Gulf Power Tops In Customer Satisfaction
July 22, 2008
Gulf Power Company and all other Southern Company utilities have been rated highest in customer satisfaction among all electric utilities in the nation by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI).
The ASCI is based on interviews with residential customers across a number of industries. Companies are ranked based on customer responses in six areas: perceived quality, expectations, perceived value, satisfaction, complaints and loyalty.
“Great customer satisfaction is part of our mission,” said John Hutchinson, Gulf Power’s general manager of Public Affairs, “and part of every employee’s focus. To be ranked number one in the nation by our customers is quite an honor and a recognition we very much appreciate.”
Southern Company scored 81 out of a possible 100, putting it on top of the electric utilities, and seven points above the industry average of 74.
“We thank our customers for this high ranking and our promise is that we will continue to look for innovative ways to raise our level of service and customer care,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson said having the lowest rates in the state among major utilities, responding quickly to power outages and the many energy management programs Gulf Power offers are part of the reasons for high customer satisfaction.
“Online payment options, free energy audits, surge protection options and our award-winning Good Cents Select program all give customers choices and opportunities to be more satisfied with their electric service,” he said. “But the bottom line is good old-fashioned customer service and our employees work hard at meeting customer needs.”
The ACSI is produced in partnership by the University of Michigan Business School, American Society for Quality (ASQ), and the international consulting firm, Claes Fornell International (CFI Group).
A Treasure Chest Of Sorts Donated To Local Museum
July 21, 2008
It’s more than some people can bear to go to the dentist and see the assortment of tools that a modern dentist uses. But a complete dentist kit in a box donated to a Century museum makes modern dentistry seem a bit more pleasant. It’s a treasure chest of dental history.
An antique dental kit was recently donated to the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society. The complete kit in a multiple compartment wooden box contains every imaginable dental item from the early 1900’s. Every item except pain killers.
There is what appears to be billing notes on a patient handwritten on the back of a box lid. Mrs. Clarence Johnson appears to have had charges of $8.00 and $5.50 for a total bill of $13.50. It looks like she paid $1.50 toward her bill, for a balance due of $12.00. (Click the photo to the left to enlarge.)
NorthEscambia.com was there as Don Sales from the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society explored the contents of the box for the first time.
Some of the items found were:
- X-IT “A Scientific Preparation having three specific functions: Kills germs in the mouth, stimulates circulation…promotes healing”
- Many bottles of fillers and enamels
- Several suture kits (that would be needles and thread for stitches)
- Many tools, including mirrors, picks and hooks
- An item that appears to be an atomizer or sprayer
- X-IT “for mouth and gum application…promotes healing”. It is labeled as “Not-injurious”
- A free sample metal container of Wilson’s Co-Re-Ga that “holds dental plates firmly and comfortably in the mouth”
- Dr. Trey’s Synthetic Porcelain from the L.D. Caulk Co.
- Kant-Leek syringes, patented July 13, 1926. “No unsanitary leather, felt or soft metal washers”
- Aseptic Absorbent Points “for drying pulp canals”
If you are squeamish and are cringing from the whole dental tool thing, this is the paragraph you’ll want to skip. The kit contain several drill bits…all powered by a foot pump and pulley system. A true variable speed drill for the teeth. There is also a large amount of cotton packing material, and a well worn spit cup.
There are dental appointment books from 1931 and 1932 with the kit, but there are no appointments entered, just a few nondescript notes.
The items were donated to the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society by Dr. Harvey Kelly of Jay. The museum plans to research and inventory the items prior to put them on display in their Century museum.
For more photos from the antique dental kit, click here.
Pictured top: An antique dental kit donated to the Alger-Sullivan Historical Society. Pictured above, small photo: Billing notes that showed Mrs. Clarence Johnson paid $1.50 toward her $13.50 bill. Pictured below: Dental drill bits that were powered by a foot pedal and pulley system. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Focus Group Looks For Input On Local Government
July 21, 2008
If you think you have ideas how to improve the way Escambia County does business, there’s a meeting for you Wednesday.
The Florida Benchmarking Consortium (FBC) needs citizens to give their opinions on local government service delivery and satisfaction at a focus group hosted by Escambia County. The event will be held at Escambia County Extensions Services, 3470 Stefani Road in Cantonment, Wednesday from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m.
