County Officers On Board With Molino Community Center Project
February 10, 2010
Three of Escambia County’s constitutional officers are interested in locating offices in a community center planned for the Old Molino School.
That’s the word from District 5 Escambia County Commissioner Kevin White who met Tuesday with Escambia County Tax Collector Janet Holley, Supervisor of Elections David Stafford and a representative of Property Appraiser Chris Jones.
“They were all very receptive of the idea of locating offices in the building,” White said.
For Holley a county center in the renovated Molino School might come at the perfect time — the tax collector’s lease at her current Cantonment offices expires in 2012.
“We are open to exploring the option,” she said. “We will approach it with an open mind. It’s definitely something we would consider, especially since the growth is in that direction.”
In May, 2009, commissioners approved the $400,000 purchase of the building from the Escambia County School District. Commissioners have since approved a budget of $2,089,156 from Local Option Sales Tax monies for the renovation project. DAG Architects is being paid $214,580 to design the renovations.
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 cafeteria and one additional building for community events and private party rental along with other uses.
The school campus includes 9.66 acres and four buildings — the largest of which is 16,630 square feet.
First opened in 1939, the Molino School closed in 2003 when the new Molino Park Elementary School consolidated Molino Elementary and Barrineau Park Elementary.
Pictured above: The old Molino School now sits empty, closed in 2003. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Judge Orders Mental Evaluation For Suspect That Fled, Threatened To Kill Deputy
February 10, 2010
An Escambia judge has ordered a mental evaluation for a Century man that led police on a vehicle chase and then threatened to kill a deputy after he was caught.
One psychological evaluation of Christopher Angelo Phifer, 38, of Field Road Century, was presented to Escambia County Circuit Court Judge Joel Boles. An additional expert was appointed by Boles for another competency evaluation. due back to the judge by April.
Phifer was charged with with DUI, fleeing/eluding a law enforcement officer, registration/tag expired more than six months, driving while license suspended/revoked, threatening a public servant, two counts of resisting arrest, possession of weapon by a convicted felon and violation of probation. He is free on $17,750 bond.
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department report, Deputy James Gilman spotted a Jeep Cherokee occupied by Phifer at McMurray Park in Century at 12:20 am September 6. When Gilman ordered Phifer to exit the vehicle, Phifer took off in the Jeep, according to the report.
Deputy Gilman gave chase, using his lights and siren as he pursued Phifer down Pond Street, onto Jefferson Street and onto Salters Lake Road. On Salters Lake Road, Phifer hit a washed out area in the road, according to the report, causing his vehicle to roll over. Phifer fled into a wooded area on foot, with Gilman giving chase, also on foot. Gilman tackled Phifer, the report says, and arrested Phifer with the help of deputies Jason Land and Scott Rivkin.
About 10 minutes after Phifer was placed in the back of Gilman’s patrol car, he told deputies he had pain in his arm. Atmore Ambulance was called to the scene, and Phifer was transported to Baptist Hospital where he was treated and released.
A search of Phifer’s Jeep turned up a .22 long rifle cartridge on the driver’s side floorboard.
At the hospital, Phifer told the deputy “Gilman I’m going to kill your a** and you know I have guns,” according to the ECSO report on the incident, and that he intended to kill or put a hit out on Gilman.
Snow? It’s In The Forecast
February 10, 2010
(Updated 12:30 p.m.) It’s not a complete certainty just yet, but there’s snow in our Florida forecast for Thursday night, Friday and Friday night.
The National Weather Service gives us up to an 80 percent chance of precipitation during the period. It may be rain. Or sleet. Or Snow. Or a big ole wintry mix. The weather service said “it is currently beyond the state of the science to pinpoint exact snowfall totals because it is too far out in the time prior to the event and many uncertainties remain”.
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- This Afternoon: Mostly sunny, with a high near 49. North wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 47. Wind chill values between 20 and 30 early. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Thursday Night: A chance of rain before midnight, then snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 30. North wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Friday: Snow. High near 40. North wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
- Friday Night: Cloudy, with a low around 28. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. North wind around 5 mph.
- Sunday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph becoming south. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
- Sunday Night: Cloudy, with a low around 29.
- Presidents’ Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 53.
- Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 55.
Blog: What Went Wrong? Mosquito Trap? Drugs? Alien Probe?
