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Old Molino School Could Become North Escambia ECAT Hub
June 16, 2009
The old Molino Elementary School could one day become a major hub for ECAT buses serving North Escambia from Walnut Hill to Century to Molino and Cantonment.
Escambia County recently purchased the old school for a library and community center. Marilyn Wesley, director of Neighborhoods and Community Services, said Monday night that the building on Highway 95A could be used a central transfer station for the Escambia County Area Transit system.
Wesley said ECAT would use the school as a “hub” for ECAT, and branch out in a circle providing routes to and from nearby communities. It would be a central “Park and Ride” facility, encouraging residents to leave their cars and take the bus to work or on errands. Riders would also be able to transfer to other buses and other routes, much like the bus station in Pensacola.
“It will benefit the entire county as a whole,” Wesley said of the Molino center. “We are also looking at improving service in the north end.”
She said, for example, ECAT could add a bus that loops Highway 97, Highway 4 and Highway 164. That route would serve locations such as Walnut Hill, Bratt and McDavid.
Wesley unveiled the potential ECAT plans for the old Molino Elementary as she pitched a 3-cent gas tax increase to the Century Town Council Monday night. The Escambia County Commission will consider the tax at their Thursday night meeting.
Comments
16 Responses to “Old Molino School Could Become North Escambia ECAT Hub”
I am so glad to see that this wonderful old School that holds so many fond memories for so many of us is going to be put to good use at last. My Mother went to Molino as did I and two of my children also. I will agree with bama54, I am sure their are a lot of people in the Molino area that would love to help anyway they can. This used to be a place where you knew your neighbors. Now there are so many new people and everyone is so busy you don’t have time to get to know anyone. Having somewhere in the community that family’s can come together and get to know one another is just what our little part of the world needs. Now let’s just hope it is not all another joke Mr. White is playing on us. He has gotten pretty good at being a politician.
I’m glad someone can think of a new way to waste our tax dollars. Leave ECAT in the lower part of the county ,let the riders pay their way and no more gas tax.
There are several other considerations to look at too.
Will the Molino buses go to Jay Hospital via Bogia, McDavid, Bluff Spings, and Century as well as Walnut Hill, Davisville, Bratt, and Byrneville?
Will the bus route include a stop at Jeff Davis community college in Brewton, or will it connect to a route to PJC?
What about using smaller shuttle buses? or Hybrid buses? to create a predicitably sustainable and ecologically sound operation.
http://www.pressportal.com.au/news/120/ARTICLE/4782/2009-04-07.html
This would simply be another bad financial decision for ECAT. We dont need mass transit in a rural environment…how moronic is that? All you need to do is look at the ridership for the Century route to see that ECAT does not work up here. A proper transit system needs to be able to drop riders within a few blocks of their destination, that cant happen up here. This is simply bait for you to go along with the 3 cent tax . After 1 year they will say that ECAT is underutilized up here and shut it down.
I wanted to clarify something in this article. It only relates what Marilyn Wesley from Neighborhoods and Community Services said in pitching the gas tax to benefit ECAT.
The commission has voted to purchase the building and has approved applying for grants for a library. The commission has not approved any plan to put ECAT in the building. The commission, to the best of my knowledge, had not heard of what ECAT would like to do with PART of the building until this article.
The commission does plan to turn part of the building into a mult-use community center as well.
What happened to the idea of a library? I should have known that you wouldn’t go through with it. When I moved here, I was told that the northern part of the county was treated like a red headed step child, now I know it’s true. You don’t care about us, you just want to do what you want. This was probably the plan the whole time. I am so sick and tired of policticians lying to save their butts, doing what they want when they want and to heck with the people. We can’t afford your prices. Go back to downtown and live and work. Leave us alone. we’ll survive, we always have and always will. Just leave the old Molino school alone. It is a good building. It should be used to help children in the neigborhood. Do you want our kids to end up like the ones in town?? I think not.
Go Lynda, I like your take on this. Pool, walking/running track, some thing for everyone. Go Lynda Go!!!!
What happened to the idea of having a children’s recreation center in this old school building? When I last spoke to Kevin White a few months ago, he said that it would be used for a recreation center for the kids in Molino and Cantonement. There is absolutely nothing for children to do in this part of Escambia. Unless we drive many miles, children are basically housebound up here in Molino. A rec. center that offered movie nights,basketball, table games, computer games, with a family oriented theme would really help this community. Even a community swimming pool would be great for children..The idea of a boys and girls club here would be wonderful. Let’s think about our children for a change. We don’t need buses, we all have vehicles because we live so far away from any services. We need a children’s recreation Center.
Well, thats great news glad to hear it. Now we need the county to come out and clean the grounds up and somebody should make the cop who lives there clean up his area I mean come on its ridiculous. You might have seen that had the picture been taken on the right side of the school. Another quick word to Sandy honey get spellcheck. LOL
I’m sorry , but I can not afford gas being any higher. I live in the North End. Both me and my husband are out of work. We have our own business, but its going belly up sue to the ecomery and we used fuel to operate. No one that has money right now, it giving it up. So work is so slow. Higher gas prices would put us out of work all together. We have to pay for insurance, upkeep on the vehicles and equipment. We feel that if we have to pay for what we have and mantain it. Others should do the same. IF YOU USE IT, THEN YOU PAY FOR IT
let the community vote on it i wint to school thair i think it needs to
be up to the good folks in molino to vote on this this is our school it is and
historical bulding let us come up with and ideal
isn’t this the same building that was being rented for $1, but will lay empty because the county changed it’smind?
Wasn’t the rent set at something like $250,000?
My question being, if ECAT cannot afford to run buses at this end of the county how is it going to be able to pay a rent on top of its debt?
Our they going to charge over $20 return to Pensacola a day to pay for this as well?
Did you ever have a train service from Atmore or surrounding areas at one time, and would this be an option to reinstate this idea?
A lot of the buses run from 9 mile Road in Ensley, and connecting points for trains in Cantonment and downtown Pensacola, if you run a trolley service anywhere inbetween. Just a thought to try and save having to add more tax to unfair gas prices.
wow that is the greatest idea anyone has had and i think its awsome
The idea sounds good , at first, then you see that it’s tied to the gas tax increase. I think ECAT should support itself, no matter if it’s in the whole county or just certain areas. How can it be justified that we all pay for service that we don’t use or benefit from? I’m afraid that this is another PIE IN THE SKY hopeful plan. The city should be chipping in their coins since they surely benefit . Do they really not pay anything toward ECAT? I’ curious to know their reasoning on this issue. Didn’t they ask the county to help support the downtown library? We have a new library going up on Langley so how many will drive down to a library in that part of town? NOT ME! Sorry, got off the original subject but somehow it all ties together.
This is just great news, something positive for the community, but I dare say someone will give up his ride to ride the bus! There is a saying “Never Get Separated from Your Wheels”!! Now this being said, I do find this idea something that could be feasible, but I don’t think the tax payers should foot the bill for EACT, pay as you go is the only way you’re going to have support for ECAT program. By making the old school a hub, does not hid the fact ECAT is not paying it own way and could be just a sugar coat for the tax payers to anti-up more money for this dying horse. Before we get cart before the horse, let take a few baby steps, like clean up the area, get some out side lighting for security, put a walking track in the back with a few bleachers, and have a few local community events at the school to bring the community together. Let the community have major part of what they want or need, you may be surprised as to some of the ideas this little community can come up with. No one wants to make this school a place where you have individuals just hanging around and up to “NO Good” and ECAT Hub may encourage just that kind of environment.
THIS IS A GREAT PLAN. I SURE HOPE IT GOES FORWARD.