LHS EV Tells Century That Electric Car Plant, Jobs Could Go To Flomaton Or Florida’s Space Coast
October 21, 2008
The company behind a new electric vehicle manufacturing plant made it clear to Century leaders Monday night that locating the plant in Century is not a done deal, and they explained the vehicle concept and their plans in a little more depth.
County leaders passed a resolution last week supporting the plan, which could bring up to 1,100 jobs in five years, to be located in the Century Industrial Park. As NorthEscambia.com reported last week, the lack of a building in Century to house their plant has officials with LHS EV considering other locations.
“Unless it is fast tracked here, we are going to be in Space Coast, Florida,” Art Rocker (pictured left), executive vice president of LHS EV, told Century’s town council. “You are not the only ones in the running.”
“Century needs jobs,” Mayor Freddie McCall said. “Let’s get behind this program and make it work for the entire city of Century and the surrounding area.”
When asked by NorthEscambia.com what the town council need to do to fast track the project for Century, Rocker gave little information.
“The council needs to make a decision on a local resolution,” he said. “Other things I will talk to the mayor about tomorrow.”
Rocker did indicate that the company would be interested in acquiring the former Helicopter Technologies building the Century Industrial Park. That building is in foreclosure, with the town attempting to regain the building from Georges Van Nevel. McCall said Van Nevel is in the Philippines as has not returned the deed on the building to the town has he promised.
“If there was some way we could fast track the foreclosure of that other building, that would be a start,” Rocker said of the former Helicopter Technologies building.
Rocker said the company needs a building now in order to being filling over $1 million in orders for EV plugs…the electrical receptacles that will used to recharge the LHS EV car and other brands.
Other options being considered by LHS EV are a temporary location in the former Flomaton Wholesale building and a location in Fort Payne, Alabama. Rocker said the Flomaton Wholesale building would only be a temporary location, and that he felt Florida and Alabama officials could work together and both provide incentives to make that location work, much like Alabama and Florida worked together financially to widen Highway 113 in Alabama.
“It’s more like a partnership with the two areas working together,” Rocker said.
LHS EV officials were shown the former Alger-Sullivan Lumber Company complex in Century, but they said it would take too much time and money to restore it to a usable location for the company.
McCall said that in email exchanges, Van Nevel indicated that he wanted to deed the Helicopter Technologies building back to the town, “but he thinks we will sell it to someone that he’s already dealing with”.
McCall said Van Nevel was trying to sell the building to Jay and Nash Patel, the Pensacola hotel owners behind the electric car company LHS EV.
“There’s a lot of behind the scenes stuff I can discuss with you,” McCall told the council.
Council President Ann Brooks asked McCall to contact each council member and discuss the information individually with each. McCall expressed concern that such contact might violate Florida’s Sunshine Laws that call for open meetings, but Brooks told him that it would not.
“I can talk to you to a certain point and I will,” McCall said, not indicated if those conversations would occur individually with council members or at a public meeting.
Did You Ever Play In The Band At Northview, Century Or Ernest Ward?
October 21, 2008
If you ever played in the band at Northview, Ernest Ward or Century high schools, there’s a meeting for you tonight.
An Alumni Band has been formed to reunite at the Northview 2008 Homecoming game Friday night.
A meeting will be held in the Northview band room tonight at 6:30 to prepare for the game.
A color guard and majorettes are also needed. Anyone without instruments will be loaned one.
Contact homerandpunkin@yahoo.com for more information, or attend the meeting.
Relay For Life: Glamour Magic Photos
October 21, 2008
Ready, set, smile…the Relay for Life team at Byrneville Elementary School is selling Glamour Magic Photos to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
Certificates for the photo sessions are just $9.95 and include a free makeup and photo session. The deadline to purchase certificates has been extended. The date for the photo session will be announced.
For more information, contact the school at 256-6350.
Michelle Obama In Escambia Today
October 21, 2008
America’s potential First Lady, Michelle Obama, will be in Escambia County today at a rally open to the public.
She will speak at the “Early Vote for Change” rally at the Pensacola Civic Center. Doors open at 10:30, and the program begins at 11:45. Tickets are not needed.
Obama, the wife of Democratic presidetial candidate Barack Obama, will speak about the importance of early voting in this year’s presidential election.
The event is free. Tickets will not be distributed, but attendees are encoraged to RSVP by clicking here. An RSVP will not guarantee that you will get in; the event is first-come, first served. When vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin spoke two weeks ago at the civic center, hundreds were turned away when the building filled to capacity.
