords have a grounded, three-pronged plug and are in good condition.
- Never run cords under rugs or carpets.
- Never connect generators to power lines. The reverse flow of electricity can electrocute an unsuspecting utility worker.
Gulf Power Sets Near Record Demand, Experiences Outages
January 12, 2010
A prolonged cold spell has placed near record demand on Gulf Power’s electric system as customers run heating systems overtime to stay warm.
Gulf Power customers’ energy demand reached 2,553 megawatts of power early Monday, which neared the company’s all-time peak demand of 2,634 megawatts set in August, 2007. Gulf Power has sufficient generation to meet the demand, but cold weather can cause equipment problems on the electrical system.
From Bay County to Escambia County, Gulf Power line crews responded in freezing temperatures to restore power outages Monday. A total of about 19,000 customers — less than one-half of one percent of Gulf Power’s total customers — were impacted by the outages.
“We work hard throughout the year, with additional preparation and planning to get us through this record demand,” said Sandy Sims, Gulf Power Public Affairs manager. “Our goal is to maintain our reliability even during these periods of high demand, and our employees work as safely and quickly as possible through the weather to serve our customers. We understand that in these drastic weather conditions, every outage is a potentially serious situation.”
In case of isolated outages, crews restore electricity systematically to ensure that the load stabilizes. Gulf Power recommends that customers follow these guidelines to speed restoration:
- If you lose power in your home, turn off the electric heating system. Heating systems in emergency heat mode can demand two to three times as much current as normal operations in heat pumps.
- Once power is restored, wait about 10 to 15 minutes before turning on your heating system, allowing the electricity load to stabilize.
- Do not connect portable generators to your household electrical wiring. This can cause serious injury to you and to Gulf Power employees who are restoring electricity. Instead, plug appliances into the generator. Never use a generator in enclosed or partially-enclosed spaces because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Peak demand is an indicator of how much electricity customers are demanding during any one-hour period. Gulf Power plans ahead by measuring demand in order to have sufficient generating capacity to meet the heaviest loads of the year.
High School Basketball: Northview, Tate, Escambia Academy
January 12, 2010
(Updated) Here’s a look at Monday’s high school basketball action from around the area:
Don’t see you team? Encourage your coach to email stats to news@northescambia.com after each game!
W.S. Neal 52 Northview 39
The Northview Chiefs lost at home to W.S. Neal Monday, 52-39. The Chiefs will be at home against the Jay Royals on Tuesday afternoon.
Tate 52, Navarre 31
Courtney Brown had 17 for the Aggies in their 52-31 win over Navarre Monday. Meghan Briske had 17 rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Tate — Courtney Brown 17, Chelsea Hall 10, Cecilia Olsen 9, Kat Tucker 5, Marinna Cobbs 4, Ashley Thompson 4, Meghan Briske 2, Avery Cobb 1.
Tate 4 17 14 17-52 Navarre 7 9 11 4-31
Escambia Academy 56 Sparta Academy 43
Darron McGhee and Keaton Maher scored 14 points each to lead the Escambia Academy Cougars to a 56-43 win over Sparta Academy in Evergreen. Nate Smith added 10 for the Cougars. Escambia Academy will be at home in Canoe against Atmore Christian on Tuesday afternoon.
Escambia Academy – Michael Hippa 5, James White 7, Nate Smith 10, Keaton Maher 14, Darron McGhee 14, Brandon Goddard 6.
Escambia Academy 31 Sparta Academy 28 (JV)
Escambia Academy — Jordan Sasser 11, Paul Arnold 10, Blake Quimby 2, Jacob Dean 6, Garrett Kirk 2.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
W.S. Neal 24 Northview 19
The Lady Northview Chiefs lost at home to W.S. Neal Monday, 24-19. The Lady Chiefs will be at home against the Jay Royals on Tuesday afternoon.
Sparta Academy 65 Escambia Academy 53
Amber Huskey led the Cougars with 26 points in their 65-53 loss to Sparta Academy Tuesday afternoon in Evergreen. Jordan Jaye added 16 points for the Cougars. Escambia Academy’s Lady Cougars will play again Friday against Meadowview.