February 10, 2010
What in this world, or out of this world, went wrong for it to take hours to identify a mosquito trap as a “mystery object”? Why were deputies and firemen unable to identify an object that was suppose to be clearly labeled as property of Escambia County Mosquito Control?
Perhaps surprising to some, the answer is a story about things that went the right way.
The buzz all over Escambia County Tuesday was our story about the mystery object glowing in the woods of Bluff Springs. Everywhere you went in the county, people were guessing what the object might be. It was truly the talk of the town. Our phone here at NorthEscambia.com rang a lot Tuesday, with people trying to get the inside information. We did live television interviews, and another local web site proclaimed “Alien probe found in Century”. (Alien probe? That was a stretch. It’s Bluff Springs, not Gulf Breeze.)
It all started about 10:15 Monday night when a resident on Dawson Lane off Bluff Springs Road called and reported that he thought he saw a small fire in the woods near his home. Members of the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue responded; they did not find a fire. Instead they located a glowing light in the woods. The wind blowing branches had made the light appear to flicker like a flame to the resident.
Let’s draw a mental picture of the scene. The area of Dawson Road where the object was found is pitch black dark — nothing but woods, no streetlights. The woods were thick and very dark. The object was several feet into the woods.
Following their training, firemen attempted to determine what they were dealing with before they entered the woods. With their flashlights, they could see the light, a battery pack and what appeared to be a cooler. Some reported to see the cooler smoking. What did their training tell them? Stay out of the woods.
From what they could see from the edge of the woods, the object could have been most anything. Likely suspects were some sort of portable meth lab, a crude explosive device, or…there were lots of possibilities. Mosquito trap was not on the immediate list.
Since the item may have been a meth lab (bad guys can make meth inside a moving vehicle this day, so anything’s possible for a meth head), it might have been a crime scene. Firemen are trained not to walk around crime scenes so that they don’t destroy evidence.
“We followed our protocol for safety and to protect and preserve any possible crime scene,” said David Adams, a volunteer for the Century Station of Escambia Fire Rescue. He’s also the Emergency Management Director for Escambia County, Alabama. “We didn’t know what it was. You look at what you think you might have and take the worst that it can be and work to eliminate the hazards.”
Adams called for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office to respond. Two deputies did. In their report, they wrote that they observed a “glowing object” and a cooler that was wrapped with black duct tape. Ice was forming on the duct tape. Thinking a possible meth relationship, the deputies followed their training and called for the department’s narcotics unit to respond.
In retrospect, perhaps it seems like a lot for a funny little mosquito trap that was suppose to be clearly labeled with Escambia County stickers.
“The equipment and cooler have Escambia County labels for easy identification,” said Sonya Daniel, Escambia County’s public information officer.
It was at about this period in our story where the picture you see on this page was taken. Understand what you see in the photo is not what you could have seen with your naked eye on Dawson Road with a good flashlight. The flash on our camera can light up and entire football field; so the camera was able to provide a view that could not be seen in person. There are no Escambia County labels visible in the photo.
About 15 minutes after we took the photo and left the scene, the narcotics officer did arrive on the scene. They are trained to approach a possible meth lab, which can explode at any moment. Their report indicates that they did find the Escambia County Mosquito Control stickers on the mosquito trap. Problem solved.
Why then did we report about the mystery object for hours before posting that it was a mosquito trap? Simple. That was the latest information available. Before the spokespersons in the Sheriff’s Office can release a report, it must first be filed by an officer and approved by a supervisor. That sometimes takes hours, as it did Tuesday.
There were, by the way, a surprising number of people working to find answers for us on Tuesday. But answers take time.
If NorthEscambia.com were a printed weekly paper, none of this story would have been the talk of the county. It would have been, if reported at all, a small paragraph on page 12 or something. But in the world of 24/7 news as it happens on NorthEscambia.com, it sometimes takes time for a story to unfold. It’s that drama that makes what we do so appealing to tens of thousands of people everyday.
It may or not catch mosquitoes in February, but the little light sure did catch our attention.
Click here for our original Tuesday story.
Royals Win Round One In 1-2A Tourney
February 10, 2010
Jay 58, Ponce de Leon 40
The Jay Royals won the first round of the District 1-2A Tournament in Freeport Tuesday, 58-40. Bugg Fischer paced the Royals (11-12) with 19 and had seven rebounds.
