Killam Road Accident Injures One
December 16, 2008
One person was injured in a rollover accident on Killam Road Tuesday morning.
The accident happened near the intersection of Killam Road and Gilmore Road about 11 a.m.
The person’s injuries were not believed to be life threatening.
The Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded to the call. The accident is under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.
Byrneville Elementary Presents ‘Jingle All the Way’
December 16, 2008
Byrneville Elementary School’s kindergarten through second grade classes presented their Christmas program Monday night at Northview High School.
“Jingle All the Way” was directed by Elaine Holk.
The third through fifth grade classes will presented their Christmas play Tuesday night at Northview.
Pictured above and below: Byrneville Elementary kindergarten, first and second graders presented “Jingle All the Way” Monday night at Northview High School. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com.
ECUA Finalizes North Escambia Service; In January Your New Trash Day Will Be Tuesday
December 16, 2008
If you have trash service at your home in North Escambia, your new trash pickup day come January will be Tuesday.
The Emerald Coast Utilities Authority has announced final plans and pickup days for their new residential waste and curbside recycling program to be implemented on January All Allied Waste customers in North Escambia, except those in the Town of Century, will become ECUA customers. Pickup day for all customers north of Kingsfield Road will be Tuesday.
ECUA customers in North Escambia will receive the same services offered to current ECUA residential customers, including yard waste pickup and free once-per-month bulky waste pickup services.
One a week curbside recycling will be available to every ECUA sanitation customer on a voluntary basis at no additional charge. To participate in the recycling program, call ECUA at 476-0480. The recycling can will also be picked up on Tuesdays.
The rate for ECUA service will be $17.99 per month, a reduction from $19.62 charged by Allied Waste. A small fuel charge will be added to the base rate. ECUA will offer a seniors rate of $15.08 to households in which the ECUA account is in the name of a resident who is 65 years old or older. To receive this reduced rate, one must accept use of a 60-gallon can rather than the standard 90-gallon can, and the customer must contact the ECUA Customer Service Department at 476-0480, to request the Seniors rate. A “lifeline” rate will be offered at $8.57 per month for very low income customers.
“After ECUA expands its garbage-collection service into the Allied area after January 1, ECUA will have only one garbage-collection program with only one level of service and one monthly price in its entire service area,” ECUA District 5 Representative Larry Walker said. “All of these program features will be uniform throughout the entire ECUA service area to all 73,000 customer households.”
Northview High Names Blackburn As Teacher Of The Year
December 16, 2008
Northview High School has named Sascha Blackburn as Teacher of the Year.
Blackburn teaches 9th grade English and television production. She has a Bachelor’s degree in telecommunications from the University of West Florida and also has a Leadership Communication Certification.
Blackburn is in her third year of teaching at Northview. She is a 2001 Northview graduate.
The Northview Teacher of the Year recipient is selected by the Northview teachers.
Pictured above: Northview High School Teacher of the Year Sascha Blackburn talks with student Eric Ickeringill. Submitted photo.
New High School Football Districts Finalized; Northview Joins Jay In 1A
December 16, 2008
The FHSAA announced new football classifications Monday, with Northview and Jay remaining in the same classifications.
Due to declining enrollment, Pensacola’s Catholic High School dropped into Northview’s District 1-2B. Besides Catholic, it will be another season of long road trips for Northview’s away district games. Other teams in District 1-2B of the Florida High School Athletic Association include Bozeman (Southport), Chipley, Marianna, South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach) and Walton (Defuniak Springs).
Class 2B includes schools with 522 to 1014 students. Northview had 544 students during the October week used by the FHSAA to determine the new classifications.
Jay remains in District 1-1A with Baker, Freeport, Holmes County (Bonifay), Sneads and Vernon. Class 1A is Florida’s smallest, with schools with 258 or less students.
Football fans in Pensacola will likely see a few more rivalries develop under the new classifications. District 1-4A will include Crestview, Escambia, Milton, Pace, Pine Forest and Tate. Class 4A includes schools with 1,740 to 2,014 students.
The FHSAA staff prepared an eight-district plan for Classifications 6A through 3A as passed by the Board of Directors in November. But an FHSAA release said there was extensive travel within this plan so the FHSAA staff made a unanimous decision to change to the new 16-district format. If the eight district plan had been approved, several districts would have teams making multiple trips in a single football season from Jacksonville to Pensacola or Niceville.
Schools will have until noon on January 9, 2009, to submit written requests for reassignment to a different classification and/or district if they believe the change is warranted. Schools have the option of playing in its assigned classification or one classification higher. Schools in the lower 10% of the population breakdown of each classification have the option of playing down one classification if it is deemed more suitable for district travel reasons.
The final football district assignments will be made on January 16 of next year.
FHP Plans Checkpoint On Highway 97
December 16, 2008
The Florida Highway Patrol will be conducting drivers license and vehicle safety checkpoints this week in North Escambia.
According to the FHP, a checkpoint will take place this week on Highway 97 somewhere between Highway 29 and the Alabama state line. The FHP says troopers will concentrate on vehicles being operated with defects such as bad brakes, worn tires and defective lighting. Troopers will also be looking for drivers in violation of the state’s drivers license laws.
Additional checkpoints will be held at various locations in the Pensacola area this week:
- Massachusetts Avenue west of Hollywood Blvd.
- Johnson Avenue east of Davis Highway
- Tonawanda Drive east of 61st Avenue
- Border Street at SR10A overpass
- Avery Street west of “W” Street
- Hancock Road east of Old Palafox Highway
- Pipeline Road south of Rambler Drive
- Jernigan Road south of 9 Mile Road
- Patricia Drive north of Fairfield Drive
- Guidy Lane north of Nine Mile Road
Gulf Power Elves Give Santa A Hand
December 16, 2008
Gulf Power “elves” have been busy shopping for toys to help Santa Claus out this year. Employees have gathered more than $39,200 in toys and clothes to go to Communities Caring at Christmas campaign.