Escambia — Amber Huskey 26, Jordan Jaye 14, Taylor Helton 8, Lacie Flowers 3, Carlie Broughton 2
Escambia 10 16 10 17-53 Sparta 20 19 20 6-65
More Winter Photos: Ice In A Pear Tree; Really Cold Ride
January 12, 2010
Our readers continue to have photo fun with our cold weather and sprinklers. Today’s photos feature a frozen bicycle and a frozen pear tree on Tumbling Lane outside Atmore. Submitted photos by Virginia Johns for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Do you have winter photos to share? Email them news@northescambia.com
Fire Departments Respond To Simultaneous Structure Fire Calls
January 11, 2010
Fire stations from across the area responded to simultaneous structure fire calls in Dogwood Park and Bratt Monday morning.
Neither call was an a serious fire.
The first call came in from Holly Park Lane about 5:19 a.m. from a resident that smelled smoke. There was no fire reported when the first units arrived on scene.
The second call was at 5:27 a.m. to the 5000 block of Still Road in Bratt for the smell of smoke. No fire was reported when firemen arrived.
Both incidents were possibly related to the smell of smoke from heating units.
The Molino, Walnut Hill, Century, and McDavid stations of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to both calls.
Cold Weather Sets Records
January 11, 2010
This morning marked the eighth day in a row that the minimum temperature fell below 32 degrees in Pensacola.
The record number of consecutive days at Pensacola that the minimum temperature fell below 32 degrees is 11 which was set back in January 1940. The previous second longest streak was seven days which occurred in January 2001, December 1963 and February 1958. Below freezing minimum temperatures are possible for the next couple of mornings which could further extend this record.
This morning will marked the ninth day in a row that the minimum temperature fell below 32 degrees in Mobile. The record number of consecutive days at Mobile that the minimum temperature fell below 32 degrees is 15 which was set back in February 1940.
The second longest streak stands at nine days which occurred previously in January 2001 and December 1901. Below freezing minimum temperatures are possible the next few mornings which could set a new second longest streak for consecutive minimum temperatures below 32 degrees.
County Wish List Includes $2.2 Million To Pave Three Dirt Roads
January 11, 2010
Escambia County’s $178.5 million legislative wish list includes $2.2 million to pave three North Escambia dirt roads.
The funds, if approved, would pave and improve drainage of Thompson Road, Crary Road and McNeal Road south of Byrneville Road.
“These roads have severe drainage and erosion problems with rising costs to maintain,” according to the county’s funding request. The paving project would help reduce pollution in the Pensacola Bay water system due to decrease runoff and sediment from the dirt roads.
Every year, counties in the state create their wish lists to the Florida Legislature — hoping for funding from the state for projects the county might not otherwise be able to afford.
The $2,203,078 project would include $994,279 for Thompson Road, $866,065 for Crary Road and $342,734 for McNeal Road. The project, according Escambia’s legislative request would directly and indirectly provide a total of 100 professional, labor and manufacturing jobs.
That 100 job total for paving three North Escambia dirt roads is based upon a mathematical formula, according to Sonya Daniel, Escambia County public information manager. Jobs impacted by such a project, Daniel said, include engineering, environmental, surveying, attorney’s, administrative staff, concrete and asphalt haulers, project managers and many more people involved with creating the whole project.
There is no guarantee that the legislature will approve funding for the project. Escambia County pays $60,000 a year to a Tallahassee lobbyist, Richard Gentry of Gentry and & Associates, to push for state funds for items on the wish list — which includes 21 projects in addition to paving the three North Escambia dirt roads.
NorthEscambia.com graphic, courtesy Google Maps.
Driver Charged With DUI After Driving Miles On Wrong Side Of Highway 29
January 11, 2010
A Cantonment man was arrested for DUI after driving for several miles through McDavid on the wrong side of Highway 29.
Adolph Warden Pitts, 61, of Neal Road, Cantonment, was arrested by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office late Saturday night and charged with driving under the influence and reckless driving. He was released from the Escambia County Jail Sunday on $750 bond.
Multiple 911 callers reported a white pickup truck traveling north in the southbound lanes of Highway 29 beginning about 11:33 Saturday night. Pitts reportedly continued north in the wrong lane past an Escambia County deputy that was headed south with his blue lights activated. The deputy was able to turn around behind the truck and get Pitts to stop near Cox Road.
Way Cool! Homemade Ice Slide
January 11, 2010
Lots of NorthEscambia.com readers have emailed us photos of their ice creations over the past several days. But we’ve got to admit, this ice slide in Molino looks like the most fun! The Woodfin family in Molino created this homemade ice slide in their backyard for Hadley, Sarah and Carley to enjoy. Submitted photos by R. Woodfin for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Do you have winter weather photos to share? Email them news@northescambia.com