Residents of Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties are invited to attend – especially those interested in performance measurement and active in local organizations such as advocacy groups and neighborhood associations. Service categories needing citizen input include: law enforcement, fire-rescue, code enforcement, road repair, storm water/drainage, parks and recreation, planning and growth management, and water. Seating is limited to 50 people. To register, call Marlene Dennis at (850) 595-4933.
The FBC is a group of Florida local governments that are collaborating on finding ways to make government more efficient. Information from the focus group will be shared with each FBC service category committee and ultimately help improve services. For more information on FBC, visit www.flbenchmark.org.
North Escambia Entries Place In Atmore Fiddler’s Convention
July 20, 2008
Two North Escambia entries walked away winners in the 29th Annual Atmore Fiddlers’ Convention Saturday.
Northview High music teacher Scott Slay placed second in the guitar category and third in the mandolin division. A total of nine people competed in the guitar category and eight entered in the mandolin divison.
The Highway 99 Bluegrass Band from the Walnut Hill area placed second in both the string band and vocal band categories.
In the guitar category, Slay took first place in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007.
In the mandolin category, Slay won third place in 2003, first place in 2005 and 2005, second place in 2006, and first place in 2007.
There were five entries in the vocal band category, three in dobro, five in banjo and 10 on the fiddle.
The event was sponsored by the Atmore Rotary Club, with proceeds going toward the club’s Academic All-Stars Program that honors high school students that maintain A and B averages during the school year. The awards are presented to students from Northview High School, Escambia County (AL) High School, Escambia Academy and Atmore Christian School. Last year, 36 Northview students were honored.
For more photos and a winner’s list from the Atmore Fiddlers’ Convention, see the Wednesday edition of the Atmore News or AtmoreNews.com.
Pictured above: Northview teacher Scott Slay on the mandolin Saturday at the Atmore Fiddlers’ Convention. Pictured below: Scott Slay on the guitar. Pictured bottom: Scott Slay poses wiht his father Tracy Slay. Photos courtesy the Atmore News, click to enlarge.
Congress Needs To Act To Lower Our Energy Costs
July 20, 2008
By Congressman Jeff Miller for NorthEscambia.com
Turn on the TV or open any newspaper and you are immediately bombarded with news of high gas prices and dozens of theories of who is to blame. Oil companies, commodities traders, OPEC, Dick Cheney, and SUV’s are all among the favorite targets.
But the fact is Congress has done nothing to relieve any of the pressure on working Americans by failing to come up with meaningful solution to the energy crunch. Instead, politicians and bureaucrats would rather point fingers and try to maneuver for a political advantage in an election year.
Earlier this year, Speaker Pelosi famously said “Democrats have a commonsense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices;” however, since the Democrats took over the Congress, gas prices increased from $2.29 to $4.10. Congressional Democrats have fought efforts to open up new domestic areas to drilling and they have refused to allow new oil refineries to be built in the U.S. for the last quarter century.
Deep down, many Democrats in Washington seem to think that high gas prices will be blamed on President Bush. The higher gas prices are in November, the more blame will be placed on Bush, and the more likely Barack Obama is to become our 44th president.
Republicans for their part have been equally bad on energy issues. For the twelve years they controlled the House of Representatives, Republicans ignored the need for fuel diversity and neglected to ensure energy independence by investing in alternative fuel technologies. Republicans did not push hard enough to open ANWR and other U.S. properties known to contain petroleum reserves. Some Republicans are even naïve enough to believe that Speaker Pelosi and Congressional Democrats will suffer the brunt of the blame come November.
The truth is when energy prices are used as a political football, no solutions will be found and nobody wins — especially working American families who will continue to bear the burden of spiking fuel costs.
I call on my colleagues in both parties to drop the partisan bickering and political posturing and do what is right for all Americans. I submit we should pass the following measures as part of a comprehensive energy package that will actually lower fuel costs.
- We need to increase DOMESTIC production of oil and natural gas now. This is a national security risk as well as a flawed energy policy. I support drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). We also need to immediately open up leases for oil and gas exploration in areas of the Gulf of Mexico that do not interfere with the mission of the military.
