Carver/Century Improves From an F to a B School
July 8, 2008
It’s official…Carver/Century K-8 School’s Florida School Score has improved dramatically, from an “F” to a “B” as NorthEscambia first reported Monday afternoon.
The Florida Department of Educations’ School Accountability Scores were not officially released until Tuesday morning. But Principal Jeff Garthwaite said he received a call Monday afternoon from the department.
“I am proud to say Carver-Century has gone from an ‘F’ to a ‘B’,” he said. “This school has been doing something right, and now we have proved it.”
“I’ve called key people on the staff, and I have called you,” Garthwaite told NorthEscambia.com Monday afternoon. “The reaction has been from ‘you’ve got to be kidding’ to out and out screams.”
“What we have been saying all along is that this school offers among the highest educational opportunities in the Escambia school system,” he said. “It was just a matter of putting the right practices into place, and we have just proved it.”
“I’m excited, and I am just tickled to death,” Century Mayor Freddie McCall said. “That shows that we have an administrator there now and teachers that can do the job. They busted their rumps to get that score up.”
Escambia School Superintendent Jim Paul has been expected to recommend closure of the school to save an estimated $680,000 per year and because of the school’s “F” rating. He was to have made that official recommendation on June 26, but the meeting was advertised as a workshop rather than an official meeting.
Paul had announced that we would not seek to close the school for the 2008-2009 school year, but a district spokesman indicated a few weeks ago that Paul would seek closure of the school for the 2009-2010 school year.
“The implications that this adds to closing the school, well, it just adds some excitement to that,” Garthwaite said.
During the course of the year, the school held an FCAT cash grab to motivate students, burned a symbolic wood “F” in a bonfire, held community meetings and even held a prayer service to turn the school’s future over to God.
For a complete story on all the area school scores released Tuesday morning, click here.
You can add your comments to this story at the bottom of this page.
Pictured above: During the past school year, Carver/Century even held a prayer service for the school where they turned the school’s future over to God. The school’s state grade has now soared from an “F” to a “B”. Pictured below: Principal Jeff Garthwaite with a symbolic “F” that the school faculty burned back in February. Pictured bottom: One of the sticky notes on the wood “F”. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Helicopter Technologies Building Might Be Sold; Town Considers Filing Emergency Foreclosure
July 8, 2008
The owner of Helicopter Technologies tells the mayor of Century the company’s building will be sold by Friday, and the town council has voted to file emergency foreclosure against the company in the event the sale does not take place.
“Helicopter Technologies is, from all indications, gone (from Century),” Mayor Freddie McCall told the town council Monday night. He said he received a call from an attorney in Pensacola indicating that a Pensacola company was buying the building and that the sale should be finalized by Friday.
The council approved the mayor’s request to file “emergency foreclosure if anything goes wrong with this deal”. The $420,000 mortgage on the building that Helicopter Technologies is selling in the Century Industrial Park is financed by the Town of Century.
McCall identified the potential buyer as “Shellco of Pensacola”. The Florida Department of State Division of Corporations does list a Shellco of Pensacola, Inc. on Fowler Avenue. That company was incorporated in 1997. The nature of the company’s business was not immediately known Monday night.
The mayor described the company as an investment company that is working on a deal with an electric car manufacturing company.
“Why are we allowing somebody else to buy the property,” Council member Henry Hawkins asked. “If we lease it, we have more control over what goes in and out.”
The building was sold to Georges Van Nevel and Helicopter Technologies in 2001. The mayor told Hawkins that if the town should foreclose on the property, the town would still not be getting the building back.
“If we foreclose we would not get the building back,” McCall responded. “We would be forcing an auction.”
It appears that many of the contents of the Helicopter Technologies building are also for sale. Listings on pensacola.craiglist.com that were posted Monday morning indicate that the company is having a “Office Equipment and Furniture Sale” and a “Huge Tool and Equipment Sale” this week. (Click the blue links to see the Craigslist listings.)
NorthEscambia.com was unable to reach Van Nevel Monday night for comment. The mayor said that Van Nevel was currently in France.
Pictured above: Georges Van Nevel inside the Helicopter Technologies building in Century’s Industrial Park. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Council Settles With Allied Waste To Stay Out Of Court; Agrees To Take Flomaton Sewage
July 8, 2008
The Town of Century will settle an overpayment issue with Allied Waste out of court, collecting half the amount the town says Allied owes.
Mayor Freddie McCall told the town council Monday night that Allied had been billing the town for 753 residential customers when the actual number of customers was 694.
The difference led to Allied billing $88,000 the town said it did not owe. McCall said he and the town’s attorney, Matt Dannheisser, sat down recently with Allied in an attempt to settle the issue out of court.
“They did not want to take responsibility for that (incorrect) house count,” McCall said. The two sides eventually agreed to split the difference, with Allied paying half the amount the town said they owed.
The council voted 5-0 to accept the $44,000 settlement from Allied.
“It’s better to accept that than lost everything,” Council member Nadine McCaw said.
