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Beulah Beltway Meeting Rescheduled After Too Many Residents Show Up
August 8, 2017
Tempers flared and the air conditioning faltered as an estimated 250 people tried to pack their way into a public meeting Monday night concerning the proposed Beulah Beltway project.
The meeting was held in a room at the Plainview Baptist Church on West Nine Mile Road that quickly became overcrowded, prompting county officials to announce that another meeting will be scheduled in the coming days at a larger venue.
Many in the crowd were also angered to learn that the meeting was not set to be much more than as series of static displays.
“We will schedule another meeting, and we will have it in a larger venue, and we will have a question and answer session,” District 5 Commissioner Steven Barry said Monday night. “It will be a much more friendly and informative atmosphere.”
“This meeting was a cluster, there are no two ways about it,” Commissioner Jeff Bergosh wrote on his blog. “But, there is no sugar-coating the pill–tonight’s meeting was an epic failure and I apologize for this to all that attended. We will do better, I will do better at the next meeting.”
The next meeting will be announced in public notices from the county, and we’ll post the information here on NorthEscambia.com.
The Beulah Beltway will serve to connect Nine Mile Road in Beulah to Highway 29 somewhere in the area from south of West Quintette Road to Barrineau Park Road. There’s no funding available yet for the northern potion of the project. To view the potential project routes, click here (pdf).
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
25 Responses to “Beulah Beltway Meeting Rescheduled After Too Many Residents Show Up”
Ponderosa-Hill has an excellent idea, in all aspects.
Come to the historic district in Century, few nice huge old homes, (fixer uppers) large yards with gardens (Camilla azaleas) time for some revitalization. Near the River…Things change..
Gentrification, new faces in government..
Leave Beulah behind, if it is no longer the promised land.
You will not be able to stop the road being built. It is coming.
Mr. River sure makes a good point…….let’s say your property
misses the route by a few hundred feet…..you want all that
TRAFFIC whizzing by ? Remember these drivers around here
pay no attention to speed limits…..and no deterrent for them to
watch their speed and stay off the phone etc. The new bridge into
Ala. ( hwy 196 ) and the new pavement has done that very thing….
Log Trucks ( out of Ala.) from 6 am til dark all day long back & forth….
not to the paper mill but up Hwy 29 north bout half way to Century.
My guess is they have Alabama Tags and buy Alabama fuel ( cheaper )
do business in Florida & are wearing down our roads (new not long ago )
Think they’ll help pay for re-paving ?
As I seat here and read all the hoopla..I can’t help but to stop and think….Why would you not want to be one of the propertys that this runs right directly through…The reason is if your not one of the few ..Then the county want purchase your land..So that would have you looking at a intestate 400 yards from your home.So watch what you wish for..Can I interest you in some property it can come through…
Live @ 1765 muscogee Rd and I will be damn if u think u gonna condem my property and pay me penny on the dollar !!!
I live on a side street near Muscogee Road where it intersects with Jacks Branch Road (HWY97). Good possibility that my home and acreage is very close to the new beltway. It doesn’t bother me at all. If they want to buy my property, then I’ll sell and move. If they don’t need my property, then I’ll stay and suck it up. Progress is progress especially when you’re trying to alleviate traffic issues. By the way, don’t have a meeting at a Church next time. I agree that it’s disrespectful. A Church is the House of the Lord and should remain peaceful. Next time think about a school gymnasium. You could probably work out a deal with Malcom Thomas the School Superintendent. But you need to hurry, school is starting soon and those facilities will be used by the schools. Another alternative, is Hadji Shrine Temple. I’m sure there are a few Shriners living in the Beulah area..
The guy is the back was an embarrassment. Yes if your property is in the corridor it is unfortunate for you. This is a chance for reasonable input and yes to educate yourselves of the process and to plan accordingly. Misinformation was one of the causes of the false alarm and Comm Bergosh had to do damage control. I commend him on his actions but he did nothing wrong, the air conditioner not keeping up was just something that happens. Learn to look at the county web site and the FDOT and see the time line. The ROW is years away, you may even sell your property for a good price and move elsewhere and didn’t even know it is a blessing. Although this was an informal meeting..this is good info to know, it is on the agenda of every county meeting..Sorry about the all caps but it is important..no one is picking on you–this has gone on through the ages.
THROUGH THESE DOORS WALK ONLY THE FINEST PEOPLE – THE CITIZENS OF ESCAMBIA COUNTY. DECISIONS ARE MADE IN THIS ROOM AFFECTING THE DAILY LIVES OF OUR PEOPLE. DIGNIFIED CONDUCT IS APPRECIATED.
CHAMBER RULES
1. IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK, YOU WILL BE HEARD.
2. YOU MUST SIGN UP TO SPEAK. SIGN-UP SHEETS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM.
3. YOU ARE REQUESTED TO KEEP YOUR REMARKS BRIEF AND FACTUAL.
4. BOTH SIDES ON AN ISSUE WILL BE GRANTED UNIFORM/MAXIMUM TIME TO SPEAK.
5. DURING QUASI-JUDICIAL HEARINGS (I.E., REZONINGS), CONDUCT IS VERY FORMAL AND REGULATED BY SUPREME COURT DECISIONS.
6. SEE ORDERLY CONDUCT OF MEETINGS. POLICY.
Wasn’t at this meeting and have not seen if Mr. Bergosh was the solo BoCC member at this gathering.
Were the other 4 County Commissioners there, in active attendance?
Sure seems they should have been because this is a Humdinger of a project and will be paid for by ALL Escambia County Citizens (county parts) and by all citizens of Florida (FLDOT) and the USA taxpayers (Federal Highway $$). Money comes from somewhere and that where is our pockets.
