Company Makes $200K Proposal To Make Century A Renewable Energy Showcase

January 24, 2019

A California company is proposing about $200,000 worth of energy saving upgrades at three Century town properties, NorthEscambia.com has learned.

EMESGY, a consulting company in Torrance, CA, presented written proposals for potential cost saving energy upgrades from ADC Energy of California to the electrical systems at the Century Town Hall, the “Ag Building” community center on West Highway 4 and the former Helicopter Technology building in the Century Industrial Park. The industrial park building is currently unoccupied.

On October 29, Hawkins emailed the general Escambia County District 5 address inviting Barry to attend a presentation from Mark Endo of EMESGY. The presentation was set for the following afternoon.

On November 27, Century Mayor Hawkins forwarded a copy of the proposals in an email to Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry. “I’m hoping to get your approval on using economic money to do these. If we can do either City Hall or the Community Center would be great,” Hawkins wrote.

Barry said he did not respond to either email, and he has not presented the proposals to the Escambia County Commission.

Escambia County has committed $105,000 for economic development in the Century area this fiscal year. Proposals for the money are presented to Barry who in turn seeks approval of the entire commission at a regular meeting. So far, the commission has approved only $24,500 to the University of West Florida Haas Center for a market analysis.

The Proposals

“ADC Energy is patented technology that allows transmission of low-voltage DC to travel long distance using existing wiring. It is now possible for you to battery power your entire facility with ADC Energy,” the company states on its website.

The proposals were in three phases. In the first phase, lighting in each building would be upgraded to “24V Battery powered facility lighting.” The second phase would add solar panels, and third phase would be a solar-powered HVAC system.

The total cost of the equipment, design and installation totaled $197,642 for just the first phase, itemized as follows:

  • Town Hall: $34,593
  • Community Center: $43,368
  • Industrial Park Building: $119,681

Endo proposed the project would be a “renewable energy showcase … to secure massive visibility in local, national, and international media viewed by domestic and international audiences” in an email to Hawkins.

The email also stated, “Century and EMESGY will invite Miami International University (MIU) who is the 4th largest R & D University in the US to work with Century to establish an offsite joint R & D initiative with MIU funding, new jobs, and technology development.”

According to their website, the Miami International University of Art & Design “is one of The Art Institutes, a system of schools throughout North America,” and MIU offers degrees in design, fashion and media arts.

Endo suggests in his email that notification be sent to governors, senators, local to international media, and educational institutions to alert them of Century’s renewable energy initiatives and make Century a showcase.

Hawkins has not presented the proposals to the Century Town Council.

NorthEscambia.com file photo, click to enlarge.

Comments

25 Responses to “Company Makes $200K Proposal To Make Century A Renewable Energy Showcase”

  1. chris on January 25th, 2019 6:07 pm

    ADC: Already Duped Century!

  2. Chelleepea on January 25th, 2019 12:08 pm

    Folks….EMESGY is just a consulting company , a go between. The actual company wanting 200k is ADC Energy. ADC Energy needs to be researched.

  3. under the table on January 25th, 2019 9:00 am

    are the selling cameras also??????????????????

  4. Wondering on January 25th, 2019 12:49 am

    These the folks that got the free airline tickets or did I miss where the Mayor informed the public who were given airline tickets with public money.

  5. Shay on January 24th, 2019 9:41 pm

    @bama

    Amen!!!

  6. Sickofpolitics on January 24th, 2019 8:47 pm

    Something seems to be very rotten….Emesgy, LLC is shown as a business development, retention and referral solutions…commercial insurance advisor and other things that do NOT mention anything about “energy”… Steven Griswold listed as principal with ties to Griswold and Griswold Insurance Agency and ties to other company, Vedgehammer, LLC….sounds VERY sketchy to me…how did the mayor meet this people…should be investigated through right chsnnels

  7. Bama on January 24th, 2019 5:23 pm

    The best energy saving upgrade that Century could get, is to replace EVERYTHING at city hall, starting with the mayor.

  8. Skeptic on January 24th, 2019 3:03 pm

    Just wondering… EMESGY has about a $100 website. One page… they don’t even have a logo. Just a bunch of generic mumbo jumbo about business consulting and marketing… so they consult other businesses but don’t even market themselves? Seems like if they are doing $200,000 deals 2,500 miles away they would at least have a slick website and some actual info about what they do.

    I’m betting they’ve heard about all the shysters that have come through Century with big ideas and then running with the money and decided to give it a go…

  9. chris on January 24th, 2019 2:47 pm

    No surprise that a company involving a power source that can go dead, would look to Century.

