Portion Of Brickyard Road To Be Paved For $1.68 Million
September 20, 2011
Escambia County will soon award a project to pave a portion of Brickyard Road in Molino.
About 1.6 miles of Brickyard Road will be paved between Molino Road and Brickton Road. About 1.3 miles of the roadway is currently dirt, while the third of mile of the road closest to Molino Road is currently an open graded cold mix that will be resurfaced. The widened road will include 11-foot travel lanes plus a one-foot paved shoulder. The project also includes right of way and drainage work.
Low bidder on the project was Roads, Inc. of NWF at $1,674,183.75. The second lowest bidder was Gulf Atlantic Constructors, Inc. at $1,68,108.06.. The Escambia County Commission is expected to award the resurfacing contract to Roads, Inc. Of NWF at their October 6 meeting.
Once the project begins, it is expected to be substantially completed in 120 days.
Pictured above: Brickyard Road in Molino. NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.
Molino Lady Astros Split Games With Alabama Southern
September 20, 2011
The Lady Astros high division softball team from Molino split a couple of games with Alabama Southern in Monroeville last weekend, losing the first game 5-4 and winning the second game 3-1.
“It wast quite an accomplishment for high school girls to compete against this high level of competitor,” said Coach Donnie Nicholson.
The Lady Astros are players from North Escambia area high schools. They will play against a couple of junior colleges this weekend in the Fall Jamboree at the University of West Florida.
Members of the Molino Lady Astros are Meagan Green, Heather Thompson — pitchers and infielders; Brook Waters, Emily Vaxquez — catchers and infielders; Ashley Richerson, Barrett Barns, Nicole Kenough, Cat Tucker — infielders; Dallas Dickerson , Nikki Cody, Grace Kilcrease and Savannah Allen — outfielders.
Debra “Debbie” Pitts
September 20, 2011
Mrs. Debra “Debbie” Pitts, age 57, passed away on September 17, 2011, after a battle with brain cancer. She was surrounded by her loving family.
Mrs. Pitts is survived by her husband, Greg Pitts; father, Jay Tharp; mother-in-law, Genelda (Don) Page; father-in-law Woodrow (Carol) Pitts; her children Tammy (Steve) Barton, Stacy (Josh) Ray, Danny Alltop; step-children Brad and Heather, and nine grandchildren. She is also survived by her brothers Dale (Mary) Tharp and Richard (Patricia) Tharp; brother-in-laws Ken (Sherri) and Eric (Kelly) Pitts and many nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Pitts was preceded in death by her mother Margie Tharp.
She was retired from Escambia County School District after 20 years of service at Ransom Middle School as a secretary and cheerleading and swimming coach. She was an active supporter of Relay for Life.
Many remember her as a cheerleader at Brent, majorette at Woodham, cheer coach and mentor in the community and youth group leader at Gonzalez Baptist Church. She also loved to travel and camp with her husband and her family.
The family will receive friends and relatives from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, September 20, 2011, at Faith Chapel North on Highway 29. Funeral services will be held at noon Wednesday, September 21, 2011, at Faith Chapel North. Interment will follow at Pensacola Memorial Gardens.
Active pallbearers will be Alex Gillespie, John Bivens, Dale Tharp, Richard Tharp, Ken Pitts, and Eric Pitts.
Special thanks to Dr. Thomas Tan, Woodlands Medical Group, and the staff at West Florida Hospital ER and ICU.
Grady Leon Holt
September 20, 2011
Mr. Grady Leon Holt age 87 of Flomaton, AL passed away on September 19, 2011, at a local hospital.
Mr. Holt was a lifetime member of the Flomaton community where he attended Flomaton First Baptist Church and worked as a contractor building homes. He was a veteran of the United States Army and served as Flomaton’s mayor for two terms and as councilman for three years.
He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Grace Ellis Holt; son, Jerry L.(Peggy) Holt of Grove Hill; daughter, Evelyn (Hugh) Anderson of Navarre; brothers, Waymon Holt of Flomaton and Krafton P. Holt of Pensacola; sister, Doris Carden of Flomaton; five grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday evening, September 20, 2011, from 6 until 8 p.m at the Flomaton Funeral Home Chapel. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, September 21, at 11 a.m. at Flomaton Funeral Home with Dr. Jerry Keese and Rev. Dustin Stockstill officiating. Interment will follow in Flomaton Cemetery.
Rev. John D. Renfroe
September 20, 2011
The Rev. John D. Renfroe, 83, passed away on Monday, September 19, 2011, in Pensacola.
Mr. Renfroe was a native of Century and a resident of Atmore since 1990. He was a licensed funeral director since 1981. He formerly worked for Foley Funeral Home, Atmore Memorial Chapel, and Jay Funeral Home, and presently for Petty Funeral Homes, LLC. He was a retired Methodist minister for Alabama and West Florida Conference for 31 years, and was a member of the Atmore First United Methodist Church.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Warnie and Maggie Renfroe, a grandson, Rodney Renfroe, four brothers and one sister.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Lavada Renfroe of Atmore; three sons, the Rev. Larry W. and Connie Renfroe of Atmore, Ronnie and Linda Renfroe of Leroy, and John Renfroe of Columbus, MS; a brother, LaGrant and Eloise Renfroe of Live Oak; nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, September 21, 2011, at 10 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Atmore with the Rev. Jim Reese and the Rev. Larry Renfroe officiating. Burial will follow at Byrneville Cemetery.