- I believe the next step towards lowering consumer gas prices is for the U.S. to invest in new oil refineries. In 1982, there were 324 oil refineries around the U.S. and today there are only 132. Because of this cumbersome permitting process and high capital investment we have not invested in new refinery construction since 1976. It is simple supply and demand economics and our ability to refine petroleum has not kept up with our demands. We need new oil refineries now.
- We need to invest in proven alternative technologies, like biodiesel, by creating additional tax incentives to facilities that produce non-petroleum-based fuel.
- We need to invest in long-term energy alternatives including but not limited to solar, wind, hydrogen, geothermal, nuclear, and hydroelectric technologies.
The time has come for Congress to drop the partisan games and to develop a comprehensive national energy policy that recognizes the importance of petroleum while at the same time attempts to balance and stabilize other sources of energy. We must also continue to explore ways to reduce demand through new energy efficiency technologies and alternative fuels.
I’m Jeff Miller and that’s what I think, what do you think? Email me through my website at www.house.gov/jeffmiller
Community Market Day In The Park Held In Century; Another One Soon
July 20, 2008
A Community Market Day was held Saturday morning at Century’s Roadside Park on North Century Boulevard.
Vendors sold a variety of items, including fresh produce, arts, crafts, snow cones and more. There was also local entertainment.
Another Community Market Day will be held on Saturday, August 2 beginning at 7:00 a.m., according to Laura Nelson from the Century Blue Ribbon Committee, which organized the envent.
The Blue Ribbon Committee is also sponsoring a free movie night each Friday evening at 6:30 at New Life Baptist Church. This Friday night’s movie will be “A Walk to Remember”.
The committee has also organized a community meeting on the future of Carver/Century K-8 School. That meeting will be at 6:30 at the school on Thursday evening.
Pictured: Some of the fresh produce available at Century’s Community Market Day Saturday morning. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Local Horse Rescue Group Needs Help To Survive
July 19, 2008
A group based in the Molino area that has spent three years helping horses in Escambia County is now in need of a little help. Panhandle Equine Rescue has investigated cases involving 466 horses and rescued 54 horses since 2005.
And now the group is asking for your financial help to keep serving the community. Along with their ordinary operation expenses, PER is facing huge medical bills for a horse named Raven. In less than 10 days, her medical bills have hit $1,200, and she will spending 30 days on an expensive medication.
(article continues below photos)
Raven and her colt Racer were rescued April 11 from Highway 168 near Century. The horses were reported to be running freely around the area on at least two occasions, and they were not being properly fed, according to PER. Their owner voluntarily surrendered them to PER. The photos above left shows their living conditions in January, and the photo on the right shows Raven in early December. Click the photos to enlarge (some readers may find the enlarged photos disturbing).
The following was submitted by Diane Lowery, president of PER:
Panhandle Equine Rescue is in desperate need of donations to help pay the vet bills on a rescued Arabian mare.
Raven, along with her colt, Racer, were rescued in April. Both were adopted out, but Raven was returned to us because of her health issues.
Since July 8th, her expenses have added up to almost $1,200.00. She had to be admitted into the vet clinic again for the second time Thursday night due to regular bouts of colic. She has been diagnosed with “Grade 2 Ulcers” and experiences pain on a daily basis.
She has been started on an oral paste that must be given daily. One tube costs $33.00. She must receive this medicine for 28 days.
Panhandle Equine Rescue has a total of 17 horses in foster care and very little in donations has been coming in. We’re planning some fund raisers to try to compensate for our losses, but it may be too late.
We are really frustrated at this point, because we know that our services are needed in this county. We rely solely on donations. We do not receive county or state funding, nor have we received any federal grants. In 2005, three of us were approved by a judge to do equine investigations in Escambia County and since then, we have worked 111 cases involving 466 horses. We have rescued 54 horses.
In addition, we are in great need of foster homes. We are at full capacity and cannot take in any more rescues until we have more space and can raise the funds to support them.
If anyone would like to sponsor Raven to help get her through this horrible ordeal in her life, we would appreciate it.
A monthly sponsor receives a picture and a quarterly update or you can be a one time sponsor. To read about her rescue, go to www.panhandleequinerescue.org
Donations can be sent to PER, P.O. Box 777, Cantonment, FL 32533
Submitted by PER President Diane Lowery
Commissioner Almost Loses His Cool With County Fire Chief At Meeting
July 18, 2008
The process of consolidating the county’s volunteer and paid firefighters is continuing, but not without contention between one commissioner and the county’s fire chief.