Have the understanding that at least one member of the BoCC proudly boasts of being “Part Time” but seems even he would have attended this meeting as districts do adjoin each other.
Best thing to do is Citizens Show UP and “Respectfully” Speak UP — You have a Right to be Heard.
It’s called progress.. The population is growing and there’s only so many routes to go. I hate what happened to our Beaches. It isn’t like it used to be
Take off your shoes You’re standing on Holy Ground. Yes a church is just a building but it is a special place set aside ro worship God.
As far as the road goes, it is progress and someone always gets hurt.
Wondering what’s so “magical” of crossing Muskogee ( old Pensacola hwy ). Why not
Go north from HWY 90 on hwy 99 ( dump road? ) cross I-10 and put in an
exchange there ( on -off ) the Interstate….continue up hwy 99 to Muskogee
( old Pensacola hwy) then turn EAST and go to Hwy 29 @ the Paper Mill. Then straight across will lead to the newly planned BLUFFS PROJECT. Thinking
the personal properties affected would be minimal as that route is already roaded.
If we allowed the logic some of you are using to rule 50 years ago, there would be no interstate system, fewer parks, and lots less roads. Building roads by necessity requires acquisition of peoples property, especially in an area that allows rampant growth without planning such as ours. They will not “take your property” as some are saying, they have to condemn it, and pay fair market value for it. In short; For our area to move forward, and continue to grow, some of you will have to find a new home. If the goal is to keep traffic moving, some of our major arteries should be, and should have been for years limited access. It accomplishes nothing to widen roads to the limit, then add a dozen traffic signals that just turn these major roads into bigger parking lots. This should also apply to this new road
What a WASTE of time and money.
I agree disaster. I have neighbors concerned that will not have house to live in. I personally DO NOT want to live next to four lane highway.
I admit I don’t have a dog in the fight, but the crowd and comments show the great concern of the people this will effect. When I looked at the map my first thought was wait a minute, is that route going through someones house? J Cannova and neighbors are sure to get the sympathy of all! As for the bad manners, the person who whispers commands the most attention, try it sometime. Good luck with this project, you sure need an alternate route.
I vote for route 5 so it comes in across from Quintette. Either way, put in the south part of the road (9 Mile to I-10) now and decide the north route later. It takes 1/2 hour to go a mile on 9 Mile in the mornings and afternoon.
Just a fyi, one of the proposed routes goes right through our property, We moved to Pensacola area 5 years ago, we purchased a old 40 acre farm with an 45 year old home that has not been repaired since built. We moved here to retire and spent a large amount of our life savings to build our retirement dream. So saying a few might be hurt is very disrespectful. More then a few peoples lives and dreams will be destroyed. I have followed this project from the start and communication has been terrible. I have had to go visit neighbors and keep them updated or warn them that their house will be leveled. Many people in the same position, retired and living in what they though was their final home. This meeting was a joke, not enough room and hot. People left because there was literally not enough room to get in. The plan is to make a preliminary route choice next month and there has not been one open meeting with public comment. Think of how you would feel if all your dreams and life savings was about to be taken away by the government with nothing more then a brush off saying its for the greater good. History is littered with destroyed lives buried under the phrase greater good. And all so some can save 5 minutes off their commute. If suggest you go to Atlanta and decide if that’s what you want Pensacola to be in 20 years, many of is fled that disaster hoping for a quieter more peaceful life. A bypass brings more then just cars it brings crime, noise, pollution and its secret cost is quality of life.
To A citizen: Know not that the church is NOT a building but we (Born Again Christians) are the church.
I understand about disrespect to a place of worship. But what about disrespect to God’s children?
@Bratt, you will have your turn one day, if you live long enough.
When it comes to your backyard? How will you feel then…
Oh citizen, a church building is a building. There’s nothing magical or special about it before God. Why would you say that? And God has ordained government and this was the people coming out to find out about something that effects/affects? their daily life. And rough talking—it’s rough stuff and everyone can survive rough talking.
The man in the back of the room shouting “This is bull***” displayed an appalling lack of decorum. That type of Jerry Springer behavior has no place in a meeting of any kind, and only serves to inflame existing tensions. When the meeting is held again, I hope those in attendance will remember to listen and work the process. Shouting obscenities does nothing except stifle the exchange of information and deprive others of what they came for.
Alternative rout #1 seems to be the logical option with one exception. They need to intersect with 196 and not have an intersection with three roads coming together at one intersection. we already have one of these night mares at the intersection of 29, 97 and Crabtree Church Road.
There also needs to be plans to turn 29 into a controlled access highway. If we continue to add intersection, at the rate we are going, from Muscogee road to 97, will soon look like 29 from 10 mile to car city.
The meeting should not have been held in a church anyway. That’s a black eye to God by allowing that knowing that tempers could flare, it’s downright disrespectful to use a church for matters like that. I don’t care what kind of room or building it was held in, it was at a church.
Does anybody remember when plans were laid to extend I-110 all the way to 9 mile, and farther North? Our esteemed BCC at the time let one small group of home owners in one neighborhood de-rail that plan. This plan may come to the same fate if the BCC doesn’t have the guts to draw a line on a map and build the road on it. Yes a few will be hurt, but the transportation needs of the many will be met. This is what happens when rampant growth is encouraged without first considering the infrastructure improvements that will become necessary .
This Beulah Beltway sounds like a disaster in the making.
How much encroachment on natural habitat and residential areas will this thing have?
Let us plan for the next election!