Visitation will be held Tuesday, September 20, 2011, from 6-8 p.m. the Petty-Eastside Chapel Funeral Home in Atmore.
Pallbearers will be Dalton Renfroe, Kenneth Renfroe, Richard Renfroe, Robert Renfroe, Ray Smith, Jake Jernigan, John Glass, Jr. and Hubert Levins.
Honorary pallbearers will be retired ministers and their wives and his Sunday School Chapman Class.
No Injuries As Fire Destroys Home On State Line Road (With Photo Gallery)
September 19, 2011
Fire completely destroyed a home on State Line Road in Flomaton Monday night.
The elderly male occupant of the home and was able to escape uninjured with his cat; his wife out of town at the time of the blaze.
The brick home at 1721 State Line Road, which runs along the border between Flomaton and Century, was fully involved when the first firefighters arrived on scene about 7:45 p.m. Flames were shooting 30 feet in the air as firefighters began their attack on the blaze. There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire.
The fire was directly across State Line Road from Shady Lane in Century, just west of the Flomaton Funeral Home. Multiple fire departments from across the area responded to the blaze, including Flomaton, Friendship, Century, McDavid, Molino, Walnut Hill and Jay.
For a NorthEscambia.com photo gallery, click here.
Pictured above and below: Fire completely destroyed this brick home on State Line Road Monday night. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Accused Sister Shooter Rendell Seeks Lower Bond
September 19, 2011
A bond hearing will be held next week for the former Northview High School student accused in the August fatal shooting her adoptive sister.
Elena Janelle Rendell, 17, was charged as an adult with manslaughter by a firearm and remains in the Escambia Jail with bond set at $300,000 for the shooting death of 14-year old Christina Marie Sneary, a former Molino resident.
She will appear in court before Judge Nickolas Geeker on September 28 as her attorney seeks a lower bond amount.
The two girls had recently moved with their mother from Sunset View Lane in Molino to the 7600 block of Kipling Street in the Ferry Pass community.
Rendell told deputies that she began to argue with Sneary over a cell phone. During the argument, Rendell ran into her parent’s bedroom and retrieved her father’s 9 mm handgun from the top of a television shelf that stood about 12-feet high. Rendell then pointed the handgun at her 14-year old sister and fired a single gunshot into the right side of Sneary’s neck. Sneary died a short time later at Sacred Heart Hospital.
For more details about the shooting, click here for an earlier story.
Century Expected To Approve 51%, $1.7 Million Budget Increase
September 19, 2011
The Town of Century is expected to give final approval tonight to a $5 million 2011-2012 budget that is up almost $1.7 million from last year — thanks to $1.9 million in grants.
The $5,032,816 budget includes grant income and expenditures of $1,913,000. The grant funds are from state and federal sources — not local revenue or taxes.
“It’s money in and money out,” Mayor Freddie McCall said of the budget increase for the grants. “If we did not have the grants in there we would be less than the previous year’s budget,” Robert Hudson, the town’s accountant, added.
The $1.9 million in grants included in the budget are:
- CDBG Housing Grant, $650,000
- Energy Grant, $100,000
- Residential Construction Mitigation Program Grant, $100,000
- FEMA Hazard Grant, $823,000
- Housing Preservation Grant, $50,000
- Sewer Filter Grant, $190,000
There will be no increase in ad valorem taxes this year to meet the budget for fiscal year 2011-2012, which begins October 1.
The Century Town Council is expected to give final approval to the new budget at their meeting at 7 p.m. at the Century Town Hall. A public hearing is scheduled for immediately prior to the budget adoption vote.
To view a summary of the budget in pdf format, click here or the image below.
Pictured: Century council member Sandra McMurray Jackson reviews the town’s 2011-2012 budget during a special hearing earlier this month. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Rains Moves Into Forecast
September 19, 2011
Keep the umbrella handy…the is a chance of rain back in our future for this week. Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. East wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. East wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Wednesday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 88. East wind around 5 mph becoming south. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Wednesday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 84. North wind around 10 mph.
- Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58.
- Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.
- Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56.
- Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 82.
Senate Names Evers To Several Committees
September 19, 2011
New committee assignments were for the Florida Senate were announced Friday by Senate President Mike Haridopolos.
Rep. Greg Evers, who represents the North Escambia area, was named chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee and vice chairman of the Transportation Committee.
Evers was also named as a member of the following committees:
- Communications, Energy, and Public Utilities
- Rules Subcommittee on Ethics and Elections
- Reapportionment
- Budget Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations
- Budget Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development Appropriations
- Select Committee on Protecting Florida’s Children