In other business, the council voted 4-1 to enter into an agreement with the Town of Flomaton to provide sewer service to the state line for a new trailer park in Flomaton.
Mathis Trailer Park is planned for the north side of the street known as Alley 5, just feet north of the Alabama state line in Flomaton. Flomaton does not have sewer service available south of the railroad tracks near the state line. Under a proposal from Flomaton, that town would provide individual sewer connections for the five planned trailers on the lot, and they would run a line to the state line. At the state line, Flomaton’s sewer line would connect to a line from Century.
The sewage flow from Flomaton would be paid for by the Town of Flomaton, with Flomaton billing the trailer park owner. If the trailer park owner did not pay Flomaton, Flomaton would still pay Century for the sewage, Century Mayor Freddie McCall said. In addition, the Town of Century would receive a $1,000 connection fee for each of the five trailers, and $1,000 each for additional trailers added to the park in the future.
The proposal has already been approved by the Flomaton Town Council.
“I am against going across the state line,” Council member Anne Brooks said.
Brooks questioned why the mayor had spent $1,400 without the council’s approval to have the legal agreement prepared by Dannheisser.
“We spent $1,400 for this agreement,” Brooks said. “What if we voted against it? That would $1,400 thrown away.”
“I thought it was an administrative decision,” the mayor said. “And I stand to be corrected if I need to be.”
The council also discussed damage to Industrial Boulevard that was caused by a contractor cleaning up debris after Hurricane Ivan. The contractor had agreed, according to the mayor, to repair the road before leaving town. They did not, and now McCall’s calls and emails to the company are not being returned, he said.
The council voted 5-0 to turn the matter over to the town’s attorney.
Out Of Africa: The Story Of The Walnut Hill Zebra And His Missing Giraffe Friend
July 7, 2008
A zebra and black bear in the back of a pickup truck created a stir in Walnut Hill on Friday afternoon, with some people nearly running off the road and others snapping pictures on their cell phones.
The zebra and the black bear were simply moving from one home to their new one in the Walnut Hill community. A far cry from their first move…about 9,000 miles from South Africa to Walnut Hill.
The attention-getting duo were being moved on the Fourth of July (pictured left on South Highway 99) to the new home of Richard and Vickie Beck on Tungoil Road in Walnut Hill. The Becks recently built their new home after selling their farm in South Africa.
The home features a wide variety of mounted animals from South Africa…from the zebra, to wild hogs, to monkeys, to big cats, even to a map of Africa painted on a preserved elephant ear.
But the largest mounted trophy is yet to come…it is a 19 foot tall full body mount giraffe that Vickie shot. There have been some paperwork delays in getting the giraffe out of Africa.
“This entire house was built to hold the giraffe,” Richard told NorthEscambia.com.
Six years ago, the Becks bought a 3,500 acre farm near of Alexandria, South Africa, near the Indian Ocean coast. They lived there April to August for each of the past six years, offering hunting and photo safaris during the South African winter. (Remember, the seasons are opposite south of the equator, so April to August is their winter.)
They have owned a sod business in Walnut Hill for the past 19 years. They had originally purchased the property in South Africa with the intent of opening an orphanage, but they ran into problems with local officials that just “wanted to pad their pockets instead of helping the children”. So they quickly turned their interest to hunting.
“I was fortunate enough to have a wife that would follow me 9,000 miles around the world to hunt,” Richard said.
Their hunting safaris did end up helping children in South Africa after all, he said. The meat from the animals often went to feed needy children in the area. The meat of most of the 27 different species hunted on the farm was customarily consumed by the South Africans, including the zebra meet. “It tastes like prime rib,” Richard added.
After owning the farm for six years, the Becks decided to sell. And the time could not have been better.
With the sluggish U.S. economy, the sod business has reached a historic low because of less new construction. If the Becks had not sold the farm in South Africa, Richard said they would have been in danger of losing the entire sod farm.
“The Lord has blessed us. We’ve been very blessed,” he said. “I definitely want to give Him the glory for all of this.”
The profits from selling the farm in South Africa allowed the Becks to build their new Tungoil Road home, and has provided money to make the payments on the sod farm. They have also been able to furnish the home with a complete African theme. The home features African hand carved cabinet doors, and an elaborate hand carved dining room set (pictured left).
The only thing missing from their new home is the giraffe, and Richard said he hopes it will soon be in a 40 foot shipping container on its way to the United States. Once in the states, the giraffe will join the zebra at home in Walnut Hill.
And Richard promised that he will invite NorthEscambia.com back once the giraffe arrives, so our readers can see the rare site of a full body mount giraffe.
For a complete photo gallery from the Beck home, click here.
Pictured top: The Walnut Hill giraffe was moved into his new home on the Fourth of July. Pictured below: An African scene painted on an elephant’s ear cut in the shape of the continent. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
NorthEscambia.com Selected For Inclusion In Google News
July 7, 2008
Google has selected NorthEscambia.com for inclusion in its Google News service.
“Google News is a computer-generated news site that aggregates headlines from more than 4,500 English-language news sources worldwide, groups similar stories together and displays them according to each reader’s personalized interests,” according to Google.