  10. David Huie Green on January 24th, 2019 12:57 pm

    REGARDING:
    “Two brilliant electrical geniuses, John Tesla and Thomas Edison fought it out in the late 19th Century and Tesla and westinghouse proved the superior performance of ac current and put dc to rest.”

    Nikola Tesla

    The rest is pretty much correct. Power is voltage times amperage. Low voltage, low power without high amperage. Be very careful when someone claims to have a low voltage/high power solution.

    David for superconductors

  11. Chelleepea on January 24th, 2019 12:30 pm

    Left out one more thing…..

    Fourth – Why spend 119,681 on an empty building we don’t know when it’s gonna be occupied.

  12. Shay on January 24th, 2019 12:25 pm

    Sounds fishy. Century? Runnnnn!!!!

  13. 429SCJ on January 24th, 2019 12:15 pm

    $200,000.00, I’ll make Century an energy showcase; burn it to the ground or bulldoze it.

    Century needs something that it can offer, that people wish for/ will come there to purchase.

    I would say that having the Century Little Theater put on a production of N. Richard Nash’s “The Rainmaker, would be a good place to start, but the Town Hall appears to be living it.

    I wonder who could play Lizzie?

  14. Chelleepea on January 24th, 2019 12:07 pm

    Ok…I don’t want to throw cold water on anything but a few things popped into my head…….

    First – Why did they pick Century? It’s a long way from Cali!

    Second – if Century is going to be used as a model/showcase in another words used as an advertisement for their technology . .. they should be paying us not the other way around RIGHT?

    Third – MIU currently doesn’t have any dealings with EMESGY (“Century and EMESGY will invite Miami International University (MIU) “) -notice the word “invite”.
    AND MIU is not a technology school it’s an arts school I would be skeptical of how good their R&D(research and development) department is if they actually have one.

  15. mat on January 24th, 2019 11:42 am

    Why hasn’t the Mayor presented this proposal to the Century Town Council?
    (the last sentence of the article)
    You would think that he would present it to the Century Town Council first.
    Something just does not sound right here.

  16. JF on January 24th, 2019 11:00 am

    Is this Thomas Edison reincarnnated? They pretty well settled the ac/dc argument way back in 1890. Two brilliant electrical geniuses, John Tesla and Thomas Edison fought it out in the late 19th Century and Tesla and westinghouse proved the superior performance of ac current and put dc to rest. To store dc, you need expensive batteries and when the sun don’t shine, you don’t get solar energy! These folks must be looking for some benefactor to try and prove their scheme and use up some poor rubes to extract money. Read the book, Tesla VS Edison!

  17. Bob on January 24th, 2019 9:55 am

    Still waiting on the board to approve my personal loan…

  18. just sayin on January 24th, 2019 9:04 am

    This has failure written all over it. Get the hook out of your mouth mayor.

  19. DLo on January 24th, 2019 8:47 am

    This is what you came up with Mr. Mayor? This is your plan, to spend 200 grand to fix something that isn’t broken? Isn’t there enough projects in Century that actually need fixing that you could concentrate on? The hemorrhaging gas service comes to mind. And I have some bad news, you burned your bridge with Commissioner Barry when you called him a “lie” in the media, I wouldn’t bet on his support for your pet project. This makers me wonder if the Mayor gets a “finders fee” in all of this…

  20. mic hall on January 24th, 2019 7:57 am

    Something about this makes me think ripoff. I can only hope that they talk to others who have used the system AND verify the ROI. Knowing how Century manages money though I expect them to sign the contract and regret it later.

  21. tg on January 24th, 2019 7:49 am

    Is this for real or a SCAM. Start by fixing natural gas shortages.

  22. chris on January 24th, 2019 7:06 am

    If the mayor is involved, I smell a rat.

  23. Skeptic on January 24th, 2019 6:43 am

    These people aren’t asking to be paid up front with gift cards, are they? Of all the places in the U.S. to make a “showcase” that will garner international media attention… Century?? Okay… after they get it installed, pry find out they use proprietary fixtures and it’ll cost $300 to change a light bulb…

  24. Sam on January 24th, 2019 5:45 am

    No. Anything this mayor touches is questionable.

  25. Wilykyote on January 24th, 2019 3:50 am

    Uh-oh….California? They must be looking for some out-of-state
    “stupid-is-as-stupid-does “ public servants. You’d think their own
    State would keep-em busy !