Throughout the year Gulf Power employees held bake sales, car washes and many other fund-raisers, including golf tournaments to raise money.
“We know this year Christmas may be difficult for many of our citizens so Communities Caring at Christmas is especially important right now,” Sandy Sims, Gulf Power’s manager of Public Affairs said. “Gulf Power employees have always tried to be good citizens and help others and this year is no different.”
In North Escambia, Gulf Power serves the Century and Molino areas.
This is the 13th year Gulf Power and its employees have participated in Communities Caring at Christmas. During that time employees have raised more than $350,000 for needy children at Christmas. The company was one of the first major supporters of the program, which is sponsored by WEAR-TV and Sandy Sansing Automobile Dealerships.
Fire Departments Respond To Century Woods Apartments
December 15, 2008
Area fire departments were dispatched to Century Woods Apartments on West Highway 4 Monday morning.
Escambia County EMS arrived on the scene first and reported light smoke showing from a cooking-related fire on the stove. The fire was quickly extinguished with no major damage.
The Century, McDavid and Molino stations of Escambia Fire Rescue were dispatched to the fire, along with the Flomaton Fire Department. All departments except Century were quickly canceled.
Another Victory In Local Man’s Crusade To Prevent More Deaths
December 15, 2008
A local man took on the Florida Department of Transportation and won…caution lights are up and the speed limit as lowered at Highway 29 and Byrneville Road. And now, Escambia County has done their part to improved safety at the intersection with the addition of a caution light on Byrneville Road.
Leroy White (left) lost his granddaughter on Thanksgiving day 2005 at the intersection of Byrneville Road/Bluff Springs Road and Highway 29. It’s a tragedy that he says could have been prevented with a traffic signal, and he went on a mission to have the Florida Department of Transportation make some changes.
He was first told “no” by the Florida DOT, and they even denied his public records request for accident data on the intersection.
His crusade include a petition with 450 signatures requesting improvements at the intersection and an August 15 article on NorthEscambia.com.
Tommie Speights, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Transportation, said that petition and the news coverage on NorthEscambia.com led the DOT to study the intersection.
Flashing yellow lights have been installed on “intersection ahead” signs both north and southbound as Highway 29 approaches the intersection (pictured left). The Highway 29 speed limit near the intersection was lowered from 65 to 55 mph, Speights said.
And recently, Escambia County installed a flashing caution light warning of the upcoming intersection on Byrneville Road. Brush along the county right of way was also trimmed to make the stop sign more visible.
“Everything we asked for is pretty much done,” White said. “They’ve done pretty much everything we asked for. We just want to thank everybody that had a part in this.”
“Hopefully it will do some good,” White told NorthEscambia.com. “There’s been too many wrecks there. I’m glad they are finally doing something about it.”
Callista LeEtta White died November 27, 2003, at the intersection. She was returning to Pensacola after spending time on Thanksgiving with her family. It was raining, and she approached Highway 29 too fast, apparently not realizing that she was near the intersection. She missed the stop sign and hydroplaned into the path of of a tractor trailer truck on Highway 29 about 7:35 p.m. The 2003 Northview High School graduate died a short time later at West Florida Hospital.
The most recent fatality at the intersection was on June 23 when Carolyn Hightower, 60, of Pensacola died as a result of injuries she sustained in a two vehicle accident there. Her husband, Richard Hightower, 63, was seriously injured in the crash. The Florida Highway Patrol said that Floyd D. Calloway, 65, pulled into the intersection from Bluff Springs into the path of the Hightower’s SUV.
“I just didn’t want to see it happen to another family,” White said.
Pictured top: Escambia County recently installed this flashing light and sign on Byrneville Road to warn drivers that they are approaching the Highway 29 intersection. Pictured middle: The new caution light on Highway 29 looking south toward Byrneville Road.. Pictured below: The accident at the intersection that claimed the life of a Pensacola woman on June 23. NorthEscambia.com photos.
Early Retirements Cost Escambia County $2.6 Million
December 15, 2008
Escambia County has spent over $2.6 million on a early retirement buyout program implemented earlier this year to trim the county payroll, with six employees receiving payments in the six digits.
The early retirement plan provided a financial incentive to take an early retirement for employees that were at least 50 years old or had at least 30 years of qualified service (25 years for high risk employees). The early retirements were offered by the county commission in an effort to trim $12 million from the county budget.
Former EMA Director Janice Kilgore’s early retirement was the county’s most expensive, with a $229,789.63 total cost include fringe benefits. The total early retirement cost for Donald Mayo, former director of building inspections, was $220,604.87. Other six figure early retirement buyouts included: Larry Overton, road and bridges director: $177,862.50; Robert Jacobson, director of information resources, $144,276.32; Duane Chase, director of roads and bridges, $141,840,62; and Charles Walker, chief of code enforcement $113, 240.00.
A total of 37 employees took the early retirement buyout. The lowest dollar payout was $13,127.35 to William Miskiewicz, a plans examiner.
The total cost to the county included $2,368,649 in salaries. That amount included $1,647,768 in retirement incentives, $60,133 in severance pay, $258,838 in annual leave pay, $325,221 in sick leave/paid time off pay, and $76,689 in MOB leave.
Fringe benefits cost $301,696. That amount included $135,294 in FICA tax, $31,258 in retirement costs, and $135,145 in insurance.