In the North Escambia area, only the Pensacola News Journal, WKRG TV 5, the Mobile-Press Register and the Northwest Florida Daily News are included in Google News. The other area papers and television stations are not in the service. In order to be included in the news.google.com service, a site such as NorthEscambia.com must be selected by a human at Google as a quality news service.
While news.google.com has indexed only about 65 NorthEscambia.com stories so far, the site is expected to add a more complete index of our stories in the coming weeks. Once NorthEscambia.com adds a new story, it is available for users worldwide searching Google news within minutes. Our stories are also available to users of the regular google.com service, with about 1,000 NorthEscambia.com stories currently indexed by Google.
Century High Blackcat Class of 1948 Holds 60th Class Reunion
July 7, 2008
The Century High School Class of 1948 held their 60th reunion recently at the McDavid United Methodist Church.
Some of the class members present were Wilford Reid, Lillian Green, Elizabeth Armstrong, Doris C. Cooper, Lillie S. Entrekin, Jacqueline B. Freisinger, Christine S. Crockett, Earlene K. Hayles, James. E Kennedy, Frances H. Lee, Henry Ray, Jr., and W. Fred Petty.
Submitted photo by Junia Fischer.
Royal Pizza Destroyed By Fire Early Sunday Morning
July 6, 2008
Royal Pizza and Subs in Century was destroyed by fire early Sunday morning.
The fire was reported just before 3:30 Sunday morning. The first firemen on the scene moments later reported heavy smoke when they arrived. It took firefighters just over an hour to bring the fire under control.
The state fire marshal was called at 5:30 a.m. to the scene at 9441 North Century Boulevard, just south of the Alabama state line. Fire units were on the scene until 6:41 a.m.
The entire building suffered heavy smoke and water damage. The roof over the restaurant’s kitchen partially collapsed from the fire. Firemen used Century’s ladder truck to battle the blaze from over the rear of the building (pictured left).
The restaurant had been closed Friday and Saturday for the holiday weekend, according to a sign in front of the store.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. There were no injuries reported.
The Century Volunteer Fire Department, the Flomaton Fire Department, the McDavid Volunteer Fire Department, the Molino Volunteer Fire Department, Escambia County EMS, the Flomaton Police Department and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department all responded to the scene.
For a complete NorthEscambia.com photo gallery from the Royal Pizza fire, click here.
Pictured above: Firemen use Century’s ladder truck to fight a blaze at Royal Pizza and Subs early Sunday morning. Pictured below: Firemen enter the front of the building. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Recycling Gets Closer To Home In Molino, Oak Grove And Century
July 6, 2008
With the addition of a new recycling bin in Molino, there is now a recycling location in or near each of the larger communities in North Escambia.
The Escambia County Division of Solid Waste Management added a new drop-off site this week behind the Molino Volunteer Fire Department at 1459 Molino Road. There is also an recycling drop-off location at the Oak Grove Convenience Center on North Highway 99 in Oak Grove, and one was added in the parking lot of the Billy G. Ward Courthouse in Century about a month ago.
tems eligible for recycling are aluminum cans, steel cans, glass food and beverage containers go on one side of the container (you can mix the items). The other end of the container is for plastics, cardboard, junk mail, paper, magazines and newspapers. The recycling containers at the drop-off sites are checked daily, Monday-Saturday.
For more information on recycling in Escambia County, escambiarecycles.com
VBS This Week In Bogia
July 6, 2008
Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church in the Bogia community will have Vacation Bible School from 6:00 until 8:30 each evening this week.
This year’s theme will be Veggie Tales “Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything–Calling All Heroes”.
All kids ages 5-12 are welcome to join in with crafts, science lab, snacks, games, fun and learning from the Bible. There will be a special program for parents on Friday, July 11 at 7:00.
Children should arrive a bit early on Monday night to register.
Now Is The Time To Enroll in Livestock Compensation Program
July 6, 2008
The time is here for producers to enroll in the 2005-2007 Livestock Compensation Program.
Kevin L. Kelley, State director of U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Florida, reminds Florida livestock producers they have until July 18, 2008, to enroll in the 2005 – 2007 Livestock Compensation Program (LCP) and Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). Signup began on Sept. 10, 2007, for the two programs that provide aid to livestock producers who suffered eligible livestock or livestock feed losses between Jan. 1, 2005, and Dec. 31, 2007, because of a natural disaster.
“The deadline to enroll in the 2005 – 2007 Livestock Compensation Program and Livestock Indemnity Program is rapidly approaching,” said Kelley. “I encourage all eligible producers to enroll soon because sign-up ends on July 18, 2008.”
The LIP provides payments to eligible livestock owners and contract growers who incurred the death of livestock because of a natural disaster. LCP provides payments to eligible livestock owners and cash lessees who suffered feed losses or increased feed costs because of a natural disaster.
More information about LCP and LIP is available online at: http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov. For more information on FSA programs, visit your local USDA Service Center or the agency’s Web site, http://www.fsa.usda.gov.