Jay–Hunter Boutwell 12, Dakota Walker 1, Luke Rowell 6, Bugg Fischer 19,Stephen Brabham 5, Tyler Prescott 3, Todd Laney 12.
Jay 18 17 18 5-58 Ponce De Leon 9 16 7 8-40
Ernest Ward Parents: Complete Online Survey
February 10, 2010
Parents of students at Ernest Ward Middle School are being asked to complete a parent survey online.
In order to complete the survey, visit the school web site at ernestward.com and find the survey under the “Parent Information” link, or click here to access the survey directly.
Results from the survey will be posted at a later date on the Ernest Ward Middle School’s “Parent Information” page.
Lane Shift Today In Highway 29 Construction Zone
February 10, 2010
Lanes in the construction zone on Highway 29 in Century were scheduled to be shifted Wednesday.
Weather permitting, the northbound lanes of Highway 29 between Cottage Street and Jackson Street in Century will be transitioned to handle two-way traffic, with one lane in each direction. This temporary lane shift will allow crews to install a new box culvert on the west side of the roadway.
Coastal Materials of Alabama is doing $480,000 worth of drainage improvements on Highway 29 just south of the Alabama state line. Improvements will include installing box culverts, replacing existing sidewalks in the area, and constructing pedestrian railing. Motorists can expect intermittent lane shifts or restrictions through the completion of the project this spring.
Pictured above: A $480,000 drainage improvement project in Century. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Ticket Sales For Marty Raybon Concert Begin Monday
February 10, 2010
Tickets for the April 3 Northview High School FFA Bluegrass Festival Featuring Marty Raybon will now go on sale on Monday on NorthEscambia.com and at selected outlets in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Tickets were scheduled to go on sale today, but was delayed until Monday.
For more on Marty Raybon and the concert, click here.
Thelma Singleton Barnes
February 9, 2010
Mrs. Thelma Singleton Barnes, 76, passed away on Sunday, February 7, 2010 at a Mobile hospital.
Mrs. Barnes was a native and lifelong resident of Atmore, AL and attended the Methodist Church. Preceded in death by her Husband, Wendell Barnes and a Son, Wayne Thrower.
Survivors include: a Son, Lou and Denise Thrower of Atmore, AL; a Daughter, Sharon Thrower of Dayton, TX; 5 Grandchildren; 3 Great-Grandchildren; three Brothers, Ray Singleton of Montgomery, AL, Barney Singleton of Atmore, AL and Albert Singleton of Canoe, AL; and two Sisters, Laura Weaver of Canoe, AL and Sue Kniseley of Montgomery, AL.
Funeral services will he held Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 10:00 A.M. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home with the Rev. Mike McMorris officiating.
Burial will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Wednesday, February 10, 2010 between 6:00 and 9:00 P.M. at the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Ray Singleton, Garrie Singleton, Chris Singleton, Mike Roberts, David Weaver, and Stanley Singleton.
Winter Weather Statement: Snow Possible
February 9, 2010
The National Weather Service has issued the following special weather statement:
.Winter storm may affect the central Gulf Coast region Thursday
night and Friday…
Snowfall accumulation is expected across our region by week’s end as
a surface low pressure system develops and moves eastward across the
northern Gulf of Mexico Thursday night and Friday. Precipitation
will likely begin as a mix of light rain and sleet over the interior
counties Thursday night…especially along and north of Highway
84…and will then change to and remain as snow through Friday
afternoon before ending from the west. Closer to the coast…rain
will begin falling Thursday night and a changeover to sleet and snow
mix could occur as early as mid morning Friday before changing to
all snow before ending.
It is currently beyond the state of the science to Pin-Point exact
snowfall totals because it is too far out in time prior to the event
and many uncertainties remain. However…current trends indicate
several inches of snow could fall over interior southwestern and
south central Alabama from Thursday night through midday Friday with
lighter amounts closer to the coast. The confidence for
accumulating snow in our area continues to increase…particularly
inland.
If this trend continues…a Winter Storm Watch will likely be issued
by tomorrow afternoon followed by either a Winter Weather Advisory
or a possible Winter Storm Warning by sunrise Thursday.
Everyone is urged to stay up to date on the latest forecast and
outlooks concerning this potential snow event. Although
precipitation will be ending later in the day Friday…subfreezing
low temperatures Friday night suggests that lingering moisture on
roads and overpasses will refreeze…creating slick spots and
hazardous driving conditions.