Council Moves Forward With Projects, Discusses $1.4 Million Check

May 6, 2008

The Town of Century will move forward with the installation of a pressure tank at the Century Correctional Institute to allow the shutdown, cleaning and maintenance of a water tower that serves the prison.

That was just one of the items that Dale Long of Fabre Engineering presented to the council Monday night. He also informed the council that bids had been opened on a half million project to install generators at sewage lift stations around the town. The grant money will be used to purchase 17 generators and one transfer switch for $405,198. Another $88,000 went toward administrative and engineering fees, and the remaining $6,000 plus would go toward any cost overruns. The generator bid was awarded to North Florida Construction Company.

Long also told the council that his firm would work with the city for $3,900 to draw up the permitting and design documents for a Highway 29 beautification grant that was awarded to the town. The money will come from $10,000 the town had in its annual budget for beautification.

In other business, the council approved paying its monthly bills, except those to Allied Waste.

“They are still not right,” Town Clerk Dorothy Sims told the council. She said the town was still being charged for business customers that Allied is to bill directly, and she said the town was charged $7,000 for a roll away cart in an obvious error.

“The bottom line is that we are not paying until they get it right,” Mayor Freddie McCall said.

McCall announced a $1.4 million check presentation to the town later this month. The check will simply be symbolic of funds the town is considering borrowing from the Rural Development Program for projects around the town, including water main improvements and a 300,000 gallon elevated water tank to improve water pressure.

Council member Henry Hawkins questioned why the check presentation was being done prior to the council’s approval to borrow the money.

McCall said the check was simply a “publicity stunt” by the state and that the town was not signing anything nor agreeing to anything by receiving the non-negotiable super-sized check.

“I”ve got a hard time swallowing this $1.4 million for future generations to pay off,” Hawkins said. “Why would we go through this ceremony, to lead to people on?”

“We are fixing to play with fire,” he added.

“I can assure you that it was fully discussed,” the mayor said, adding that Rural Development was fully aware that the city was not agreeing to borrow the money at this time.

The projects will actually cost the town $1.7 million, but they hope to use $300,000 in back gas billing from the Century Correctional Institute to buy down the loan.

The prison system is fighting paying interest on the past due amounts that resulted from billing errors, but McCall said he hoped to reach an agreement with them soon.

“Gas money needs to go in the gas department,” Hawkins said.

“We are pretty much sitting on a time bomb out here,” he said, referring to aging gas lines along Highway 29 that are in need of replacement or repair.

Accepting the symbolic check is the right thing to do, even without agreeing to go ahead and borrow the money, council member Nadine McCaw said, adding that it was seven to eight years after a similar event before the town moved forward on constructing the new Campfire daycare center.

The council took no action on the check presentation, so it is still scheduled to occur.

In other business;

  • McCall reported that Helicopter Technologies made their April payment to the city, and that he is paying as agreed for his building lease in the Century Industrial Park. The May payment on the building is not due until May 13.
  • Hawkins reported that the town needs mission, vision and policies and procedures statements. He stated that he had worked on these items for a previous council and would present them on May 19.
  • McCaw requested that the state be contacted about Highway 29 sinking over drainage pipes, particularly in the area of the Sandwich Deli.

The council also discussed the need for as many Century residents as possible to attend school board meetings and workshops in support of keeping Carver/Century K-8 School open. The council was informed that they could obtain the date and time of the next school board workshop by visiting NorthEscambia.com’s events page. That next meeting is 4:30 Wednesday afternoon in Pensacola.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News