Escambia County Fire Chief Ken Perkins (pictured left) was giving his monthly report to commissioners on the consolidation process when District 5 Commissioner Kevin White asked about a rumor.
“We have indentified and are going to be reducing some of our excessive resources, mainly in our rolling stock and fleet,” Perkins said. “Reducing our staff vehicles by approximately 30 percent. Also taking some of our older apparatus out of service and pulling some of the others back into a reserve status which will hopefully save us on maintenance cost.”
“Is there any truth to the rumor that it’s going to be two (staff vehicles) per station?” District 5 Commissioner Kevin White asked.
“Two per station.” Perkins responded.
“In every station?” White asked.
“Every station,” Perkins replied.
“I’ll talk to y’all later. I’ve got to go. I’m going to get ticked here in a minute,” White said. “Completely different from what we talked about that day in my office because some stations it wasn’t a one size fit all plan.”
“Correct,” Perkins said.
“But you are going to do it across the board?” White asked.
“That is the starting point. Two at this point. And that could be cut even more as we move along,” Perkins said.
“I’m done,” White (pictured left) said. “I don’t think I could go any farther without losing my cool.”
Other changes moving toward the consolidation identified by Perkins included centralizing vehicle and apparatus maintenance programs, processes for disciplinary action and termination of volunteer firefighters, standardized communications methods, personnel evaluations, standardized record keeping through firehouse software, a new way of doing annual department budgets and standardized mutual aid agreements.
Volunteers will also processed through the county’s human resources department, including background checks, driving records checks and physicals.
“At this point I feel very, very confident we may end up bringing a total package to you earlier than September if we continue at this pace, Perkins said.
School District Rejects County Offer To Purchase Old Molino School, County To Make Another Offer
July 18, 2008
Escambia County’s $2 million offer to purchase the old Molino Elementary School and the old Wedgewood Middle School property in Pensacola was shot down by the school district.
County Administrator Bob McLaughlin told commissioners Thursday that he met with School Superintendent Jim Paul Monday afternoon to formally make the $2 million offer to acquire the two properties.
“With some discussion, Mr. Paul made a counter offer of $3.3 million for the pieces of property,” McLaughlin said.
The $3.3 million was broken down as $2.9 million for the Wedgewood property and $400,000 for the old Molino School property.
McLaughlin said he did not have a current appraisal on the Wedgewood property, so the commission granted him permission to obtain that appraisal so he could return to Paul’s office with another offer.
“Mr. Paul is trying to sell the surplus properties that he has to try to build a high school somewhere on the westside,” said McLaughlin.
The school board’s appraisal of the Molino property is $400,000 to $600,000, and $3.3 million on the Wedgewood property.
“If there’s (county owned) properties somewhere near where he would like to build the new school on the west side, then we may have additional leverage,” McLaughlin. “But he was not able to give a specific location or a general area that I could take a look at and see what we had available.”
Last month, the commission was set to discuss the purchase the old Wedgewood Middle property for a one-stop county facility. The Escambia County School Board’s asking price for the property located off Highway 29 north of W Street was $4 million.The commission decided to offer $2 million for that property and the old Molino Elementary on Highway 95A in Molino. The school board’s asking price for the Molino property was $400,000.
Plans call for the old Molino school to become a community hub, possibly including a 5,000 square foot library, a museum highlighting Molino history, a small health clinic, a business incubator, renovation of the gym and one additional building for community events and private party rental along with other uses.
The Molino school closed in 2003 when the new Molino Park Elementary School consolidated Molino Elementary and Barrineau Park Elementary.
The school, which sits on nine acres along County Road 95A, first opened in 1939.
Natural Gas Fire Rages Near Atmore Grocery Store
July 18, 2008
Flames shot several feet into the air near Winn Dixie in Atmore early Thursday afternoon as a natural gas fire burned from a hole in the street.
A contractor actually went into the hole with the fire to turn a shutoff valve and extinguish the fire.
For the complete story and a photo gallery, visit AtmoreNews.com.
Photo courtesy Atmore News.