Century To Hold Public Hearing Tonight
October 20, 2008
The Town of Century will hold a public hearing during tonight’s regular council meeting. The following is a public notice concerning that meeting from the Town of Century:
AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF CENTURY, FLORIDA AMENDING PART II, OF THE TOWN OF CENTURY CODE OF ORDINANCES (2003), THE TOWN OF CENTURY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, AS AMENDED; ADDING THE PROPOSED PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES ELEMENT TO THE TOWN OF CENTURY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN; ADDING GOAL 1, OBJECTIVES 1-5, AND POLICIES 1.1-5.3; ADDING GOAL 2, OBJECTIVES 6-10, AND POLICIES 6.1-10.4 AND SCHOOL FACILITIES MAPS; ADDING
AND AMENDING POLICIES IN THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION ELEMENT OF THE TOWN OF CENTURY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN; ADDING AND AMENDING POLICIES IN THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS ELEMENT OF THE TOWN OF CENTURY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN THE CODE; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
The purpose of this hearing is to receive public comments regarding adding Chapter VIII(A) Public School Facilities Element to establish a concurrency management system through which the local governments can ensure public school capacity is available concurrent with development.
The hearing is open to the public. Interested parties may attend the Local Planning Agency meetings and be heard with respect to any proposed ordinance. The public is encouraged to communicate verbally or in writing concerning matters before the Planning Agency. A draft of the proposed ordinance is available for public review during normal working hours at Century Town Hall, 7995 North Century Boulevard, Century, Florida 32535 during normal working hours. Written comments may be sent to Dorothy Sims, Town Clerk, at Town of Century, P.O. Box 790, Century, FL 32535.
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing special accommodation to participate in the public hearing should contact Dorothy Sims, Town Clerk, at (850) 256-3208 at least seven days prior to the date of the hearing.
ECUA Taking Over Allied Waste Franchise; Curbside Recycling Coming In January
October 20, 2008
Beginning in January, trash service in North Escambia will be provided by the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority, and voluntary curbside recycling will be available at the same time.
ECUA’s citizen advisory panel, which includes each member of the ECUA board, gave its nod to the plan last week. The full board is expected to approve the plan at a Thursday meeting.
Beginning January 1, Allied Waste’s franchise in North Escambia county will be transferred to ECUA, and ECUA will give Allied commercial routes in the south end of the county, said Natalie Bowers, ECUA spokesperson. ECUA will add the option of curbside recycling to every home it serves in Escambia County, including rural North Escambia.
“There will be no more Allied Waste in North Escambia,” Bowers said. “And, best of all, the entire plan will cost less than customers are paying now.”
Allied currently bills North Escambia customers $58.83 per quarter, which is the equivalent of $19.61 per month. ECUA will charge $17.97 per month. Both companies add a fuel surcharge to their fees.
The ECUA pickup will be one per week, with customers that choose to recycle having two 90 gallon containers. Allied customer will keep their current blue can as their garbage containers, and those recycling will receive a new 90 gallon recycling container. Both the trash container and recyclable container will go out to the curb on the same day. There will be no charge for the recycling service or can.
Customers that do not believe a single 90 gallon waste container pickup per week is large enough can choose to have a second container for $5 per month.
“Recycling will not be mandatory,” Bowers added. She said both plastic and paper materials will go into the same container. Glass will not be accepted for recycling because the vendor purchasing ECUA’s recyclables for $30 per ton will not accept glass.
ECUA’s current 62,000 plus customers in the rest of the county will also go from twice a week pickup to once a week pickup with an option of the no-cost 90 gallon recycling container.
In Century, residential waste service will continue to be provided by Allied Waste under a contract with the town. The recycling service will not be available to Century residents. Century residents that wish to recycle can take their recyclable materials to a collection container located in the parking lot of the Century Courthouse.
Do you live in North Escambia and already recycle? If you do, NorthEscambia.com would like to talk to you for a future story. Email news@northescambia.com and let us know how to contact you.
Looking For A Bargain? Economy Shop Opens In Flomaton
October 20, 2008
If you are looking for a good bargain, a new store in Flomaton might just be the place for you.
The We Care Program quietly opened their latest Economy Shop in Flomaton last week, and they will have an official grand opening Wednesday.
The Economy Shop offers a wide variety of merchandise, from clothing for the entire family to housewares and furniture in their thrift shop.
“It’s good and clean merchandise at a good price,” store manager Diane Bennett said. “Everything we sell is from donations, but we go through everything to make sure it is clean and in good shape.”
We Care’s shop in Flomaton sells women’s pants, adult sweats, ladies blouses, purses and skirts for $2.69; kid’s pants and shirts for $1.69; ladies dresses for $4.89; ladies jeans for $3.69 and much more clothing at far less than regular retail. Their men’s clothing is at similarly reduced prices, and they even have a selection of camouflage clothing for hunting season. The store also sells a variety of household goods and furniture.
Proceeds from the store fund the We Care Program, a prison ministry program founded in 1970. The We Care Program spreads the Word of God in prisons, including Holman and Fountain in Atmore and the Century Correctional Institute.
The We Care Economy Shop in Flomaton is located on Highway 31 about a half mile from Highway 113 in a former hardware store building. Store hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The store accepts donations of good, clean clothing and household items for resale.
We Care operates two other Economy Shops in Atmore and Monroeville. The organization is headquartered in Atmore. Read more about the We Care Program by clicking here.
Pictured above and below: The We Care Program has opened their latest Economy Shop in Flomaton. NorthEscambia.com photos.
No School Today In Escambia
October 20, 2008
Students in North Escambia public schools will be out of school all day Monday. Teachers will be working Monday for a teacher planning day.
Some calendars sent home by the school district at the beginning of the school year incorrectly listed the day out of school as October 28. But the day out of school is today… Monday, October 20.
Students will return Tuesday morning, October 21.
Gulf Power Looking For Students To Create Interest In Energy Jobs
October 20, 2008
Gulf Power is looking to the workforce of the future to create interest in energy industry jobs.
Get into Energy Florida is a competition for high school students to create a marketing campaign to promote energy careers. The prize is an Apple iPod Touch for students on the winning team.
“We want to do two things: give students a real-world marketing campaign development opportunity and get a hip, young perspective on our energy careers,” explains Jennifer Grove, Gulf Power workforce development coordinator. “Students will be creating materials to reach out to their peers — other students — to get them excited about and interested in energy careers.”
Grove also is the industry chair of the Florida Energy Workforce Consortium (FEWC) of state utilities which is sponsoring the branding competition. This initiative is just one component of Gulf Power’ endeavors to design programs to meet projected workforce shortages, which include jobs such as power plant operators, plant and line maintenance technicians, and engineers.
Energy industry workforce needs are reaching critical levels because baby boomer employees are retiring in large numbers and there’s a smaller pool of workers who have the appropriate technical skills. Needs are particularly critical in the Southeast as energy demand in this region continues to rise. This region historically has served as the “breadbasket of craft labor” for the U.S.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has stated that the demand for entry-level employees in the utility industry is expected to grow by 9 percent each year, with 10,000 new jobs becoming available every year beginning in 2010.
Gulf Power is committed to putting science and math on a fun level with students while teaching the skills needed to join the workforce. For example, BEST Robotics (Boosting Engineering Science and Technology) is a national program in which middle and high school students build robots and compete to advance to a national showdown. Another program, I LOVE SCIENCE provides a one-hour, hands-on science projects each month in fifth grade classrooms.
Students must register for the Get Into Energy competition by November 1, and contest entries are due in December. For details and entry forms, visit the Florida Energy Workforce Consortium website at www.fewc.org.
A Series Of Unfortunate Events Leads To “Bumper Cars” At Tire Shop
October 19, 2008
A series of unfortunate events, much like a comedy scene in a low budget movie, led to four vehicles being damaged at a Pensacola tire store Saturday morning.
The following is from the Florida Highway Patrol’s report on an incident at Vannoy’s Tire on New Warrington Road in Pensacola Saturday morning:
The driver of vehicle 1, a mechanic, was in the process of troubleshooting an
Equipment defect when the accelerator stuck. Vehicle 1 entered the garage
Area and immediately collided with the lift vehicle 2 was on. This impact caused
Vehicle 2 to rotate counter-clockwise 90 degrees before it fell off the lift and
Landed on its right side. Vehicle 1 continued through the garage colliding next
With a tire machine and the lift of vehicle 3. The impact with the tire machine
Caused the tire machine to hit the wall and door guide of the building causing
Extensive damage to the building. Vehicle 3 rotated clockwise 45 degrees
Causing it to collide with vehicle 4 which was on the lift next to it. After this
Impact, vehicle 3 fell nose first off the lift and came to a final position of rest
With the rear end still up in the air hung up by the lift. Vehicle 4 sustained
Damage to the left front. All three lifts holding vehicles 2, 3 and 4 were
Damaged due to the rotation of each. Vehicles 2, 3 and 4 were unoccupied at the
Time of the collision. The owner of vehicle 4 is shown as having a possible
Injury which was caused by him running away from the building to avoid being
Ran over. All properties damaged will be covered by vannoys tire center
Liability coverage (nationwide). Damage to the propery is estimated at $40,000.00